Japan PM has edge in party race but outcome unclear (Reuters)

Reuters - Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has a slight edge over powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa ahead of a party leadership vote next week, NHK public TV said on Friday, but with many party lawmakers undecided the outcome is too close to call.

G20 fin mins unlikely to meet in Washington: sources (Reuters)

Reuters - Finance ministers from the Group of 20 developed and leading emerging economies are not likely to meet on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank Group annual gatherings in Washington early next month, sources said.

Iran to free female American for holiday clemency (AP)

AP - Iran said Thursday it will free Sarah Shourd, one of three Americans jailed for more than 13 months, as an act of clemency to mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Pastor cancels Quran-burning, then reconsiders (AP)

AP - An anti-Islamic preacher backed off and then threatened to reconsider burning the Quran on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, angrily accusing a Muslim leader of lying to him Thursday with a promise to move an Islamic center and mosque away from New York's ground zero. The imam planning the center denied there was ever such a deal.

Asian shares rise as Europe worries ease (AP)

AP - Asian stock markets gained in early trading Friday as sentiment improved after gains on Wall Street.

Mexican bill to allow migrants file complaints (AP)

AP - Mexico's Senate passed a bill Thursday that would allow undocumented migrants to file complaints about abuses and receive medical treatment without being questioned about their immigration status.

Enbridge pipeline leaks oil in Chicago suburb (AP)

AP - Oil was sent onto a roadway and into a retention pond in suburban Chicago on Thursday when Enbridge Energy Partners officials said one of their pipelines in the area leaked.

German central banker resigns after 'racism' furore (AFP)

AFP - A board member of Germany's central bank dramatically resigned on Thursday after causing weeks of uproar with inflammatory comments on immigrants and Jews.

Activist: Beached whale in Brazil can't be saved (AP)

AP - An animal-rights activist says an endangered right whale stranded on a beach in southern Brazil for two days is too weak to be rescued and returned safely to the sea.

Quran burning canceled after Pentagon calls pastor (McClatchy Newspapers)

McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — Under tremendous pressure from U.S. officials all the way up to President Barack Obama, a Florida pastor on Thursday called off a Quran burning that he'd scheduled for Saturday, the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which had drawn international condemnation and posed a potential threat to national security.

U.S. chipmakers' outlooks stoke economy concerns (Reuters)

Reuters - Chip makers National Semiconductor and Texas Instruments Inc on Thursday issued quarterly financial targets that stoked investors' worries about a sluggish economy.

Casey's in buyout talks with 7-Eleven (Reuters)

Reuters - Casey's General Stores Inc confirmed it was in buyout talks with convenience store operator 7-Eleven, which offered the company $40 per share in cash earlier this month.

Why Foreign Businesses in China Are Getting Mad (Time.com)

Time.com - Foreign businesses in China are voicing growing frustration about the country's heavily regulated market -- a bureaucratic maze many say is deliberately designed to hamstring non-Chinese players to the advantage of their local competitors

Rachel Corrie v. Israel Trial: Contradictions Emerge (Time.com)

Time.com - The family of American activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli army bulldozer, is fighting a civil suit in Israel's courts, forcing the authorities to reveal details of her death

India vehicle sales remain strong (Investor's Business Daily)

Investor's Business Daily - Aug. car sales in India rose 33.2% from a year ago, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. The gain was impressive considering supply constraints have pushed up vehicle prices. Ford expects India to be the world's No. 3 auto market by decade's end, and is pushing hard to gain market share from rivals such as Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Tata Motors . Ford plans to launch 8 more models in India. Meanwhile, Tata's domestic sales of its key medium and heavy commercial vehicles rose 34%.

IMF to sell 400 million dollars' worth of gold to Bangladesh (AFP)

AFP - The International Monetary Fund on Thursday announced it would sell 10 metric tons of gold to Bangladesh, worth around 403 million dollars.

