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*Fiery rhetoric from Iran leader spooks oil markets. *Goldman Sachs sees tight global oil inventories. LONDON, Feb 8- Oil surged to a nine-month high above $118 per barrel on Friday as robust trade data from China strengthened the outlook for demand and rising tension in the Middle East stoked concern over supply.

Feb 8- McDonald's Corp said on Friday that January sales at established hamburger restaurants around the world fell 1.9 percent, a steeper decline than analysts expected, as fast-food chains fight hard for diners. Shares of McDonald's, which had fallen earlier in the week, slipped 22 cents to $94.41 in premarket trading.

LEESBURG, Va. Feb 7- Facing government spending cuts that could delay air travelers, pare education programs for the poor and weaken military readiness, Democrats in the U.S. Congress this week sought to shift the deficit-reduction burden to the rich. Without congressional action, about $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts are set to begin on March 1.

LONDON, Feb 8- Gold prices kept to very tight ranges on Friday, but underlying sentiment in bullion and the euro was weak after the European Central Bank highlighted downside risks to the region's economy.

*Illegal logging on the rise, smog appears over Athens. ATHENS, Feb 7- Greek cleaner Eleni Daneel's family spends evenings in their Athens home bundled up in coats after a steep rise in fuel prices made heating their apartment an unaffordable luxury this winter.

"Most of the coal companies are' buys' at these levels," said Eric Green, a senior portfolio manager at Penn Capital in Philadelphia. " Green said he expected Alpha Natural Resources Inc, which closed on Wednesday at $8.67, and Walter Energy Inc, which ended at $36.88, ultimately to rise 50 percent from current levels.

WASHINGTON/ NEW YORK, Feb 7- U.S. agencies cleared Boeing Co to restart test flights of its grounded 787 Dreamliner in order to get more data on potentially faulty batteries, but they also demanded a closer look at how the batteries were approved, which may delay resuming delivery of Boeing's newest aircraft.

SINGAPORE, Feb 8- Gold regained its footing on Friday after falling in the previous session as the euro weakened on concerns over the health of the euro zone economy.

NEW YORK/ ATLANTA, Feb 7- AMR Corp creditors plan to meet on Monday to potentially vote on a merger agreement between the bankrupt parent of American Airlines and US Airways Group Inc, several people familiar with the matter said.

*Olam to review targets including free cash flow. SINGAPORE, Feb 7- Singapore commodities firm Olam International Ltd, under attack by short-seller Muddy Waters LLC for its aggressive spending and high debt, has begun a review of its business priorities and free cash flow targets.

*Federal, state actions contemplated against Moody's. *Connecticut case against Moody's proceeding to trial.

*Sanofi slumps after warning of possible earnings fall. LONDON, Feb 7- Two leading European equity indexes fell to 2013 closing lows on Thursday, hit by a fall in drugmaker Sanofi after disappointing results and on persistent concern over the economic outlook.

*LNG exports planned from Elba Island near Savannah, Georgia. NEW YORK, Jan 28- With U.S. natural gas prices stuck at much less than half global levels, Royal Dutch Shell and Kinder Morgan Inc said on Monday they are teaming up to export liquefied natural gas from a terminal that was originally built to import gas.

TOKYO, Feb 8- Japan's trade minister heads to Saudi Arabia on Friday for talks on securing extra oil, an official said, after a report the two will set up a telephone hotline to allow one of the world's top importers to seek emergency supply from OPEC's biggest producer.

*Toyota's first overhaul of Tundra since 2007. CHICAGO, Feb 7- Toyota Motor Corp unveiled a redesigned Tundra pickup truck on Thursday with a back-up camera, easier-to-use controls and other features designed to take advantage of the expected growth in the lucrative U.S. truck market.

LONDON, Feb 7- Two leading pan-European equity indexes fell to 2013 closing lows on Thursday, led by weakness in drugmaker Sanofi after its results and amid persistent concern over the region's economic weakness.

Feb 7- A U.S. judge narrowed a patent lawsuit brought by Google's Motorola Mobility unit against Microsoft Corp, finding that parts of three Motorola patents are invalid. District Judge James Robart in Seattle, who is overseeing a tandem lawsuit in which Microsoft claims Motorola deserves only a small royalty on many of its telecommunications patents.

*FDA encourages testing drugs before dementia strikes. "The scientific community and the FDA believe that it is critical to identify and study patients with very early Alzheimer's disease before there is too much irreversible injury to the brain," said Dr.

WASHINGTON, Feb 7- The development of vast shale gas reserves in the United States is a "game-changer" that alters the balance of energy power for the nation, Jeff Immelt, chief executive of General Electric Co, said on Thursday. Speaking at an event in Washington, Immelt also highlighted the economic benefits of free trade.