Eric Linton

Two of Moammar Gadhafi's sons clashed on the airwaves Wednesday, with one offering peace and another promising a 'war of attrition' as a final battle for control of Libya's coast loomed.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney's new memoir is reviving fierce battles among Bush administration officials over U.S. national security policies after Sept. 11, 2001.

U.S. retailers are expected to report higher monthly sales in August, even though consumer confidence sagged and Hurricane Irene disrupted shopping along the East Coast during a key back-to-school weekend.

Asian stocks rose Thursday following gains on Wall Street, with technology and consumer shares outperforming, and credit spreads tightened on optimism that central banks worldwide will have to do more to support industrial activity.

Tropical Storm Katia strengthened into a hurricane over the Atlantic Wednesday, while another mass of thunderstorms that could become a named storm this week triggered evacuations of some oil workers from the Gulf of Mexico.

President Barack Obama Wednesday evening agreed to unveil new jobs proposals in an address to Congress on Sept. 8, bowing to pressure from Republicans, who objected to the original date conflicting with their presidential debate.

Bailiffs raided BP's Moscow offices Wednesday, a new blow to the British oil company a day after ExxonMobil signed an agreement that ended BP's hopes of developing Arctic offshore oil fields with Russia.

The Obama administration is considering unveiling new plans next week to revive the ailing housing market and reduce foreclosures, including an effort to help troubled borrowers refinance their mortgages.

Diehard followers of Moammar Gadhafi are refusing to surrender, raising the prospect of new fighting in Libya when an ultimatum expires after this week's Eid holiday.

Brent crude hovered at $114 a barrel Wednesday, after posting six days of gains, on expectations the United States will act again to try and boost growth and increase demand for oil.

Asian stocks edged up Wednesday, poised to end a volatile month on a mildly stronger note, while the dollar struggled on heightened expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve would do more to stimulate the economy.

Stock index futures pointed to a weaker open for equities on Wall Street Tuesday after steep gains in the previous session, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 down 0.2 to 0.3 percent.

Gold regained strength Tuesday as bargain hunting resurfaced after prices dropped more than 2 percent in the previous session, but higher equities and easing U.S. recession fears could limit gains.

Libya's new rulers accused Algeria of aggression Monday for admitting the fleeing wife of Moammar Gadhafi and three of his children, but the whereabouts of the former strongman himself remain a mystery a week after his overthrow.

Mexico has arrested five suspected drug gang members in connection with the burning of a casino last week that killed at least 52 people, one of the worst attacks on civilians in the country in years.

European shares gained in early trading Monday morning, tracking a late rally in Wall Street Friday, after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke raised hopes for more economic stimulus.

Syrian armor surrounded a town near Homs Monday after the defection of tens of soldiers from the area, activists and residents said, in the latest operation to counter dissent within the military.

Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, a fiscal hawk, will become Japan's sixth prime minister in five years after winning a ruling party vote Monday, an outcome likely to please investors worried about a bulging public debt.

The Libyan convicted in the 1988 bombing of a U.S.-bound airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, has been found in Tripoli and appears at death's door, CNN reported Sunday.

Libyan rebel forces were converging on Moammar Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte Monday morning, hoping to deliver the coup de grace of their revolution but uncertain if the fallen strongman was holed up there.

Libyan rebels said Friday morning they were sending in special forces to hunt for Moammar Gadhafi, whose supporters are now pinned down in pockets of resistance inTripoli.

Stock futures pointed to a slightly higher open for equities Friday after declines in the previous session, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 all up 0.2 percent.

President Bashar al-Assad's forces killed eight people across Syria overnight, activists said Friday, in a renewed campaign to crush protesters cheered by the downfall of Moammar Gadfafi in Libya.

Libya's rebel council announced Friday morning it has moved from Benghazi to Tripoli even as the hunt for Moammar Gadhafi continues and his loyalists fight on in the capital and elsewhere.

Spot gold lost 0.4 percent Friday, on course for its first weekly drop after seven straight weeks of gains, as investors awaited a speech by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke later in the day.

The Gadhafi government carried out a lobbying operation to try to stop NATO's bombardment of Libya, Britain's The Guardian newspaper reported Friday, citing secret documents.

Four Italian journalists who were abducted near Zawiya in Libya Wednesday have been freed, the Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported on its Web site Thursday.

An American development expert kidnapped 12 days ago in Lahore has been rescued, a Pakistani police official said Thursday.

Gold fell more than 1 percent Thursday, extending the previous session's losses, after the CME Group (CME.O) raised trading margins by the most in more than two and a half years to curb volatility.