Cricket: Pakistan row 'sullying' cricket - Flower (AFP)

AFP - England coach Andy Flower said on Wednesday the ongoing spot fixing row involving Pakistan had led to the "sullying of cricket's name and reputation".

AP - WHAT'S HAPPENING: Areas of China are hit by intentional daylong blackouts, leaving factories and homes without power.

Muslims see Quran burning as threat to God's word (AP)

AP - The Quran is the most sacred object in the daily lives of Muslims and burning it would be considered an offense against God.

Australian government prepared to adjust mining tax (Reuters)

Reuters - Australia's fragile Labor government suggested on Wednesday it could adjust a planned profits-based tax on mining companies to bend to demands of the independent MPs giving it a slender grip on power.

(AP)

AP - Obama: Republicans not fiscally responsible, have no serious plan to govern.

Fla. minister has no plans to cancel Quran burn (AP)

AP - The leader of a small Florida church that espouses anti-Islam philosophy says he is going forward with his plans to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11 despite pressure from the White House, religious leaders and others to call it off.

In Ohio, Obama challenges Republicans on tax cuts (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama says it's time to extend Bush-era tax cuts for the middle class — but the nation can't afford the Republican approach of extending tax cuts for the wealthy as well.

Tropical Storm Igor forms in the Atlantic (AP)

AP - Tropical Storm Igor has formed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa near the Cape Verde Islands and has top sustained winds of near 40 mph (65 kph).

Muslim mason immortalized at French cathedral (AP)

AP - A Muslim stonemason who spent nearly four decades helping to restore an Roman Catholic cathedral in France has been immortalized as a winged gargoyle peering out from its facade — albeit with the inscription "God is great" at his clawed feet.

Fed report shows widespread signs growth easing (Reuters)

Reuters - The Federal Reserve observed "widespread signs" that economic growth had eased in the six weeks through the end of August, it said on Wednesday in a report suggesting the recovery was faltering along the East Coast and the Midwest.

Grassley seeks answers to USDA's role at egg farms (AP)

AP - Sen. Charles Grassley has asked Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to address accusations that federal workers ignored complaints about conditions at an Iowa farm involved in a recall of salmonella-tainted eggs.

Mullah Omar tells Afghans Taliban are winning (AP)

AP - The Taliban's shadowy leader told Afghans on Wednesday that the insurgents are winning the war and warned Americans that they are wasting lives and billions in tax dollars by continuing in the conflict.

BP report blames itself, others for oil spill (AP)

AP - In an internal report released Wednesday, BP blames itself, other companies' workers and a complex series of failures for the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the drilling rig explosion that preceded it.

BP report blames itself, others for oil spill (AP)

AP - In an internal report released Wednesday, BP blames itself, other companies' workers and a complex series of failures for the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the drilling rig explosion that preceded it.

North Korea Succession: Reports of Power-Handover Talks (Time.com)

Time.com - In North Korea, the first congress in 30 years of the Workers' Party of Korea may be imminent, suggesting that a succession is being prepared to hand power from Kim Jong Il to his son Kim Jong Un

Koran Burning: Cues from Osama bin Laden Media Strategy? (Time.com)

Time.com - While he's planning violence against books, not people, the would-be Koran-burning Florida preacher Terry Jones is following a self-promotion strategy similar to that of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden

Kia names new top executive after recalls (AP)

AP - KIA CEO: South Korean automaker Kia Motors named Lee Hyoung-keun to its top executive job Wednesday.

Xbox blocks W.Va. gamer over town's name: Fort Gay (AP)

AP - Microsoft Corp. and the chief rules enforcer for Xbox Live are apologizing to a small West Virginia town and a 26-year-old gamer accused of violating the online gaming service's code of conduct by publicly declaring he's from Fort Gay — a name the company considered offensive.

Winds push fires through dozens of Detroit homes (AP)

AP - Wind-whipped flames swept through at least three Detroit neighborhoods, destroying dozens of homes, including many that were vacant, and even sending waves of searing heat blocks away, officials said.

Ireland to split Anglo Irish into good, bad banks (AP)

AP - Ireland plans to split its most troubled financial institution, Anglo Irish Bank, in two as part of wider efforts to reassure international lenders that the Irish are taking control of their debt crisis.

Google seeks to speed up Web searches (Reuters)

Reuters - Google Inc unveiled a set of enhancements to its Internet search engine on Wednesday that predict search queries as users type, promising to speed up the time it takes to find information online.

