Latest News Stories and Headlines

AP – U.S. Agriculture Department employees worked full-time at two Iowa egg farms at the center of a salmonella outbreak and massive recall, but two former workers said they ignored complaints about conditions at one site.

Reuters – Hurricane Earl battered North Carolina’s coast with rain, winds and waves on Friday and swirled up the U.S. eastern seaboard toward New England and Canada as a weakened but still dangerous storm.

AP – Stark differences exist between the oil platform fire in the Gulf of Mexico and the blast that led to the massive BP spill. Mostly notably, no one was killed and no crude was gushing into the water, but the distinctions don’t end there.

AP – As the last of 30,000 U.S. reinforcements arrive in Afghanistan, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday got a firsthand look at operations in the dangerous south where Afghan and international troops are ramping up security.

Reuters – Pakistan’s Taliban on Friday took responsibility for triple bombings at a Shi’ite Muslim procession this week, challenging the civilian government further as it struggles with a flood crisis.

Reuters – BP Plc said on Friday the cost of dealing with its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had risen to $8 billion and that it was two weeks away from sealing the well for good.

A volcano erupted again in Indonesia early Friday in northern Sumatra, sending hundreds of villagers fleeing as it unleashed tremors and spewed powerful bursts of hot ash and debris.

AP – A bomb squad investigated a report of a suspicious package after police evacuated four of six concourses at Miami International Airport for several hours on the eve of the Labor Day travel period, an airport spokesman said Friday.

NASA experts will present options and recommendations Friday evening after assessing the needs of the 33 miners trapped far below the Earth’s surface.

AP – The last ferry left for the mainland and coastal residents hunkered down at home as Hurricane Earl closed in with 105 mph winds early Friday on North Carolina’s dangerously exposed Outer Banks, the first and perhaps most destructive stop on the storm’s projected journey up the Eastern Seaboard.

Direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders kicked off again with pledges of support for a peace process leading to a comprehensive settlement within one year.

AFP – Israeli and Palestinian leaders launched their first direct negotiations in 20 months Thursday, agreeing to meet every two weeks in a bid to settle core differences within a year.

AP – Roger Federer is one cool customer.

AP – The former television producer who tried to blackmail David Letterman was freed Thursday after four months in jail for a plot that put a spotlight on the comic icon’s office affairs, city Correction Department records show.

AP – In an early sign of promise, Israeli and Palestinian leaders pledged Thursday in a cordial first round of talks to keep meeting at regular intervals, aiming to nail down a framework for overcoming deep disputes and achieving lasting peace within a year.

Democratic congressional candidates face a political landscape even rockier than those in 1994 and 2006 that ended with election upheavals that …

Some relatives of Muslim 9/11 victims worry the flap over a mosque near Ground Zero is feeding a revival of Islamophobia they felt in 2001.

Israelis and Palestinians have embarked on another round of peace talks an outcome that Middle East experts said is about as good as it gets …

Reuters – The Bank of Japan is expected to hold off on easing monetary policy next week but is gearing up for further action in October as the strong yen threatens to derail its forecast of a moderate economic recovery, sources said.

For North Carolinians, Thursday was “a day of action,” before Hurricane Earl arrives Friday.