AP - British Petroleum once downplayed the possibility of a catastrophic accident at an offshore rig that exploded, causing the worst U.S. oil spill in decades along the Gulf Coast and endangering shoreline habitat.
AP - Tornadoes ripping through central Arkansas on Friday killed at least three people, injured 25 others and destroyed several homes, authorities said.
AP - Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday signed a follow-on bill approved by Arizona legislators that make revisions to the state's sweeping law against illegal immigration — changes she says should quell concerns that the measure will lead to racial profiling.
AP - A veteran sheriff's deputy was shot and wounded Friday after encountering a group of suspected illegal immigrants who apparently had been hauling bales of marijuana along a major smuggling corridor in the Arizona desert — a violent episode that comes amid a heated national debate over immigration.
AP - The son of a Democratic Tennessee lawmaker was convicted Friday on two charges in the hacking of Sarah Palin's e-mail account while she campaigned on the Republican presidential ticket in 2008.
AP - Three Houston police officers have been restricted to desk duty after they followed a Chinese diplomat into the parking garage of the Chinese Consulate, arrested the man and injured him, the Houston mayor said.
AP - Senior Pentagon leaders on Friday warned Congress not to tamper with the ban on gays serving openly in the military until they can come up with a plan for dealing with potential opposition in the ranks.
AP - A successful entertainment attorney who was married to actress Catherine Bach was found dead in an apparent suicide Friday, coroners officials said.
AP - Jamal Crawford saw the end to his series-long shooting slump coming, making a promise after the pregame shootaround: It'll be back tonight.
AP - Defensemen Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski each had a goal and an assist and the Pittsburgh Penguins shredded Montreal's penalty-killing unit that Washington never solved in the opening round, beating the Canadiens 6-3 Friday night in the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Reuters - The U.S. government scrambled on Friday to ward off an environmental disaster that could cost billions of dollars as a huge oil spill reached coastal Louisiana, imperiling shrimp fishing grounds, oyster beds and fragile wetlands with a rich variety of wildlife.
Reuters - A prolonged and increasingly violent stand-off between government and red shirt protesters in Bangkok is worsening and could deteriorate into "an undeclared civil war", the International Crisis Group said.
Reuters - Massey Energy Co is under criminal investigation by the FBI after the deadly mine explosion in West Virginia, U.S. officials familiar with the matter said on Friday, news that sent the company's stock plummeting.
Reuters - Senate Democratic leaders unveiled on Thursday an outline for overhauling the country's "broken" immigration system as protests mounted against Arizona's crackdown on illegal immigrants.
AFP - Oil from a giant Gulf of Mexico slick began washing onto Louisiana shores, threatening an environmental calamity, as President Barack Obama called for a "thorough review" of the disaster.
AFP - The Greek prime minister urged his country to accept unpopular spending cuts as the price to pay for an international debt bailout, as trades unions geared up for rallies Saturday to protest the plan.
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