European pressure mounts on Iran over stoning case (AP)

AP - European Union nations and the continent's biggest human rights organization slammed Iran on Wednesday for its plans to stone a woman convicted of adultery, increasing the global pressure on Tehran over a case it has tried to frame as a criminal matter and not one of human rights.

Summary Box: Portugal bond sale reflects debt fear (AP)

AP - HIGH COSTS: Portugal raised $1.3 billion in a debt auction Wednesday, but at sharply higher borrowing costs compared with recent auctions.

Australia, N.Zealand top charity index; US 5th (AP)

AP - Australia and New Zealand shared first place, and the United States tied for fifth, in a first-of-its kind survey ranking 153 nations on the willingness of their citizens to donate time and money to charity.

Koran Burning: Cues from Osama bin Laden Media Strategy? (Time.com)

Time.com - While he's planning violence against books, not people, the would-be Koran-burning Florida preacher Terry Jones is following a self-promotion strategy similar to that of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden

Google seeks to speed up Web searches (Reuters)

Reuters - Google Inc unveiled a set of enhancements to its Internet search engine on Wednesday that predict search queries as users type, promising to speed up the time it takes to find information online and to generate more searches on the website.

Jackson Hewitt narrows 1Q loss as expenses fall (AP)

AP - Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. on Wednesday posted a narrower first-quarter loss as its expenses fell, beating Wall Street expectations, but its shares fell after it said it would seek new financing for its refund anticipation loan program.

Obama firm: Don't extend tax breaks for wealthiest (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama strongly defended his opposition to extending Bush-era tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans on Wednesday and delivered a searing attack on Republicans and their House leader for advocating "the same philosophy that led to this mess in the first place."

US welcomes South Korean sanctions against Iran (AFP)

AFP - The United States on Wednesday hailed new sanctions imposed by South Korea against Iran as increasing pressure on Tehran to return to the negotiating table to address concerns about its nuclear aims.

Fed report shows widespread signs growth easing (Reuters)

Reuters - The economy has shown "widespread signs" of slowing over recent weeks, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday in a report suggesting the recovery was faltering along the East Coast and in the Midwest.

Summary Box: Ireland to split Anglo Irish Bank (AP)

AP - SPLIT: Ireland plans to split its most troubled financial institution, Anglo Irish Bank, into a "good" deposit bank and a "bad" toxic-debt bank. The move comes as the nation seeks to reassure international lenders that it is dealing with the Irish debt crisis.

Muslims see Quran burning as threat to God's word (AP)

AP - The Quran is the most sacred object in the daily lives of Muslims and burning it would be considered an offense against God.

Australian government prepared to adjust mining tax (Reuters)

Reuters - Australia's fragile Labor government suggested on Wednesday it could adjust a planned profits-based tax on mining companies to bend to demands of the independent MPs giving it a slender grip on power.

BP report blames itself, others for oil spill (AP)

AP - In an internal report released Wednesday, BP blames itself, other companies' workers and a complex series of failures for the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the drilling rig explosion that preceded it.

North Korea Succession: Reports of Power-Handover Talks (Time.com)

Time.com - In North Korea, the first congress in 30 years of the Workers' Party of Korea may be imminent, suggesting that a succession is being prepared to hand power from Kim Jong Il to his son Kim Jong Un

Kia names new top executive after recalls (AP)

AP - KIA CEO: South Korean automaker Kia Motors named Lee Hyoung-keun to its top executive job Wednesday.

Freddie Mac to issue new 5-year note due 2015 (AP)

AP - Government sponsored mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Wednesday it plans to issue new five-year notes due on Sept. 10, 2015.

Goldman NY proprietary traders consider next move (Reuters)

Reuters - Members of Goldman Sachs Group Inc's New York Principal Strategies team are in talks with several groups, including KKR, Perella Weinberg, BlackRock Inc and Carlyle Group, to possibly join one of the firms, a source familiar with the matter said.

Peru president: New Yorker Berenson not a threat (AP)

AP - President Alan Garcia says he doesn't consider Lori Berenson a threat to Peru, suggesting he may be inclined to commute the New Yorker's accomplice-to-terrorism sentence so she can go home.

