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<p>CHICAGO (AP) -- A Cook County judge is delaying the division of a $10 million settlement from McDonald's over beef-laced french fries until the tax-exempt status of some of the vegetarian recipients is clarified.</p> <p>Judge Richard Siebel on Tuesday asked attorneys for plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit to determine the tax-exempt status of some groups and find out whether others affiliated with tax-exempt groups intend to seek the status for themselves. He set a new hearing date to award grants March 25.</p>

<p>News item: McDonald's seeks to serve you in less generic settings. That was all it took to get our writers' imaginations cooking.</p> <p>It used to be that no matter where you were in the world, you always knew what to expect when you walked into a McDonald's. The most noticeable difference between a franchise menu in New Bedford, Mass., and one in Bedford, England, was the change from dollars to pounds. McDonald's always has prided itself on its red-and-yellow plastic seating and the predictable formula of its products. All together now: "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun."</p>

McDonald's to pull out of Middle East LONDON — American fast food chain McDonald's has announced plans to cease operations or close down its restaurants in a number of Middle Eastern countries. Without specifying which markets will be affected, the corporation said the pullout is a result of lagging returns on investment.

New from McDonald's: the McAfrika burger (don't tell the 12m starving) Andrew OsbornSaturday August 24, 2002The Guardian McDonald's has been accused of extreme insensitivity after releasing a new sandwich called the "McAfrika" in Norway, one of the world's richest countries, at a time when 12 million people are facing starvation in southern Africa. The launch of the new hamburger has infuriated the Norwegian equivalent of Christian Aid and the Norwegian Red Cross and generated a storm of bad publicity for the American fast-food giant. The concoction of beef, cheese, tomatoes and salad in a pitta-style sandwich is said to be...