NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - An oil and gas platform operated by Mariner Energy burst into flames in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, but the crew of 13 escaped and there were no signs of an oil spill, the Coast Guard said.
MANTEO, North Carolina (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.
LONDON (Reuters) - BP Plc said the cost of dealing with its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had risen to $8 billion as the oil giant prepared to release the findings of an internal probe into the causes of the disaster.
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (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.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to a series of direct talks on Thursday, seeking to forge the framework for a U.S.-backed peace deal within a year and end a conflict that has boiled for six decades.