Freddie Mac to issue new 5-year note due 2015 (AP)

AP - Government sponsored mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Wednesday it plans to issue new five-year notes due on Sept. 10, 2015.

Peru president: New Yorker Berenson not a threat (AP)

AP - President Alan Garcia says he doesn't consider Lori Berenson a threat to Peru, suggesting he may be inclined to commute the New Yorker's accomplice-to-terrorism sentence so she can go home.

BP blames contractors for U.S. oil spill (Reuters)

Reuters - A BP Plc investigation of the Gulf of Mexico disaster played down the company's role in the world's worst offshore oil spill, seeking to share the blame with its contractors.

Accused Somali pirate pleads guilty in DC (AP)

AP - An accused Somali pirate has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy from a November 2008 attack in the Gulf of Aden on a Danish ship carrying cargo from a U.S. company.

Nigeria leader replaces military, security heads: presidency (AFP)

AFP - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has appointed new military, intelligence and police chiefs, his office said on Wednesday, ahead of January elections in the oil-rich country.

In Gulf work camp, jobless begin glum journey home (AP)

AP - The hidden face of the Emirates' economic crunch is in places such as Industrial Zone 18 and the ramshackle compound for about 700 migrant workers within. For more than six months, they have lived on charity, fought off rats and slept amid piles of trash after a construction company abruptly closed and left them jobless.

Chicago mayor race wide open as Daley steps aside (AP)

AP - Suddenly, the race for Chicago mayor is on. Mayor Richard M. Daley has thrown the competition for the city's top job wide open by announcing he won't run for a seventh term, ending 21 years of token opposition and prompting speculation about who's next in line to lead the nation's third largest city.

Chicago mayor race wide open as Daley steps aside (AP)

AP - Suddenly, the race for Chicago mayor is on. Mayor Richard M. Daley has thrown the competition for the city's top job wide open by announcing he won't run for a seventh term, ending 21 years of token opposition and prompting speculation about who's next in line to lead the nation's third largest city.

Turtle egg rescue at space center billed success (AP)

AP - The turtle rescue effort at NASA's Kennedy Space Center is winding down.

S&P 500 rises 1 percent (Reuters)

Reuters - The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose more than 1 percent in afternoon trading on Wednesday, while the Dow and Nasdaq added to gains as worries about Europe's banking system decreased, easing risk aversion.

8 people missing in Colo. wildfire (AP)

AP - Authorities are searching for eight people who have not been accounted for as a wildfire tore through their neighborhoods this week.

Bennet bucks Obama's $50B plan (Politico)

Politico - The politically vulnerable Democratic senator won't support the president's infrastructure proposal.

Old Farmer's Almanac: Global cooling to continue (AP)

AP - Most of the country will see a colder-than-usual winter while summer and spring will be relatively cool and dry, according to the time-honored, complex calculations of the "Old Farmer's Almanac."

US sex offenders see sanctuary in Caribbean sun (AP)

AP - Jeffrey Allen Weathers moved from Alaska to an oceanfront apartment in the Caribbean, but his new neighbors soon suspected the heavyset American hadn't come for the sun. The FBI now says they were right.

FBI investigating bomb hoax on LA-bound plane (AP)

AP - The FBI on Wednesday was trying to determine whether a passenger staged a bomb hoax that prompted a search of a Thai Airways jetliner at Los Angeles International Airport.

Ronald Reagan movie planned for 2011 (Reuters)

Reuters - The story of Ronald Reagan's life -- from boyhood to Hollywood actor to leader of the free world -- is about to spill out on the big screen in a way quite different from the miniseries that caused such a stir seven years ago.

Pakistan to charge 3 over failed Times Square bomb (AP)

AP - Pakistan will soon bring terrorism charges against three men alleged to have helped the failed Times Square bomber meet up with militant leaders close to the Afghan border and sent him money to carry out the attack, a senior police officer said Wednesday.

Tories see poll lead evaporate (Reuters)

Reuters - The Conservative government has seen its lead over the Liberals evaporate following recent controversies and the two parties are now statistically deadlocked, according to a public opinion poll released on Wednesday.

Hermine swamps Texas, prompts search for victims (AP)

AP - Its power spent, what was left of Tropical Storm Hermine made its way north Wednesday, drenching a large swath of Texas and prompting a search for possible flood victims near Austin.