AP - A German film studio has offered to negotiate a settlement with a dozen extras who were injured on the set of the Tom Cruise film "Valkyrie," despite their demands that the actor and his production company, United Artists, pay them $11 million.

Reuters - Georgia's parliament approved a resolution on Thursday calling on the government to cut diplomatic ties with Russia after Moscow backed the secession of two Georgian rebel regions.

AFP - Japan's core inflation rate accelerated to 2.4 percent in July on the back of soaring energy and raw material costs, official data showed on Friday.

AP - Barack Obama promised an end to the "broken politics in Washington and the failed presidency of George W. Bush" Thursday night as he embarked on the final lap of his audacious bid to become the nation's first black president.

Reuters - Barack Obama, about to take a historic step as the Democratic presidential nominee, promised on Thursday to reverse the economic failures of the last eight years, end the war in Iraq and restore America's reputation.