BP blames contractors for U.S. oil spill (Reuters)

Reuters - A BP Plc investigation of the Gulf of Mexico disaster played down the company's role in the world's worst offshore oil spill, seeking to share the blame with its contractors.

Nigeria leader replaces military, security heads: presidency (AFP)

AFP - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has appointed new military, intelligence and police chiefs, his office said on Wednesday, ahead of January elections in the oil-rich country.

Romanian Gypsy leader compares Sarkozy to Nazis (AP)

AP - A Romanian Gypsy leader on Wednesday compared French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Romania's pro-Nazi wartime leader, following the expulsion of hundreds of Gypsies from France.

S&P 500 rises 1 percent (Reuters)

Reuters - The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose more than 1 percent in afternoon trading on Wednesday, while the Dow and Nasdaq added to gains as worries about Europe's banking system decreased, easing risk aversion.

US sex offenders see sanctuary in Caribbean sun (AP)

AP - Jeffrey Allen Weathers moved from Alaska to an oceanfront apartment in the Caribbean, but his new neighbors soon suspected the heavyset American hadn't come for the sun. The FBI now says they were right.

Pakistan to charge 3 over failed Times Square bomb (AP)

AP - Pakistan will soon bring terrorism charges against three men alleged to have helped the failed Times Square bomber meet up with militant leaders close to the Afghan border and sent him money to carry out the attack, a senior police officer said Wednesday.

Tories see poll lead evaporate (Reuters)

Reuters - The Conservative government has seen its lead over the Liberals evaporate following recent controversies and the two parties are now statistically deadlocked, according to a public opinion poll released on Wednesday.

EU suspends WTO dumping sanction bid against US (AFP)

AFP - The European Union said Wednesday it had suspended a request at the World Trade Organization for the right to impose sanctions on Washington over a controversial US anti-dumping calculation.

Summary Box: Mortgage lending falls 1.5 pct (AP)

AP - MORTGAGE APPLICATIONS SLIP: Applications for home loans dipped last week as mortgage rates ticked up slightly from the lowest level in decades, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Economists further scale back U.S. growth outlook (Reuters)

Reuters - Stubbornly high unemployment and signs of persistent weakness in the housing market have prompted economists to further cut their outlook for U.S. growth in the second half of the year, a Reuters poll showed on Wednesday.

Tight inventories hurt Talbots sales (Reuters)

Reuters - Women's clothing retailer Talbots Inc posted lower-than-expected quarterly sales and its shares fell 11.6 percent as efforts to keep inventory lean and preserve margins left it short of items to sell.

Banging a Drum for the MDG Summit (OneWorld.net)

OneWorld.net - NEW YORK, Sep 7 (IRIN) - Activists are pulling out all the stops ahead of a development summit at UN headquarters on 20-22 September. Pro-aid and anti-poverty lobbyists are trying everything from giant letters to banging pans to raise awareness of the high-level event.

U.S. offensive expected in home district of Afghan Taliban leader (McClatchy Newspapers)

McClatchy Newspapers - ASHEQUE, Afghanistan — Zhari, the birthplace of the Taliban movement and once again a major stronghold of the Taliban insurgency, looks set to become a battle zone where some 2,400 U.S. troops will lead an attempt to reclaim the region for the Afghan government.

IAEA report: What's driving Iran's latest bout of nuclear obstinacy (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - Iran reacted angrily Tuesday to charges from the United Nations nuclear watchdog that it was hindering an investigation of its nuclear programs by blocking experienced inspectors, and limiting access and design information.

How the major stock indexes fared Tuesday (AP)

AP - Stocks closed lower Tuesday following new worries about Europe's debt problems. News reports said European banks may have more risky government debt on their books than was disclosed during "stress tests" earlier this year. That could mean fees from regulators and more capital-raising by the banks to bolster their balance sheets.

The Treasury's New Research Office (BusinessWeek)

BusinessWeek - Don't expect an Elizabeth Warren-style campaign for the first director of the Office of Financial Research, yet another agency set up under the financial system overhaul. Unlike the pending decision over who will lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has prompted online petitions and a viral rap video in support of the Harvard law professor, the competition over who will be the head of the research office is a wonks-only affair. ...