Blair cancels book signing amid Iraq protest threat (AFP)

AFP - Former prime minister Tony Blair on Monday cancelled a planned book signing session in London to promote his memoirs after anti-war protestors threatened to target it.

Top 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.

Plane crash on NV street kills 1, injures 3 (AP)

AP - Authorities say a small airplane has crashed on a street in a residential neighborhood south of Las Vegas, killing one person and critically injuring three others.

Greeting card giant Hallmark heads for 2nd century (AP)

AP - Hallmark Cards Inc., a $4 billion empire built on a demand for printed sentimentality, enters its second century facing a weak economy and what could be an even greater challenge: a generation that has grown up posting its sentiments online.

Lebanon PM: Wrong to accuse Syria in Hariri death (AP)

AP - Lebanon's Western-backed prime minister made a startling reversal Monday and said it was a mistake to accuse Syria of the massive 2005 truck bombing that killed his father, claiming the charge was politically motivated.

Graft and threats of violence cloud hopes for Afghan vote (Reuters)

Reuters - Taliban threats, shuttered polling centers and warnings of widespread fraud are clouding hopes for Afghanistan's September 18 parliamentary election, a key test of an already fragile democracy, observers have warned.

Little Rock 9 member Jefferson Thomas dies in Ohio (AP)

AP - Jefferson Thomas, who as a teenager was among nine black students to integrate a Little Rock high school in the nation's first major battle over school segregation, has died. He was 68.

Obama calling for more infrastructure spending (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama is asking Congress to approve at least $50 billion in long-term spending in the nation's roads, railways and runways in a pre-election effort to show he's trying to stimulate the sputtering economy.

US investors seek pay for pre-WWII German bonds (AP)

AP - More than 80 years ago, Germany sold tens of thousands of bonds to American investors in an effort to recover financially from World War I. Later, Adolf Hitler used some of the money raised by those bonds to build the powerful Nazi war machine that would ravage Europe during World War II.

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.

Army: Ex-soldier takes 3 hospital workers hostage (AP)

AP - A former Army soldier demanding behavioral treatment at a Georgia military hospital took three workers hostage at gunpoint Monday before authorities persuaded the gunman to surrender peacefully.

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.

Obama proposed $50 billion to rebuild road, rails and runways (McClatchy Newspapers)

McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama Monday proposes a quick $50 billion boost in federal spending to rebuild roads, railways and runways — a move he says will create jobs and which Democrats hope will improve their election prospects in November.

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.

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

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.

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.

Angle hit with lawsuit (Politico)

Politico - Nevada Senate candidate is accused of violating copyright laws on her campaign website.

Bahamas drops charges in Travolta extortion case (AP)

AP - A judge in the Bahamas dismissed charges Monday against two people accused of trying to extort money from John Travolta after the actor decided he no longer wanted to face the pain of a new trial stemming from the death of his teenage son on the island chain.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Senate seats that might change hands in November (McClatchy Newspapers)

McClatchy Newspapers - Democratic seats in play:

Parties Launch Battle for Control of Congress (CQPolitics.com)

CQPolitics.com - In many ways, the traditional post-Labor Day start to the fall campaign has become an antiquated notion.

Miller's Upset Win Changes Game in Alaska (CQPolitics.com)

CQPolitics.com - The dynamics in the Alaska Senate race were changed dramatically when Sen. Lisa Murkowski was upset in the Aug. 24 GOP primary by Fairbanks attorney Joe Miller. While we're not convinced that national Democrats will commit the level of resources needed to make the race competitive, CQ Politics is moving the rating of the race from Safe Republican to Likely Republican to reflect the new uncertainty of the open-seat contest.

Picking right blood pressure medicine challenging (AP)

AP - It's hard to predict which pills will best lower which patient's high blood pressure, but researchers are hunting ways to better personalize therapy — perhaps even using a blood test.

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.

UN needs far more money for Pakistan floods (AP)

AP - The United Nations says it needs hundreds of millions of dollars in new donations to get food, water, medicine and shelter to Pakistanis hit by flooding.

Evaluating Obama's 'Second Stimulus' Proposals (The Atlantic Wire)

The Atlantic Wire - As the job market and housing sector continue to suffer, the White House is seeking initiatives meant to re-stimulate the economy, following the first stimulus efforts of 2009. According to Time magazine, "most nonpartisan economists agree" that the first stimulus was successful in the short-term but did not go far enough. The "second stimulus" proposals are a $100 billion tax credit for businesses and $50 billion on infrastructure spending. Any such measures must still be improved by an increasingly partisan Congress that is expected to shift heavily Republican in November.

USS Olympia, 2-war naval veteran, battles for survival (AP)

AP - The USS Olympia, a one-of-a-kind steel cruiser that returned home to a hero's welcome after a history-changing victory in the Spanish-American War, is a proud veteran fighting what may be its final battle.

Va. woman devours 181 chicken wings in NY contest (AP)

AP - The Black Widow of eating contests gobbled up nearly 181 chicken wings in 12 minutes, devouring the national championship record in Buffalo on Sunday.

Top 10 what-ifs of the midterm elections (Politico)

Politico - Here’s POLITICO’s look back at the midterm cycle’s most influential roads not taken.

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.