Merkel confident on nuclear plan despite opposition (Reuters)

Reuters - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was confident a law extending the lives of nuclear power reactors could be passed without backing from the upper house of parliament, setting up a clash with opposition parties.

Kandahar boardwalk is a world away from war (AP)

AP - It was a broiling fall evening in this southern Afghan battlezone, and U.S. Army Sgt. Charles Reed wanted to celebrate his birthday in style — at T.G.I. Friday's on the boardwalk.

BP sees no impact to Gulf operations from storm (Reuters)

Reuters - BP Plc , the largest oil producer in U.S.-regulated areas of the Gulf of Mexico, said Monday that Tropical Storm Hermine was not expected to affect its offshore operations.

WTO to issue Boeing subsidies verdict Sept. 15: source (AFP)

AFP - The World Trade Organization will issue its long-awaited opinion on Europe's challenge to American subsidies to US aerospace giant Boeing next week, a source close to the matter said Monday.

EU finmins want budget rule offenders rapped swiftly (Reuters)

Reuters - European Union finance ministers sought on Monday to make sanctions for EU budget rule breakers more automatic, but put off potentially difficult talks on a permanent mechanism to resolve euro zone crises.

Police: Drunk driver kills 15 at Ecuador bus stop (AP)

AP - Police in Ecuador say 15 people were killed and at least seven injured when a drunken man drove an SUV into a crowded bus stop in the coastal city of Guayaquil.

Oil slips below $74 as U.S. driving season ends (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. oil prices slipped below $74 per barrel on Monday as the end of the U.S. driving season and high levels of unemployment in the world's biggest oil consumer raised concerns over the outlook for demand.

Fed should not set limit on economy aid: Kohn (Reuters)

Reuters - The Federal Reserve should not announce a limit on its actions if it resumes purchases of Treasury securities to stimulate the U.S. economy, the former vice chairman of the central bank said.

EU finance ministers to discuss new bank levy (AP)

AP - European Union finance ministers are set to discuss the possibility of introducing a levy on banks and whether a tax on financial transactions can deal with another banking crisis, as they gather Tuesday in an atmosphere more benign than when they last met in July.

Growth hopes boost global equities (Reuters)

Reuters - World stocks rose on Monday on hopes the U.S. economy can avoid slipping back into recession, although the International Monetary Fund's chief economist warned of weak growth in both the United States and Europe.

Hurricane watch issued for coasts of Mexico, Texas (AP)

AP - Mexican authorities opened shelters and warned people to watch out for mudslides Monday as Tropical Storm Hermine approached the northeastern border with Texas, the second major storm to hit the area this season.

Obama to announce $50 billion infrastructure job plan (Reuters)

Reuters - President Barack Obama will announce on Monday a six-year plan to revamp the United States' aging roads, railways and runways with a $50 billion up-front investment to jump-start job creation.

Delta launches new flight from Liberia to US (AP)

AP - Delta Air Lines Inc. has launched a new flight from the U.S. to Liberia, becoming the first American carrier to serve the West African nation that is recovering from more than a decade of civil war.

UN nuke agency warns monitoring of Iran hampered (AP)

AP - In an unusually blunt warning, the U.N. atomic agency said Monday that its monitoring of Iran's nuclear activities is being hampered because Tehran objects to giving some agency inspectors access to its program.

Afghanistan: Run on Kabul Bank Shakes a Fragile Economy (Time.com)

Time.com - The government insists there is no reason for anxiety but the depositors outside Afghanistan's largest bank are implacable. They want their money back

The Bettencourt Scandal Puts Sarkozy in Growing Peril (Time.com)

Time.com - As the scandal surrounding the L'OrÉal billions further entwines Eric Woerth, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's support for his labor minister could cost him the next election

Egyptian officials to be tried in Van Gogh theft (AP)

AP - Eleven culture officials from Egypt's government have been formally charged in last month's theft of a Vincent van Gogh painting from a Cairo museum that had no functioning security alarms.

