EU fines auto glass firms a record €1.4 billion
Amid signs of chronic price-fixing, antitrust experts ask whether Europe should follow U.S. in imposing jail terms.

Russia calls for inquiry over origins of Georgia conflict
Russia has asked the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe for an inquiry into the findings of military observers stationed in Tskhinvali on the night of August 7-8, when the separatist capital was shelled by Georgian forces.

Jitters send U.S. stocks down sharply
Shares on Wall Street fell more than 4 percent as worried investors wondered about the depth and length of the recession.
- IEA sees global oil demand rising through 2030
- European shares stable but energy stocks slip
- World stocks suffer broad drops on gloomy economic outlook
- Oil prices slide again as OPEC readies cuts
- Ruble slides after comments from central bank chief
- Buyback plan helps Alibaba.com stock

France weighs deporting Afghans
France and Britain are preparing to resume deportations of Afghans found without papers on their territory, say officials and a nongovernmental group that aids detainees.

Treasury chief resisting aid to automakers
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said that while the auto industry was "critical," the money in the $700 billion bailout package was meant above all for the financial sector.
- U.S. Treasury modifies bailout program
- Obama makes foreign leaders wait
- Can Europe produce an Obama?
- Palin won't concede the spotlight

Obama preparing comprehensive technology policy
The candidate who brought technology to bear on the campaign in unprecedented ways is expected to change the way government uses the Web.

$6 billion rescue for Iceland put on hold
The IMF will not approve the package until Iceland agrees to compensate overseas customers for billions of dollars in losses suffered on their deposits in Icelandic banks.

Gaza clash puts shaky truce under pressure
Four Hamas gunmen were killed in a clash with Israeli soldiers along the Gaza border, further testing a shaky truce enacted in June.
- Secular hawk wins mayor's race in Jerusalem

Two U.S. soldiers reported killed by Iraqi in Mosul
The shooter was immediately killed by other American soldiers, sources and witnesses said.

U.S. aid worker and driver killed in Pakistani tribal region
Steve Vance worked for an ambitious program run by Usaid to bring $750 million of development projects to the tribal region over five years.

Gay marriages begin in Connecticut
The official start of gay marriages came on Wednesday, less than a month after Connecticut's highest court legalized the unions.

U.S. says Russia should not fear Baltic integration with West
The broader question of how NATO should deal with a resurgent Russia was central to the talks between government leaders of the Baltic states and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Another city in Somalia falls to Islamist insurgents
By taking the port of Merka, the Islamists now control a large swath of south-central Somalia, and the weak transitional government seems too paralyzed by infighting to do much about it.
- Russian and British ships repel Somali pirate attack

Echoes of the Cold War in Russia's new stance
The discourse of disarmament and arms control has been replaced by two things: a Kremlin willing to use force against its neighbors and the policies of President George W. Bush that largely discarded multilateral arms control negotiations as a means of curbing proliferation.

Emirates see fiscal crisis as chance to save culture
Locals in the United Arab Emirates hope that the global economic downturn will reduce the numbers of foreigners pouring into their country and give them a chance to reassert their way of life.