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."

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."

Ill. Senate candidate embraces Obama in new ad (AP)

AP - Illinois' Democratic U.S. Senate candidate is embracing President Barack Obama in a new campaign ad at a time when some Democrats are keeping the president at arm's length.

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.

Agency promises to beef up presence at races (AP)

AP - The agency charged with monitoring off-road racing on federal lands is promising to increase staffing and crack down on violations of racing permits.

Chicago mayor says he won't recommend a successor (AP)

AP - Chicago Mayor Richard Daley says he isn't going to recommend a candidate to succeed him and that it's up to voters to decide who they want to lead them.

Chicago mayor says he won't recommend a successor (AP)

AP - Chicago Mayor Richard Daley says he isn't going to recommend a candidate to succeed him and that it's up to voters to decide who they want to lead them.

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.

Hack attack hits home for AP writer (AP)

AP - The Twitterverse is full of far more mysterious forces than indecipherable trending topics and Lady Gaga.

Detroit mayor calls fires 'natural disaster' (AP)

AP - Detroit Mayor Dave Bing has praised the fire department for responding to what he termed "a natural disaster" after wind-whipped flames destroyed dozens of homes across the city.

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.

Appeals court dismisses Boeing-CIA lawsuit (AP)

AP - A sharply divided federal appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit against Boeing Co. that claimed the company flew terrorism suspects to secret prisons around the world to be tortured as part of the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" program.

LA police quell 2nd protest over fatal shooting (AP)

AP - Demonstrators pelted police for a second night in a poor immigrant neighborhood following the fatal shooting of a Guatemalan day laborer who allegedly threatened people with a knife and then turned the weapon on a responding officer.

Fla. minister determined to hold 9/11 Quran burn (AP)

AP - The leader of a small Florida church that espouses anti-Islam philosophy said Wednesday he was determined to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11, despite pressure from the White House, religious leaders and others to call it off.

Tropical Storm Igor forms in the Atlantic (AP)

AP - Tropical Storm Igor has formed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa near the Cape Verde Islands and has top sustained winds of near 40 mph (65 kph).

Grassley seeks answers to USDA's role at egg farms (AP)

AP - Sen. Charles Grassley has asked Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to address accusations that federal workers ignored complaints about conditions at an Iowa farm involved in a recall of salmonella-tainted eggs.

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.

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.

Xbox blocks W.Va. gamer over town's name: Fort Gay (AP)

AP - Microsoft Corp. and the chief rules enforcer for Xbox Live are apologizing to a small West Virginia town and a 26-year-old gamer accused of violating the online gaming service's code of conduct by publicly declaring he's from Fort Gay — a name the company considered offensive.

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.

Accused Somali pirate pleads guilty in DC (AP)

AP - An accused Somali pirate has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy from a November 2008 attack in the Gulf of Aden on a Danish ship carrying cargo from a U.S. company.

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.

Turtle egg rescue at space center billed success (AP)

AP - The turtle rescue effort at NASA's Kennedy Space Center is winding down.

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.

8 people missing in Colo. wildfire (AP)

AP - Authorities are searching for eight people who have not been accounted for as a wildfire tore through their neighborhoods this week.

Bennet bucks Obama's $50B plan (Politico)

Politico - The politically vulnerable Democratic senator won't support the president's infrastructure proposal.