AFP - US Marines are in a "hell of a fight" as they storm into Taliban strongholds during a major assault in Afghanistan, their commanding officer said Friday.

AFP - A powerful Iranian cleric said on Friday that British embassy local staff arrested for allegedly stoking unrest after the June election will be put on trial, a move that prompted coordinated protests from European governments.

AP - Scientists have confirmed for the first time that Australia was once home to a dinosaur that was big, fast and terrifying, and they've named it like something from an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. Meet the Australovenator.

AFP - The dollar climbed against the euro Friday after eurozone retail figures slipped back into a rut and as fresh worries about the health of the US economy supported the "safe-haven" greenback.

Reuters - PVM Oil Futures Limited said on Friday Steve Perkins, a senior broker based at the firm's London office, was responsible for unauthorized trades earlier this week which landed the firm with a loss of nearly $10 million.

AP - Brian France says NASCAR's drug-testing policy is a fair system that protects its competitors and fans from the dangers of an impaired driver on the race track.

Fashion Wire Daily - Mongrels, a favored pet, though not atypically a scruffy one, might seem an odd choice of name for a fashion label, but if the latest collection from Mongrels in Common seen Thursday, July 2, in Berlin is any test, then the progeny looks like being a very fine breed.