#60;p>#60;a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100903/ap_on_bi_ge/earl">#60;img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100903/capt.c3c8d2e2c98443ddbc89d3d009dcd16d-c3c8d2e2c98443ddbc89d3d009dcd16d-0.jpg?x=130y=98q=85sig=lsng.NyhIEspk7Uhbn27SA--" align="left" height="98" width="130" alt="This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Earl taken Friday Sept. 3, 2010 at 12:01 a.m. EDT. Hurricane Earl was downgraded to a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds near 105 mph. National Weather Service meteorologist Hal Austin said the eye of the hurricane was expected to get as close as 55 miles east of the Outer Banks about 2 a.m. Friday. (AP Photo/NOAA" border="0" />#60;/a>AP - The last ferry left for the mainland and coastal residents hunkered down at home as Hurricane Earl closed in with 105 mph winds Friday on North Carolina#039;s dangerously exposed Outer Banks, the first and perhaps most destructive stop on the storm#039;s projected journey up the Eastern Seaboard.#60;/p>#60;br clear="all"/>

#60;p>#60;a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100903/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_rig_explosion">#60;img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100902/capt.152c0f07aeee4d2b92b019b505a38fc3-71e954491801499faa0bd69571fa8851-0.jpg?x=130y=91q=85sig=IS5TfExBmQ1asIbLNbiqbw--" align="left" height="91" width="130" alt="Boats are seen spraying water on an oil and gas platform that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010. All 13 crew members were rescued. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)" border="0" />#60;/a>AP - An oil platform that burned off the Louisiana coast Thursday was the second such disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in less than five months. This time, the Coast Guard said there was no leak, and no one was killed.#60;/p>#60;br clear="all"/>

#60;p>#60;a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100903/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/us_economy">#60;img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100902/capt.a52f296105594809a759711746b7185c-a52f296105594809a759711746b7185c-0.jpg?x=130y=87q=85sig=RzD54jF5FI0B7Mbdxsd1jQ--" align="left" height="87" width="130" alt="In this photo taken Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010, job seekers look for work on a bank of computers set up at Workforce One in Hollywood, Fla. The number of people requesting unemployment benefits declined for the second straight week, suggesting that the slowing economy isn#039;t prompting widespread job cuts. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)" border="0" />#60;/a>AP - The unemployment rate may be about to rise again.#60;/p>#60;br clear="all"/>