A high-speed catamaran ferry has slammed into a mooring pillar outside Hong Kong, injuring more than 70 people, including a 70-year-old woman who is in critical condition.

The ferry was carrying 140 passengers Friday when it struck the pillar on the island of Cheung Chau as it departed for the heart of the Chinese territory's business district.

Foreign governments from Britain to China hailed a new day for Libya following Moammar Gadhafi's death and called on the new government to move swiftly to rebuild a shattered economy and restore order amid chaotic celebrations.

Amid the overwhelmingly positive response, there were concerns too about further political violence or a veering off into extremism in the wake of Gadhafi's nearly 42-year regime. Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said the international community needed to work with the governing transitional council to ensure Libya "does not become another Iran."

Thailand's prime minister urged Bangkok's residents to get ready to move their belongings to higher ground Friday as the country's worst floods in half a century began seeping into the capital's outer districts.

The warning came one day after the government opened several key floodgates in a risky bid to let built-up water flow through the city's canals toward the sea. Authorities had said the canals could overflow, but it was not known to what degree.

Spain is claiming an end to four decades of violent bombings and shootings after the Basque separatist group ETA announced it would lay down its arms and try to negotiate its demand for a separate nation.

ETA has killed more 800 people in its drive for an independent state and stopped short of declaring it was defeated, but issued an historic announcement Thursday ending its armed struggle with an appearance via video of three ETA members wearing trademark Basque berets and masks with slits for their eyes. At the end of the clip, they defiantly raised their fists in the air demanding a separate Basque nation.

President Obama will have a late night chat with Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show" next week.

White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer says in a tweet that Obama will be on the show Tuesday.

After 14 years as one of Ireland's most successful boy bands, Westlife are finally handing in their mics.

The pop group members issued a statement announcing their split, saying "the decision is entirely amicable."

LinkedIn Corp. on Thursday launched its online professional networking service in Japanese, the first Asian language platform for the rapidly growing company as it pushes to expand in the region.

Mountain View, California-based LinkedIn also established a small Tokyo office, following the opening of its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore in May.

U.S. stock futures edged higher Thursday after the government said that the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits dipped slightly last week.

The Labor Department said that first-time applications for unemployment dropped 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 403,000. The number was in line with Wall Street's estimates, but still above the 375,000 claims a week that economists say signals a healthy jobs market.

Cristiano Ronaldo will try to rediscover his scoring touch when Real Madrid visits Malaga in the Spanish league, and Barcelona looks to extend its best ever start to a season against Sevilla.

Madrid, which trails Barcelona by one point, could face former players Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Julio Baptista at Malaga’s La Rosaleda stadium.

A prequel to "Peter Pan" is flying to Broadway. Producers Nancy Nagel Gibbs and Greg Schaffert said Wednesday that "Peter and the Starcatcher," the first play commissioned by Disney, will be staged in the spring. It was last seen off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop, where it earned five Drama Desk nominations.

The cast and theater will be announced later. When it was off-Broadway, it starred Christian Borle, who is to appear on the NBC series "Smash," and Adam Chanler-Berat, who is currently starring in the off-Broadway revival of "Rent" at New World Stages.