Car explodes near Russian market; 5 dead (AP)

AP - A car exploded Thursday near the central market of a major city in Russia's restive North Caucasus region, killing at least five people and wounding 20, officials said.

US fighting a losing war in Afghanistan: Mullah Omar (AFP)

AFP - The leader of the Taliban said the West is losing the war in Afghanistan and called on Afghans to repel the "invading infidels" as experts urged the US to scale back troops and goals.

Blast in southern Russia kills at least 4: reports (Reuters)

Reuters - A large blast hit near a market in the city of Vladikavkaz in Russia's restive North Caucasus on Thursday, killing at least four people, Russian news agencies reported.

A Fashion Week Model's Secret: Sensible Shoes (Time.com)

Time.com - On the eve of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, the hottest event on New YorkCity's couture calendar, TIME takes a look inside the grueling auditionprocess for hundreds of high-fashion hopefuls

China's Great (Quantum) Leap Forward (Time.com)

Time.com - While China has been showing off its new hardware, a potentially more important military advancement has gone largely unnoticed -- a major breakthrough in quantum teleportation

Australian mine tax uncertainty to last into 2011 (Reuters)

Reuters - Uncertainty over the shape of Australia's controversial mining tax is likely to last well into 2011 after national elections which returned the country's first minority government since World War Two.

Dynasty speculation on North Korea founding day (AP)

AP - North Korea celebrated its 62nd anniversary Thursday with odes to supreme leader Kim Jong Il and pilgrimages to his late father's statue amid hints that a political meeting believed aimed at promoting his son as successor is imminent.

Fidel latest to say Cuba's communism doesn't work (AP)

AP - Cuba's communist economic model has come in for criticism from an unlikely source: Fidel Castro.

India car sales hit all-time high in August (AP)

AP - Car sales in India surged to a record for a second straight month in August on strong demand before the holiday season, despite rising prices and supply constraints.

Bank of Korea keeps interest rate near record low (AP)

AP - South Korea's central bank left its key interest rate near a record low Thursday for a second straight month as the risk of slowing global growth outweighed a buoyant outlook for the local economy.

Regret, apology not part of BP's oil spill report (AP)

AP - BP's long-awaited internal report on what it believes went wrong when a rig exploded and started the massive Gulf oil spill never mentions the words blame, regret, apology, mistake or pollution. The word fault shows up 20 times, but only once in the same sentence as the company's name.

4th US missile in 24 hrs in Pakistan kills 5 (AP)

AP - A suspected American missile strike killed five alleged militants in northwestern Pakistan early Thursday, an intelligence official said, the fourth such attack in 24 hours.

Asia stocks rise, yen steady but outlook unclear (Reuters)

Reuters - Asian stocks edged up and the yen held below a 15-year high on Thursday, after a small rally on Wall Street driven by successful European bond auctions gave investors an excuse to lighten up on their bets.

Bahrain calls Quran burning plans 'shameful' (AP)

AP - Bahrain says plans by a Florida church to burn copies of the Quran are a shameful attack on efforts for dialogue between faiths.

U.S. slips in WEF's competitiveness rankings (Reuters)

Reuters - Switzerland remains the world's most competitive economy, while the United States has fallen from second to fourth after losing the top spot last year, according to the World Economic Forum's annual rankings issued on Thursday.

3rd Mexican mayor in month slain by hit men (AP)

AP - The third Mexican mayor in a month was slain by suspected drug gang hitmen on the same day the U.S. secretary of state raised hackles in Mexico by saying the country is "looking more and more like Colombia looked 20 years ago."

Goldman Sachs fined $30.9 million in UK: report (Reuters)

Reuters - Goldman Sachs has been fined 20 million pounds ($30.9 million) by the UK's financial regulator for failing to disclose it was under fraud investigation by its U.S. counterpart, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

Australia regulator blocks NAB's $12 billion AXA unit bid (Reuters)

Reuters - Australia's competition regulator blocked National Australia Bank's $12 billion bid for AXA Asia Pacific for a second time, dashing NAB's efforts to cement its dominance in the world's fourth-largest wealth management market.

Obama firm, won't yield on tax hike for wealthiest (AP)

AP - Politically weakened but refusing to bend, President Barack Obama insisted Wednesday that Bush-era tax cuts be cut off for the wealthiest Americans, joining battle with Republicans — and some fellow Democrats — just two months before bruising midterm elections.

Senegal prostitutes look forward to Ramadan's end (AP)

AP - Wearing white to symbolize purity, worshippers throughout this African capital gathered to pray on one of the final nights of Ramadan. To purify the soul and purge sin, they hadn't eaten all day and refrained from drinking, smoking and having sex — which during the holy month is only allowed among spouses at night.

Economists cut U.S. growth forecast again (Reuters)

Reuters - Projected U.S. economic growth for the rest of this year and next was revised down for a third month in a row by a panel of about 50 economists.

FDIC's Bair warns of government "exposure" in mortgages (Reuters)

Reuters - A key U.S. banking regulator raised concern on Wednesday about the risk of "exposure" the government is taking on in the mortgage market and urged more stringent standards for underwriting mortgages.

Chavez: Foes sabotaging Venezuela's power grid (AP)

AP - President Hugo Chavez accused his political adversaries Wednesday of sabotaging Venezuela's electricity grid as part of a campaign to chip away at his popularity before legislative elections in two weeks.

Clinton: Florida church's planned Koran burning doesn't reflect U.S. (McClatchy Newspapers)

McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — With concerns growing about hostile or even violent international reaction to a Florida pastor's plans to burn the Koran on Saturday, the Obama administration is stepping up its efforts to mitigate the damage.

Spartech posts fiscal 3Q loss, misses expectations (AP)

AP - Plastic sheet and packaging maker Spartech Corp. reported a net loss for its fiscal third quarter on Wednesday and said that despite higher revenue, the overall market recover is slower than expected.

Highlights from the Fed's latest economic survey (AP)

AP - Highlights from the Federal Reserve's survey of economic conditions nationwide. The survey, released Wednesday and known as the Beige Book, is based on information collected from the Fed's 12 regional bank districts.

Coffee hits 13-year high; retail prices also up (AP)

AP - Coffee prices hit a 13-year high Wednesday, extending a rally that has sent prices up about 43 percent in the past three months.

Bankers urge government to pull plug on Fannie, Freddie (Reuters)

Reuters - The federal government should take mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac off life support sooner rather than later, the Mortgage Bankers Association urged on Wednesday.

Conservatives see poll lead evaporate (Reuters)

Reuters - The Conservative government has seen its lead over the main opposition Liberals evaporate in public opinion polls following recent controversies and the two parties are now running neck and neck, though an election is not seen in the near term.

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.

FTSE 100 closes higher (AFP)

AFP - London shares closed higher on Wednesday after a boost from a successful Portuguese debt auction, although many financial stocks remained weak.

Trapped miners in Chile: families camp out above ground â awaiting loved ones' rescue (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - Family members and the governmentÂ are trying to keep optimistic about the rescue of 33 Chilean miners trapped in the San Jose mine a month ago.

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.

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. ...