WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama's lead over Republican rival John McCain dipped slightly to 5 points with three days left in the race for the White House, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Saturday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama's lead over Republican rival John McCain firmed marginally to 6 points with support for both candidates steady before Tuesday's U.S. presidential election, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Sunday.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - South Korea unveiled an economic stimulus plan on Monday and markets geared for more interest rate cuts in Europe and Australia in a frantic campaign to keep the financial crisis from plunging the world into its worst recession in decades.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain face the verdict of U.S. voters on Tuesday after a long and bitter struggle for the White House, with Obama holding a decisive edge in national opinion polls.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama captured the White House on Tuesday after an extraordinary two-year campaign, defeating Republican John McCain to make history as the first black U.S. president.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Europe's top central banks are under pressure to slash borrowing costs on Thursday as market focus shifts back to grim economic realities from the excitement of Barack Obama's historic victory in the U.S. presidential vote.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Barack Obama will have his campaign promises put to the test on Friday as he meets with economic advisers to discuss his transition to the White House and holds his first news conference as U.S. president-elect.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama called for urgent passage of a stimulus package to reinvigorate a faltering economy that saw unemployment hit a 14-year high on Friday while U.S. automakers reported billions in losses.

TENGGULUN, Indonesia (Reuters) - Thousands of people including some hardliners gathered for the funerals of three Indonesians executed on Sunday for the 2002 Bali bombings, sparking clashes between police and emotional supporters.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China pitched in nearly $600 billion to the global effort to avoid the worst economic downturn in decades, while grim Japanese data on Monday offered more proof of the damage caused by the global financial crisis.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin suggested in an interview broadcast on Monday that she might run for higher office in 2012 if the right opportunity presents itself.

(Reuters) - The Treasury Department, signaling a new phase in its $700 billion financial rescue plan, is considering requiring that firms seeking future government money raise private capital in order to qualify for public assistance, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

HONG KONG/TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will offer up to $100 billion to the International Monetary Fund for emerging economies in a new effort to come to grips with the fast-moving financial crisis that threatens to tip the world into a deep and long recession.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - G20 leaders headed to Washington on Friday for a summit aimed at seeking solutions to the world's biggest financial crisis in decades and will be reminded of the deepening economic gloom by a report expected to show the euro zone has slipped into recession.

AP - Firefighters were holding their own Friday against a wildfire that destroyed more than 100 homes in a wealthy, celebrity-studded enclave, but authorities warned that evening wind gusts could send the blaze on another destructive sprint.

AP - A raid by U.S. coalition troops in eastern Afghanistan killed five al-Qaida associated fighters and detained eight others, including a militant leader, the U.S. military said in a statement Sunday. Two U.S. troops were wounded in a suicide attack in the west.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan sank into recession in the third quarter, even before it felt the full force of the financial crisis, and world leaders at a weekend summit gave investors little hope they could rescue the global economy.

SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc said Jerry Yang will step down as chief executive as soon as the board finds a replacement, sending its shares up 4 percent on hopes his departure will clear the way for a deal with Microsoft.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich claimed victory on Tuesday as the first Democrat elected to Congress by Alaska in more than a quarter of a century, unseating powerful Sen. Ted Stevens who was convicted last month of corruption after decades in the U.S. Senate.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A rout in Asia pushed world stocks to their lowest in 5- years on Thursday, while oil fell to below $53 a barrel and safe havens such as the yen gained as economic data indicated a global recession could get even uglier.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic congressional leaders, seeking to salvage a bailout of the Big Three automakers, demanded executives provide a business survival plan in exchange for their support of up to $25 billion in loans.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The board of directors of embattled U.S. automaker General Motors Corp is considering 'all options' including bankruptcy, according to a report on the Wall Street Journal's website late on Friday.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea made clear on Sunday it will not back down in mounting tensions with North Korea, which has threatened to shut their heavily armed border next week over what it sees as Seoul's antagonistic approach to relations.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government agreed to a $306 billion rescue plan for Citigroup Inc, agreeing to shoulder some losses from toxic debt in the latest attempt to bolster a financial services industry in turmoil.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Asian shares rose on Tuesday and so-called safe haven assets such as bonds fell after the U.S. government rescued banking giant Citigroup to prevent further damage to the ailing global financial system.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama takes another step toward tackling the ailing U.S. economy on Wednesday as part of an aggressive effort to demonstrate that his administration will face the global financial crisis head-on.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Asia stocks rose for a fifth day on Thursday, helped by hopes that policymakers' efforts will ultimately prevail after China's big rate cut, though U.S. data provided an ominous reminder of the global slowdown.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Guests trapped by Islamist militants in a luxury hotel were being evacuated room by room Friday as the end of a siege appeared imminent, while commandos stormed a nearby Jewish center where Israeli hostages were held.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian commandos killed the last Islamist gunmen holed up at Mumbai's Taj Mahal hotel on Saturday, ending a three-day battle at landmarks across India's financial capital that has killed at least 155 people.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India said on Sunday it had proof of a Pakistani link to the Mumbai attacks that killed nearly 200 people, while Islamabad said it would move troops to the Indian border if tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals spilled over.