Top stories in brief

EUROPE-ECONOMY

LONDON - A contrasting picture of the economic recovery in the 18-country eurozone emerged Friday. While a closely watched survey found that the recovery proved to be even more subdued than previously thought during September, official European data suggested that consumers were in buoyant mood during August.

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

STAVANGER, Norway - With the 2014 Nobel Prize announcements around the corner, Norway is considering shaking up the five-member committee that selects the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Critics say the prestigious panel should no longer be limited to retired Norwegian politicians and have suggested broadening the pool of potential judges to people from other walks of life and even non-Norwegians.

LATVIA-ELECTION

RIGA, Latvia - The Ukraine crisis looms large over Latvia's parliamentary election on Saturday as the Baltic country worries over how best to deal with resurgent neighbor Russia. Here's a look at some of the key issues for the nation of 2 million: EMBRACE MOSCOW OR STEER CLEAR?

GERMANY-EBOLA

FRANKFURT - A Ugandan doctor who contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone has been flown to Germany for treatment. Authorities in the central German state of Hesse say the doctor, who was not identified, had worked for an Italian aid group in West Africa when he became infected.

FRANCE-AIRBUS

PARIS - German carmaker Daimler AG and French conglomerate Lagardere SCA are on trial in a Paris criminal court along with seven current and former Airbus executives accused of involvement in insider trading. They're suspected of profiting from inside knowledge about delays in the superjumbo A380 jet and other problems at Airbus before they were publicly announced in 2006.

SWEDEN-NEW GOVERNMENT

STOCKHOLM - Former European Commissioner Margot Wallstrom has been named foreign minister in Sweden's new Social Democrat-led government. Wallstrom, a 60-year-old Social Democrat, is returning to Swedish politics after more than a decade of international assignments as the European Union's environment commissioner and vice president, and as a U.N. special envoy on sexual violence in conflict.

BRITAIN-TITANIC LETTER

LONDON - It was the collision that never happened, the moment of peril that could have saved the Titanic. A letter being auctioned this month documents the most bitter of ironies from the Titanic's doomed maiden voyage: the Titanic came within a few feet (1 meter) of striking another liner as it sailed from England, days before its destruction by an iceberg.

EUROPE-FACEBOOK-WHATSAPP

BRUSSELS - The European Union's antitrust authority says it has approved Facebook's proposed $19 billion takeover of the messaging service WhatsApp. The 28-nation bloc's executive Commission said Friday the deal may go ahead because consumers will continue to have a wide choice of alternative communication apps they could use. Facebook Inc. runs its own mobile messaging service with its Messenger app but the EU found the merged entity "would continue to face sufficient competition."

SWITZERLAND-UBS-TAX EVASION

BERLIN - Shares in UBS AG are down after reports the Swiss bank could face a fine of 4.88 billion euros ($6.16 billion) if found guilty of facilitating tax evasion and money laundering in France. Geneva daily Le Temps on Friday cited prosecution documents obtained by French investigative news site mediapart.fr that put the potential penalty for UBS significantly higher than a 1.1 billion euro bond it has had to deposit in the case.

EUROPE-NOVARTIS-ELI LILLY

BRUSSELS - The European Union's antitrust authority says it has approved the $5.4 billion sale of Novartis' animal health division to U.S. pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly. The 28-nation bloc's executive Commission said Friday the sale won't hinder competition because the merged firm will continue to face a number of strong competitors.

BRITAIN-LINDSAY LOHAN

LONDON - It wasn't a car crash, but there weren't fireworks, either. Critics writing in Friday's papers gave a lukewarm welcome to Lindsay Lohan's professional stage debut, which followed months of hype and speculation about whether the wayward star was up to the job.

EBOLA

OMAHA - An American photojournalist who contracted Ebola while working in West Africa begins his journey home for treatment, while a man who recently arrived in Dallas from Liberia remains in critical condition with the disease.

EBOLA-TRAVEL BAN

Top government health officials say they are opposed to placing a ban on travelers from Ebola-infected countries, warning that shutting down borders could impede efforts by aid workers to stop the spread of the deadly virus.

BRAZIL-ELECTION

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil's unpredictable election takes another twist, with left-leaning President Dilma Rousseff being forced into a runoff race as expected, but against a center-right challenger who only surged in the final week of the campaign.

ISLAMIC STATE-KASSIG

INDIANAPOLIS - An Indiana aid worker threatened with beheading by the Islamic State group said in a June letter that he's afraid to die and is saddened by the pain his captivity must be causing his family, his parents say.

 

AP POLL-SAFETY AND SECURITY

WASHINGTON - Americans lack confidence in the government's ability to protect their personal safety and economic security, a sign that their widespread unease about the state of the nation extends far beyond politics, according to the latest Associated Press-GfK poll.

MEXICO-VIOLENCE

IGUALA, Mexico - Mexican forensic experts recovered 28 charred bodies from a clandestine grave on the outskirts of this city where police engaged in a deadly clash with student protesters a week ago, Guerrero state's chief prosecutor says.