Wall Street buoyed by upbeat economic data (Reuters)

Reuters - Stocks rose on Thursday as stronger-than-expected jobs and trade data helped lift optimism about the economic recovery, although sentiment was fragile as investors fretted over European banks.

Sudan's Darfur rebels say attacked by Ugandan LRA (Reuters)

Reuters - A Darfur rebel group said on Thursday it was attacked by Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army guerrillas in Sudan's west.

Mortgage rates edge up; Housing market still slow (AP)

AP - Record-low mortgage rates failed to pull the housing market out of its funk. Now rates are inching higher, but don't blame them if home sales stay sluggish.

Homeowners, Beware Association Costs (Investor's Business Daily)

Investor's Business Daily - House and condo owners may face extra costs as their homeowner associations struggle with unpaid assessments, the legacy of neighbors hit by job losses and foreclosures.

Shoe seller DSW's operator says 2Q profit jumps (AP)

AP - Retail Ventures Inc., which operates the DSW shoe store chain, posted a 67 percent jump in second-quarter net income as a key revenue figure improved.

Suicide car bombing in southern Russia kills 17 (AP)

AP - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin blamed extremists "without souls, without hearts" for a suicide car bombing that killed 17 people Thursday in the crowded central market of a city in the North Caucasus.

U.S. Marines take back pirate-held ship off Somalia (AP)

AP - U.S. Marine commandos stormed a pirate-held cargo ship off the Somalia coast Thursday, reclaiming control and taking nine prisoners without firing a shot in the first such boarding raid by the international anti-piracy flotilla, U.S. Navy officials said.

Air India bomb perjury trial starts in Canada (Reuters)

Reuters - A Canadian man's own actions will prove he lied to a court about having no knowledge of the conspiracy that led to the deadly bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985, prosecutors said at the start of a perjury trial on Thursday.

SC had tax liens against gov hopeful's family biz (AP)

AP - A business owned by the family of South Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley has been penalized for failing to pay taxes three times since 2003, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.

Wal-Mart US merchandising now headed by four execs (Reuters)

Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc will remain without a chief merchandising officer for its U.S. stores for now, instead naming four new product heads to take over that responsibility, the retailer said on Thursday.

Summary Box: Gold slips on economic news (AP)

AP - RISK APPETITE: Gold prices slipped after reassuring reports on the U.S. jobs market and trade created some optimism about the economy. The development spawned more appetite among investors for assets viewed as riskier than gold.

Irish bonds rebound, banks hold ground after Anglo (AP)

AP - Investors welcomed Ireland's plan to split up its most debt-crippled bank, Anglo Irish, by bidding strongly Thursday for government bonds. Ireland's battered bank shares also held their ground.

Data shows economic recovery still on track (Reuters)

Reuters - New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week to a two-month low, while the trade deficit narrowed sharply in July, hopeful signs for the stuttering economic recovery.

Web Impostors May Face Prison in California (BusinessWeek)

BusinessWeek - California Web impostors beware: You may soon be breaking the law, even if you aren't one of the perpetrators targeted by the state's "e-personation" bill.

Australian regulators reject NAB bid for AXA Asia Pacific (AFP)

AFP - Australian regulators rejected National Australia Bank's 12.2 billion US dollar bid for financial firm AXA Asia Pacific on competition concerns Thursday, in a move welcomed by rival suitor AMP.

Germany considers scrapping the draft (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - The young man playing with kids at the Main Krokodile preschool here isn't your typical caregiver. He's among the tens of thousands of Germans who fulfill their military service by working with children, the elderly, or the disabled. The head of the school, Berndt NiedergesÃ¤ss, is all for it: "The children love dealing with men," he says.

Flash crash report: plunge still a mystery: sources (Reuters)

Reuters - Regulators probing the stock market "flash crash" last May still have not uncovered a single cause but will point to "stub quotes" and other previously identified issues as having exacerbated the market's dramatic drop, according to two sources familiar with the probe.

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.