In Friday’s Americas papers

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Front page

Michael Jackson, pop icon, is dead
Michael Jackson died at a Los Angeles hospital after suffering cardiac arrest at his home, marking a sad end to the life of a man who had been a global pop icon since childhood.

Pang took $83m from firm, filings say
Financier Danny Pang extracted at least $83m in allegedly inflated fees, loans and salary from his investment firm before it was seized, according to filings.

China seeks report on dam’s effects
China’s environment ministry ordered an ecological assessment for a proposed Yangtze River dam that conservationists fear could threaten hundreds of fish species.

Money & Investing

UBS plans stock sale; plea made in tax case
UBS said it would post another quarterly loss and raise $3.45bn more in a continuing effort to steady itself.

Mining, bank stocks boost indexes
European stocks opened higher, boosted by expected gains in the heavyweight resources sector, although unlikely to muster similar momentum as US counterparts.

Bernanke blasted by lawmakers
Bernanke faced hostility from lawmakers who barraged him over his handling of the financial crisis, in a grilling that reflected frustration over the Fed’s role in reshaping the banking system.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Front page

Michael Jackson, pop icon, is dead at 50
For his legions of fans, he was the Peter Pan of pop music: the little boy who refused to grow up. But on the verge of another attempted comeback, he is suddenly gone, this time for good.

Premier casting US withdrawal as Iraq victory
Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki is hailing the pullout of American forces from Iraqi cities, but the risk of renewed insurgent violence remains.

Business Day

Recession’s children
Teenagers in suburban Dayton, Ohio, are heading to community colleges after manufacturing plants closed.

Obama and Congress clash on how to pay for health care
The president is unwilling to deepen the deficit, but House and Senate leaders do not like his proposals or one another’s.

WASHINGTON POST

Front page

Object of acclaim, curiosity, the ‘King of Pop’ dies in LA
Michael Jackson, 50, died yesterday in Los Angeles as sensationally as he lived, as famous as a human being can get.

Arab activists watch Iran and wonder: ‘Why not us?’
Mohamed Sharkawy bears the scars of his devotion to Egypt’s democracy movement.

Business

Oil markets stay calm despite unrest in Iran
Traders and investors shrug off the possibility that the disputed Iranian elections might rock oil markets.

CBO paints a dire long-term portrait
The budget outlook has darkened considerably over the past six months and Obama’s plan to extend tax cuts has the potential to “create an explosive fiscal situation” analysts say.

GLOBE AND MAIL, Canada

Front page

The king of pop fades into history
Of all modern pop legends, Michael Jackson has been the most present, and the most elusive.

Tory attack ads staved off an election, Harper says
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says his party’s controversial ad campaign against Michael Ignatieff did Canadians a service by pushing the Liberals away from triggering a summer election.

Business

Central banks to take off ‘training wheels’
The US Federal Reserve and the Bank of Canada are preparing to scale back the emergency lending programs they put in place to help the financial system as markets stabilise and banks find their feet.

Potash Corp slashes profit outlook
Potash Corp of Saskatchewan Inc dismantled its second-quarter profit guidance, warning investors that its earnings will be at least 45% lower than expected as customers continue to shun the fertilizer giant’s products.

BUENOS AIRES HERALD

Front page

Michael Jackson dies at 50
Pop icon Michael Jackson died at age 50. He was hospitalised after suffering a heart attack and sources reported that he was not breathing when the medics arrived and that he entered the hospital in a deep coma.

Kirchner’s final act in La Matanza: ‘We have suffered grievances throughout the entire campaign’
The ex-president and first Lower House candidate for the Justicialist Victory Front party, Néstor Kirchner, addressed the crowd gathered in the Central Market of Buenos Aires province district of La Matanza, where his closing campaign act was held.

US Governor met lover on taxpayer-funded trip
South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford met with his lover on a trip funded by taxpayer money to Brazil and Argentina last year, according to documents released by the state’s Department of Commerce and e-mails exchanged between the Governor and the woman in question.