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According to an international study conducted by Aviva in the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific markets, 57 percent of Americans expect to work past their normal retirement date – the highest percentage among people in any of the 10 countries surveyed.

The National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI-UK) continues to climb, up 0.8% to 74.7 on the 100-point index scale. With the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) stalling at 75.3, the gap between UK and US customer satisfaction is narrowing.

Health disparities remain significant between urban and rural areas, and among different localities and socio-economic groups in China, and more equitable allocation of government health resources is needed in order to fully achieve health reform objectives, according to a new report prepared jointly by staff of the World Bank and UNICEF. The report, entitled Equity and Public Governance in Health System Reform: Challenges and Opportunities for China, uses official data to analyze possible challenges to the implementation of China’s current health system overhaul.

Small business employment and hours worked continued to grow in February with wages remaining flat. These are among the results of this month’s update of the Intuit Inc. Small Business Employment Index.

A national survey undertaken by the bipartisan polling firms of Hart Research and American Viewpoint indicates overwhelming public opposition (69% to 27%) to proposals to eliminate government funding of public broadcasting, with voters across the political spectrum opposed to such a cut, including 83% of Democrats, 69% of Independents, and 56% of Republicans. More than two-thirds (68%) of voters say that Congressional budget cutters should “find other places in the budget to save money.”

Euro area annual inflation was 2.3% in January 2011, up from 2.2% in December 2010. A year earlier the rate was 0.9%. Monthly inflation was -0.7% in January 2011.

PopCap Games, the worldwide leader in casual video games, announced the results of a new survey which found large increases in overall usage and frequency of mobile game playing among U.S. and U.K. adults. The survey, conducted by Information Solutions Group, also found that among mobile phone gamers, the mobile phone is now the primary gaming device of choice, leapfrogging video game consoles and personal computers in less than two years. Further, "smartphone" owners (the fastest-growing mobile segment) are by far the most avid consumers of mobile phone games. These and other purchase and consumption trends identified in the survey suggest significant growth in the mobile games sector will continue for the foreseeable future.

The annual growth rate of M3 decreased to 1.5% in January 2011, from 1.7% in December 2010. The three-month average of the annual growth rates of M3 over the period November 2010 - January 2011 stood at 1.7%, compared with 1.6% in the period October 2010 - December 2010.

Looking ahead, President Obama most likely sees many battles forthcoming. There's the current budget showdown which has the potential to lead to a government shutdown. There is the labor issue and all eyes are watching to see how the White House responds to what is happening in Wisconsin. And then there is his own electoral battle, albeit 20 months from now, but still on the horizon.

In 2010, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the year was 39,798.3 billion yuan, up by 10.3 percent over the previous year. Of this total, the value added of the primary industry was 4,049.7 billion yuan, up by 4.3 percent, that of the secondary industry was 18,648.1 billion yuan, up by 12.2 percent and the tertiary industry was 17,100.5 billion yuan, up by 9.5 percent.