[AP] - The unemployment rate may be about to rise again. Economists are bracing for a weak showing in the August employment report, which is scheduled to be released Friday. The private sector is forecast to add a net total of only 41,000 jobs, the fewest since January, which isn't enough to keep up with population growth.

[at The Wall Street Journal] - Google, AOL Widen Alliance Google and AOL have reached a five-year global partnership pact, extending their cooperation into video and mobile search.

[at The Wall Street Journal] - Google, AOL Widen Alliance Google and AOL have reached a five-year global partnership pact, extending their cooperation into video and mobile search.

[AP] - This year's back-to-school season isn't as big a bust for retailers as they feared -- or as last year's -- but it's not great either.

[Reuters] - News Corp Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch said the global economy is still in an uncertain state and the media industry is going through a fundamental transformation that is unpredictable

[AP] - Time Warner Cable Inc. customers will finally get access to the sports website ESPN3.com, even if they are not subscribers of the company's Internet service, according to a long-term deal with The Walt Disney Co. announced Thursday.

[at MarketWatch] - When dogs bite people, insurers often pay. But what happens when bed bugs bite?