Son: Iran woman who faced stoning to be lashed (AP)

AP - An Iranian woman who was sentenced to death by stoning for adultery is now facing a new punishment of 99 lashes because a British newspaper ran a picture of an unveiled woman mistakenly identified as her, the woman's son said Monday.

Suicide attack in NW Pakistan kills 17 people (AP)

AP - A Taliban suicide bomber detonated a car in an alley behind a police station in a strategically important town in northwestern Pakistan on Monday, killing at least 17 police and civilians in an explosion that shattered the station and neighboring homes.

Israeli FM pushes for new settlement construction (AP)

AP - Israel's hard-line foreign minister said Monday that his party will try to block any extension of Israel's settlement slowdown, a move that could derail the recently launched Mideast peace negotiations.

Australia election impasse expected to end Tuesday (Reuters)

Reuters - Australian Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard will know on Tuesday if she can form a new minority government with the support of three independents, ending more than two weeks of uncertainty after the August 21 elections.

New Two-Hour TB Test (OneWorld.net)

OneWorld.net - JOHANNESBURG, Sep 3 (PlusNews) - A new, accurate, easy-to-use test can diagnose tuberculosis (TB) - including drug-resistant strains of the disease - in less than two hours. It has the potential to save thousands of lives in developing countries, where current tests are often unreliable, take weeks to process, or are simply unavailable.

Putting 5 cheapskate accessories to the test (AP)

AP - Companies are unleashing lots of gadgets to help consumers be more frugal, but are they worth the money?

McCain Hits Democrats for 'Flailing Around' on Economy (CQPolitics.com)

CQPolitics.com - Leading voices in both parties sparred Sunday over the state of the economy and the role that Bush tax cuts should play in the recovery.

Why 'Islamophobia' is less thinly veiled in Europe (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - Rooful Ali is an accountant who commutes, "suited and booted," to his corporate office in London from Northamptonshire, England, where he grew up in a Bangladeshi family. His avocation is photography. But he also finds time to direct the first Europe-wide association of Muslim professionals.

Taxpayers may face initial loss on GM IPO: sources (Reuters)

Reuters - The U.S. government is likely to take a loss on General Motors Co in the first offering of the automaker's stock, six people familiar with preparations for the landmark IPO said.

Venezuela OKs payment for French retailer Casino (Reuters)

Reuters - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has approved a $690 million payment to French retailer Casino and other owners of a supermarket chain nationalized earlier this year, state media said on Saturday.

China tells state companies to explore Potash bid (Reuters)

Reuters - Chinese officials have ordered state companies to meet investment bankers to explore ways to block BHP Billiton's $39 billion bid for Potash Corp, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Settlers defy Netanyahu with vow to begin construction (McClatchy Newspapers)

McClatchy Newspapers - JERUSALEM — Jewish settlers across the West Bank have vowed to begin construction in more than 60 locations, posing a direct challenge to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he returned home from Thursday's first round of direct peace talks in Washington.

Petrobras sells 64 bln dlrs of stock to fund oil exploration (AFP)

AFP - Brazil's Petrobras unveiled one of the world's biggest share offerings Friday, a sale of up to 64 billion dollars in new stock to finance oil exploration aimed at turning Brazil into a leading oil exporter of the 21st century.

Campbell reports Q4 profit rise on better margins (AP)

AP - Summer is rarely a hot sales season for Campbell Soup Co., and this year's sweltering June and July made that even more true, but the company said Friday that cost-cutting and strong drink sales helped its net income climb.

MGIC added $1.2B in mortgage coverage in August (AP)

AP - Private mortgage insurer Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp. said Friday it added $1.2 billion in new primary insurance coverage in August and the number of delinquent loans it insures declined.

A look at economic developments around the globe (AP)

AP - A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Friday:

Crafting a Career in Eco-Chic Jewelry (BusinessWeek)

BusinessWeek - Goldman Sachs may not have a lot of friends in the White House these days, but one of its former employees has made a good impression. After three years as an analyst in Goldman's fixed-income, currencies, and commodities division, Monique Pean began her own jewelry line that can now be found in Barneys, Jeffrey New York, and around the neck of Michelle Obama.