Unexpected orders blow for German industry (AFP)

AFP - European powerhouse Germany received a blow Tuesday as orders for its industrial goods unexpectedly dropped significantly in July, following a strong rise the month before, official data showed.

Hundreds of looted artifacts returned to Iraq (AP)

AP - Hundreds of Iraqi artifacts looted from museums and archaeological sites across the country have been returned to Iraq.

Call for Thai school closures after teachers killed (AFP)

AFP - Two teachers were among five people killed in a string of attacks by suspected militants in Thailand's restive south, sparking calls for schools to be closed, officials said Tuesday.

Japan confirms its first case of new superbug gene (AP)

AP - Japan has confirmed the nation's first case of a new gene in bacteria that allows the microorganisms to become drug-resistant superbugs, detected in a man who had medical treatment in India, a Health Ministry official said Tuesday.

Congo police arrest 3 men carrying elephant ivory (AP)

AP - Police in southeastern Congo say they have arrested three men carrying six suitcases full of elephant tusks.

Norway man pleads not guilty to terror financing (AP)

AP - A Somali-born Norwegian citizen pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of sending over $30,000 to top leaders of an al-Qaida-linked Somali militant group at the start of the first trial under Norway's 2002 terror financing law.

NKorea frees 7 detained SKorean, Chinese fishermen (AP)

AP - North Korea freed the crew Tuesday of a South Korean fishing boat seized a month ago, a sign the rivals may be talking behind the scenes to improve relations that have plummeted to their lowest point in years since the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship.

Flight data recorder found amid UPS wreckage (AP)

AP - Investigators at the wreckage of a UPS cargo plane recovered the flight data recorder Tuesday as experts seek the cause of last week's crash, including a report of smoke in the cockpit.

EU nations OK financial supervision deal (AP)

AP - European Union countries have approved a financial oversight structure meant to shield against market turmoil and contain the excessive risk-taking that many blame for the global financial crisis.

Diamond gets top Barclays job (Reuters)

Reuters - Change swept through the top of Britain's banks on Tuesday as Barclays said its investment banking supremo Bob Diamond will take over as chief executive and HSBC was expected to say its chairman is going into government.

Report: China passenger car sales up 18 pct in Aug (AP)

AP - Sales of passenger cars in China — the world's biggest auto market — rose 18 percent in August from a year earlier as government subsidies and price cuts by dealers helped spur demand.

Exiled Rwandan leaders call for Kagame ouster (AFP)

AFP - Rwandans and the international community need to work together to end President Paul Kagame's rule and pave the way for a democratic transition, exiled leaders said in a report obtained by AFP Tuesday.

Australia PM Gillard handed power by independents (AFP)

AFP - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard retained power by a tiny, one-seat majority Tuesday after winning the backing of two key independent MPs in the first hung parliament in decades.

AIG seeks Sept 21 approval for AIA IPO: sources (Reuters)

Reuters - American International Group Inc plans to seek Hong Kong listing committee approval on September 21, to list its Asian life insurance unit, aiming to raise about $15 billion, two sources with direct knowledge of the deal said on Tuesday.

Gulf council fails to finalise customs union pact (AFP)

AFP - The six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council have postponed the implementation on Tuesday of a customs union due to disagreement over sharing tariff revenues and problems meeting World Trade Organisation rules, officials said.

Afghan Elections: Candidates Flock to Kabul for Safety (Time.com)

Time.com - More than 600 candidates are running for office out of Afghanistan's capital because it isn't safe to campaign in the provinces

Uganda: Democratic Reform and Security Top U.S. Agenda (Time.com)

Time.com - Pushing for electoral reform is tricky when the strongman in power is also a key ally against extremist violence

EU ministers bid to end row over banking taxes (Reuters)

Reuters - European Union finance ministers made a fresh attempt on Tuesday to settle their differences over taxation of banks and trading as they prepared to approve the creation of new financial watchdogs.

Wall St futures signal weaker start for stocks (Reuters)

Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) Futures for the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 fell 0.2 to 0.7 percent, pointing to a weaker start on Wall Street on Tuesday.

Oracle hires former HP's Mark Hurd (Reuters)

Reuters - Silicon Valley technology giant Oracle Corp has hired Mark Hurd, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Co who resigned amid a scandal, as president.

Chavez's base, the poor, wobbles as election looms (AP)

AP - On a hilltop overlooking Caracas, dozens of shacks made of wood scraps and corrugated zinc have risen among tall weeds — a new slum tacked on to an old one as the poor face harder times in Venezuela.

Obama kicks off campaign with infrastructure plan (Reuters)

Reuters - President Barack Obama, scrambling to spur job creation, proposed a six-year plan on Monday to rebuild infrastructure with an initial $50 billion investment and prepared new business tax cuts.

US won't say if blowout preventer on way to shore (AP)

AP - The Justice Department won't say if the blowout preventer that failed to stop oil from gushing from BP's undersea well into the Gulf of Mexico is on its way to shore.

The glittering Gulf states' dark labor secret (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - The rise of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf is a now-familiar tale. Tiny societies of pearl divers, coastal merchants, and nomadic Bedouin were transformed in the last half of the 20th century by oil and natural-gas wealth. Sparkling office towers and hotels sprang into the muggy air, the monarchs that rule these tiny emirates became bywords for financial excess, and newspapers described the region's economic "miracle."

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.

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.

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.

Summary Box: Stock market snaps a three-week slump (AP)

AP - SEPTEMBER RALLY: The stock market had its first winning week in a month after better news on employment and manufacturing lifted shares.

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.

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.