The Associated Press

Former CFO Jimmy Patronis and former state lawmaker Randy Fine have won special elections to fill vacant seats in reliably Republican strongholds.

Jimmie Johnson has won the Daytona 500, one day after crash during a race there injured fans. Danica Patrick, who was hoping to make history by winning, finished eighth. However, she managed to become the first woman in history to lead laps at the NASCAR race.

When a private firm failed to meet its promise of providing enough guards for the Olympics, the British military was called in to "mind the gap" in security. A reported 3,500 British troops, some of them just back from Afghanistan, will step in to help guard Olympic venues.

General Motors will suspend production of its Chevrolet Volt for five weeks, due to disappointing sales figures. GM spokesman Chris Lee said the move will "align production with demand." GM sold 7,671 Volts last year, below its original goal of 10,000 cars.

One of three officials accused of mismanaging the mortuary at Dover Air Force Base has resigned. The Air Force issued a statement saying that Quinton Keel "has left federal service." Keel had previously served as director of the mortuary division at Dover.

South Korea conducts live-fire military drills Monday near its disputed sea boundary with North Korea, despite Pyongyang's threat to respond with a "merciless" attack. The exercise took place in the same area of the Yellow Sea that was the targeted by a North Korean artillery attack in 2010.

Saudi Arabia said Monday it will enforce a law that allows only females to work in women's lingerie and apparel stores, despite disapproval from the country's top cleric. Saudi women have boycotted lingerie stores, to pressure them to employ women.

Brazil's exports to China hit $44.3 billion, an increase of more than 43 percent over 2010. In 2009, China surpassed the U.S. as Brazil's biggest trading partner. For 2011, Brazil logged $256 billion in exports, with a $29.7 billion surplus.

Automakers will report U.S. sales for 2011 on Wednesday. When final figures are calculated, sales of new cars and trucks are expected to reach 12.7 million, up from 11.5 million in 2010 and 10.4 million in 2009, the worst year since 1982. For 2012, analysts expect sales to top 13.6 million.