World
Israeli and Palestinian leaders Binyamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas met for a second round of discussions Tuesday in Egypt. The meeting touched on the core issues of borders, security, the status of Jerusalem and the right of Palestinians who fled during the 1948 war to return to their homes, according to the Washington Post. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and George J. Mitchell, a representative of President Obama, participated.
Japan’s Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, was re-elected Tuesday defeating democratic challenger Ichiro Ozawa in an unusually heated contest. The re-election could mean stability for the nation, which has had a high turnover in leadership with six prime ministers in four years. Kan is widely thought to handle Japan’s ballooning budget deficit through raising taxes and cutting spending, according to the New York Times. After the victory, he repeated a promise to the United States to relocate an airbase in Okinawa, where it has faced local opposition. For Ozawa, who has run as an opposition candidate for the past two decades, this may be the end of his political push for prime minister – he called the September election his final mission.
U.S.
Best Buy Co.’s earnings jumped by 61 percent this quarter, exceeding analysts’ expectations. The company’s net income was $254 million for the past three months ending Aug. 28, and last year Best Buy saw $158 million during that timeframe, Minnesota Public Radio reported.
Minnesota
Interest groups are spending some serious cash on TV ads in the governor’s race, to the tune of about $1.8 million in the last month, according to the Star Tribune. Meanwhile, the three candidates have only spent $430,000 on ads. Republican Tom Emmer has spent the most on post-primary TV ads in the Twin Cities, about $250,000, compared to Democrat Mark Dayton’s $115,000 and IP candidate Tom Horner’s $63,000.
Rep. Keith Ellison spoke near the site of the proposed Islamic center near ground zero. He addressed supporters of the controversial mosque at a candlelight vigil Sept. 10, the Strib reported. Ellison, who is the nation’s first Muslim congressman, has been speaking out in support of the mosque for a month. He repeated this message at the event, where he told attendees the world was watching them. "You emphatically say we are together, and we can’t be torn apart based on religion,” Ellison said.
