News roundup

Photo caption: French President Nicolas Sarkozy, center left, with Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, the leader of the interim administration, shaking hand with an injured man. The British prime minister David Cameron stood at the foot of the bed.

--> World news: Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France flew to Tripoli, Libya, today, pledging continued military, political and economic support for the country’s new leaders, including help in tracking down the fugitive Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.

The journey was the first to the capital by Western leaders since Colonel Qaddafi lost control of the city last month.

Both men called for Colonel Qaddafi’s arrest and trial. But, reflecting a broad fear among outsiders about the fragility and factionalism of the Libyan revolution and the possibility of score-settling and bloodshed in the post-Qaddafi era, both Western leaders urged Libya’s rebel administration to avoid reprisals against its adversaries. More at the NYT.

--> World news: An update on the US hikers in Iran:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


--> US news: Dakota Meyer will collect the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor, at the White House today for saving 36 lives from an ambush in Afghanistan.

His hero's moment was his darkest day. Meyer lost some of his best friends the morning of Sept. 8, 2009, in far-off Kunar Province.

The former Marine said, "It's hard...getting recognized for the worst day of your life, so it's a really tough thing."

President Barack Obama will bestow the medal at a White House ceremony. The two have also met privately, having a beer on a patio outside the Oval Office yesterday. More on Meyer's heroic story can be read at CBS News.

--> US news: The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits rose unexpectedly last week in a sign concerns about a weak economy were sapping an already beleaguered labor market, data showed on Thursday.

Applications for unemployment benefits climbed to 428,000 in the week ending September10 from an upwardly revised 417,000 the prior week, the Labor Department said.

It was the second straight week in which claims rose. (Via Reuters)

--> Environmental news: A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit off the southeastern coast of Cuba early today, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The quake was centered 77 miles north of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and 370 miles southeast of Havana, Cuba. It hit at 4:43 a.m.

Forty-three minutes earlier, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake rumbled off the east coast of Japan, the USGS reported. No tsunami warning was issued.

Both quakes were shallow, striking at a depth of six miles.

And seven minutes before the Japan quake, a magnitude 6.0 quake was recorded off the coast of New Zealand, according to the USGS. (Via CNN)

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