Latest Gulf oil rig problem differs from BP spill (AP)
AP - Unlike the blast that led to the massive BP spill, the latest oil platform fire in the Gulf of Mexico killed no one and sent no crude gushing into the water.
Hurricane Earl swipes U.S. east, but no big hit (Reuters)
Reuters - Hurricane Earl slapped North Carolina’s coast with rain, winds and heavy surf on Friday and swirled up the U.S. eastern seaboard toward New England and Canada as a weakened but still potent storm.
Police say attacks on Pakistani minorities kill 44 (AP)
AP - Suicide bombings targeting religious minorities killed at least 44 people in Pakistan on Friday, sharply driving up the toll of sectarian assaults in a country already battered by massive flooding.
Companies add 67K workers, but jobless rate rises (AP)
AP - Private employers hired more workers over the past three month than first thought, lifting hopes for the weak economy ahead of the Labor Day weekend. But the unemployment rate rose in August for the first time in four months as more people entered the market looking for work.
Flooding on Outer Banks, Earl heads for Northeast (AP)
AP - A weakened Hurricane Earl delivered only a glancing blow to North Carolina’s Outer Banks early Friday on its way up the East Coast, flooding roads on the narrow vacation islands and knocking out power but staying farther offshore than feared. There were no immediate reports of any injuries.
Small signal, big meaning? Castro in military duds (AP)
AP - Fidel Castro dusted off his full military uniform for the first time since stepping down as president four years ago, a symbolic act in a communist country where little signals often carry enormous significance.
Payrolls fall less than expected 54,000 in August (Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. employment fell for a third straight month in August, but the drop was far less than expected and private payrolls growth surprised on the upside, easing pressure on the Federal Reserve to prop up growth.
Gates sees progress in tour of Afghan war zone (AP)
AP - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday he saw and heard evidence that the U.S. counterinsurgency strategy is taking hold in critical Kandahar province.
Police question scientist in Miami airport scare (AP)
AP - A scientist has been detained at the Miami International Airport after screeners spotted a metal canister in his luggage that looked like a pipe bomb, prompting an evacuation, a government official said.
After 17 years, fugitive tycoon shows in UK court (AP)
AP - A Turkish Cypriot businessman who voluntarily returned to Britain after 17 years to face fraud charges learned Friday that he will have to wait more than a year for the trial he insists will vindicate him.