Australia set for new government after deadlocked polls (AFP)

AFP - Australia was finally set to learn its new government Tuesday, after more than two weeks of haggling since deadlocked August 21 elections returned the first hung parliament in 70 years.

Egyptian officials to face trial over Van Gogh theft (AFP)

AFP - A senior culture ministry official and the head of a Cairo museum from which a Van Gogh painting was stolen will stand trial on charges of negligence, a judicial source said on Monday.

Imam behind NYC mosque back in US after Gulf trip (AP)

AP - An imam who has become the public face of a proposed Islamic community center and mosque near ground zero has returned to the United States following a taxpayer-funded tour of the Middle East to promote religious tolerance.

Australia to give US evidence in diving death case (AP)

AP - A state government in Australia has agreed to turn over case documents to prosecutors in the U.S. hoping to charge an Alabama man with the drowning death of his wife during a honeymoon scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef.

Sharp series of aftershocks strike New Zealand (AP)

AP - A sharp series of about 20 aftershocks rattled New Zealand's earthquake-hit city of Christchurch overnight, and earthquake experts warned Tuesday that another powerful tremblor might hammer the region in coming days.

Obama kicks off campaign with infrastructure plan (Reuters)

Reuters - President Barack Obama, scrambling to jump-start job creation in a sluggish U.S. economy, proposed a six-year plan on Monday to rebuild aging roads, railways and runways with an initial $50 billion investment.

Suriname leader: Drug conviction 'almost a joke' (AP)

AP - Former Surinamese dictator Desi Bouterse shrugged off questions about his past during his first overseas trip as elected president, saying Monday that he will not interfere in his ongoing murder trial and dismissing a 1999 drug conviction as "almost a joke."

Death toll 45 in Guatemala mudslides; more missing (AP)

AP - Searchers on Monday pulled five more bodies from a mud-covered highway where back-to-back landslides buried bus passengers and people trying to save them. The deaths raised the official toll from rain-fueled mudslides in Guatemala to 45.

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

AP - Mexican authorities urged people to move to shelters while officials in Texas distributed sandbags and warned of flash floods as Tropical Storm Hermine strengthened and headed toward the northwestern Gulf coast on Monday.

Egyptian opposition leader urges election boycott (AP)

AP - Egypt's leading democracy advocate made a forceful call Monday for the nation to boycott November's parliamentary election, saying they were certain to be rigged and urging his young supporters to be patient and plan for a lengthy struggle.

What the Basque Terrorists' Unilateral Ceasefire Reveals (Time.com)

Time.com - Spain's political establishment has rejected a unilateral ceasefire declared by the battered Basque terrorist group ETA. What does it reveal about the cohesion of the separatists -- and what they might do next?

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

Gerrard cool under siege before Switzerland match (AFP)

AFP - Steven Gerrard admits being captain of England right now feels like a man under siege as he prepares to lead his team into a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland here on Tuesday desperately trying to keep the focus on football.

Lawyer: Iran woman could be stoned to death soon (AP)

AP - The lawyer for an Iranian woman sentenced to be stoned on an adultery conviction said Monday that he and her children are worried the delayed execution could be carried out soon with the end of a moratorium on death sentences for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Troubles mount for EU bid to re-draw economic government (AFP)

AFP - Plans to radically re-draw cross-border economic government across Europe hit a stumbling block on Monday 10 days from a deadline for concrete action set by European Union leaders.

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.

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.

Oil operations in Gulf unaffected by storm (Reuters)

Reuters - BP Plc , the largest oil producer in U.S.-regulated areas of the Gulf of Mexico, and Shell Oil Co (RDSa.L) said Monday that Tropical Storm Hermine was not affecting their offshore operations.

Fiat to name Toyota executive to head sales: report (Reuters)

Reuters - Italian car maker Fiat SpA will hire Toyota Motor Europe's (7203.T) Andrea Formica to head sales at its four-brand automotive group, Automotive News Europe said, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Basel committee seeks 9 percent Tier 1 capital: report (Reuters)

Reuters - Global banks will be required to hold Tier 1 capital of nine percent including a 3 percent so-called "conservation buffer," German weekly Die Zeit reported, quoting a draft proposal from the Basel Committee, the body tasked with drawing up global banking rules.

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.

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.

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.

Japan convicts Greenpeace's 'Tokyo Two' for whaling investigation (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - A Greenpeace effort to expose what it sees as widespread corruption in Japan's government-subsidized whaling industry ended on Monday with two of its activists convicted of theft and trespassing.

Want cheapskates to spend? Hawk gizmos that save (AP)

AP - How do you get penny pinchers to spend these days? Pitch products that promise to save them money.

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.

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.