The eccentric Stalinist leader of N. Korea, Kim Jong-Il, loves his French spirits, lobster, caviar, McDonald's hamburgers, and choice cuts of imported sushi. His sons love the jet-set lifestyle. While millions of his country's citizens have perished from famine and starvation, luxury goods, gathered at great expense, abound in Kim's compounds, and serve both personal and as currency for loyal elite supporters.

The new edition of the game Monopoly will feature major companies such as McDonald's, Starbucks and Motorola. Instead of an old shoe, McDonald's French Fries will be a player piece along with a Starbucks coffee cup, a Toyota Prius car, a Motorola RAZR phone and a New Balance running shoe. The "Here and Now" U. S. edition of the board game will feature Times Square instead of Boardwalk, among other changes.

McDonald's Corp. wins an infringement lawsuit against a small Malaysian restaurant called "McCurry. " The open-air eatery serves spicy fish-head curries, tandoori chicken and other Indian dishes on a street corner in Kuala Lumpur.

In an effort to save hedgehogs, McDonald's is changing the design of its killer McFlurry ice-cream containers. Previously, the opening of the containers were big enough for the animals to get their heads in. But they were unable to get them out, causing scores of hedgehogs to starve to death. Starting September 1, the opening in the lid of the ice-cream containers will be too small for hedgehogs to get their heads inside.

An angry McDonald's customer ran her car over two other customers following a dispute over who was next in line. Police are looking for the woman who is still at large. Melinda Ann Thomas, 34, and Linda Ann Thomas, 51, were standing in a crowded line at McDonald's early Saturday morning as they waited to order breakfast, police told Athens Banner-Herald.