Reuters - A strong earthquake of 7.4 magnitude hit New Zealand, just 4 miles southeast of Christchurch, in the middle of the night local time, the U.S. Geological Survey said Friday.

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 much tamer storm than feared.

AP - Investigators on Friday released a scientist detained at Miami International Airport after screeners spotted a metal canister in his luggage that looked like a pipe bomb, prompting an evacuation, a senior law enforcement official.

Reuters - Pakistan's Taliban on Friday threatened to launch attacks in the United States and Europe "very soon" and dismissed a move by Washington to add the group to its terrorism blacklist.