One shot dead in Koran protest in Afghan north (Reuters)

Reuters - One man was shot dead when protesters, angry over plans by a U.S. pastor to burn copies of the Koran, attacked a NATO base in Afghanistan's north on Friday, a provincial government spokesman said.

Defoe out for three months after ankle surgery (AFP)

AFP - Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe will be out for up to three months after having surgery on torn ankle ligaments.

Oil jumps to near $76 on U.S. supply outage (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. crude approached a three-week high near $76 on Friday, after record U.S. inventories were offset by the shutdown of a major pipeline, but a leading forecaster said oil demand would remain tepid.

Nokia brings in Microsoft exec to replace CEO (Reuters)

Reuters - Nokia (NOK1V.HE), the world's top cellphone maker, brought in Microsoft's Stephen Elop to replace its embattled chief executive and lead a renewed effort to compete in the smartphone market.

Stock index futures up (Reuters)

Reuters - Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.3 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.1 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.4 percent at 0850 GMT.

Renault, Peugeot to repay state loan early (AFP)

AFP - French carmakers Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroen said Friday they each plan to pay back a third of their three-billion-euro (3.8-billion-dollar) state loans ahead of time.

Fla. pastor, imam at odds over Quran-burning deal (AP)

AP - Two religious leaders are at odds about whether a deal was struck to stop a Quran-burning at a tiny church in exchange for moving the location of a mosque planned near ground zero, with the church's pastor leaving the door open to still go through with his plan.

China demands Japan release detained boat captain (AP)

AP - China's foreign minister demanded Friday that Japan immediately release the captain of a Chinese fishing boat that collided with two Japanese patrol vessels near disputed islands.

3 Afghan insurgents killed in NATO airstrike (AP)

AP - An Afghan insurgent commander who was allegedly planning bombings in Kabul on the eve of the Sept. 18 parliamentary elections and two of his associates have been killed in an airstrike, NATO said Friday.

Dubai World wins over most creditors to debt plan (AP)

AP - Dubai World says it has won over nearly all its creditors to its plan to restructure $24.9 billion in debt.

Dubai World in formal debt deal for $24.9 billion (Reuters)

Reuters - State-owned conglomerate Dubai World has come to a formal agreement with over 99 percent of its creditors to restructure around $24.9 billion of liabilities, the government of Dubai said on Friday.

Australian 'kingmaking' MP declines ministerial post (AFP)

AFP - An independent Australian politician whose support was crucial to keeping Prime Minister Julia Gillard in power Friday knocked back an offer to become a minister in her minority government.

2 Guinea election officials charged with fraud (AP)

AP - Two senior voting officials have been charged with vote tampering and sentenced to one year in prison a week before Guinea's crucial presidential vote, in a court proceeding that not even their lawyers were informed of and which is bound to increase tensions before the poll.

Decision to suspend Quran-burning met with relief (AP)

AP - Religious and political leaders across the Muslim world welcomed a decision by a small American church to suspend its plans to torch copies of their holy book — but some said Friday the damage has already been done.

(AP)

AP - Guinea election commission's president and planning director charged with fraud before vote

Trichet: phasing out crisis measures to take time (AP)

AP - The European Central Bank's president says it may take a while yet to phase out special efforts to keep banks supplied with credit in the wake of the financial crisis.

BP delays Q3 results due oil spill complexities (Reuters)

Reuters - BP Plc said it would delay the release of its third quarter results by a week because of added complexities in its accounts due to costs associated with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

China's imports leap, cutting trade surplus (Reuters)

Reuters - China's imports leapt in August, boding well for a strengthening of domestic demand in an economy that has become a major driver of global growth.

Mexican police didn't know they'd caught drug capo (AP)

AP - The Mexican police officers who arrested infamous drug suspect Edgar Valdez Villarreal, alias "La Barbie," did not initially know who they had caught, according to a booking report obtained Thursday.

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.

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

Business Highlights (AP)

AP - Fears of a second recession ease, at least for now

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.

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.

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.

Analysis: Obama has tenuous grip on Democrats over taxes (Reuters)

Reuters - Democrats in Congress are distancing themselves from President Barack Obama's push to let taxes rise for the wealthiest Americans, fearing it will further harm them in November's mid-term elections.

Iraq to pay $400 million for Saddam's mistreatment of Americans (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - Iraq has quietly agreed to pay $400 million in claims to American citizens who say they were tortured or traumatized by Saddam Husseinâs regime after his 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

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.

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.

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.

SEC says proposed Citi settlement is fair (Reuters)

Reuters - The top securities regulator defended its proposed $75 million settlement with Citigroup , saying the penalty reasonably accounts for the seriousness of the bank's alleged misconduct, according to a document filed in court on Wednesday.

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.