WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The three major New York-area airports will close to domestic and international arrivals beginning at noon EDT on Saturday due to Hurricane Irene, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.

Hometown hero John Isner will face French qualifier Julien Benneteau in Saturday's final of the ATP Winston-Salem Open after each captured dramatic semi-final triumphs.

Defending champion Matt Kuchar might have already won The Barclays just by leading the $7.5 million US PGA event after 36 holes, but the American has some work to do anyway.

US President Barack Obama has discussed global finance with IMF chief Christine Lagarde in their first conversation since she was appointed head of the world lender.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hurricane Irene's impact on New York City remains to be seen, but it's a certainty that Broadway will be dark this weekend, with all Saturday and Sunday performances canceled.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hurricane Irene caused as much as $1.1 billion in insured losses in the Caribbean, catastrophe modeling company AIR Worldwide said on Friday, with more expected to come as the storm heads for the U.S. Northeast.

LONDON (Reuters) - Hurricane Irene will not trigger insurance payouts to the Caribbean islands impacted by the storm, which roared through the Bahamas as a major category 3 hurricane on Thursday.

BANGALORE (Reuters) - Hurricane Irene is turning north-northeast, as tropical storm conditions spread inland over southeastern North Carolina, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said late Friday.

More than 200,000 New Yorkers are under orders to flee a once-in-a-century hurricane, but many in the famed City That Never Sleeps are brushing aside danger -- and heading to the beach.

MIAMI (Reuters) - Safety fears over the possible impact of Hurricane Irene have forced the National Football League (NFL) and other North American sporting bodies to reschedule or cancel events for this weekend.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Friday the military stood ready to aid the U.S. response to Hurricane Irene, with some 101,000 National Guard forces available if needed to governors of East Coast states.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City on Friday ordered the evacuation of more than 250,000 people and prepared to shut down its entire mass transit system, both unprecedented measures ahead of the expected battering from Hurricane Irene.

NORTHAMPTON, Mass (Reuters) - Residents of inland areas in Massachusetts loaded up on essential provisions from water to batteries on Friday as New England states urged people to prepare for the barrage of Hurricane Irene this weekend.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City residents who live in low-lying or waterfront areas that have been ordered to evacuate will not have to pay rail or subway fares, starting at 8 p.m. EDT on Friday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Passenger rail operator Amtrak will start canceling trains on its busy Northeast routes on Saturday and shut down that part of the system entirely on Sunday due to Hurricane Irene.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Energy companies on Friday activated emergency plans as the densely populated U.S. East Coast braced for blackouts from Hurricane Irene that could affect millions.

US and European stock markets on Friday shrugged off a keenly awaited speech by US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke that dashed hopes for hints of new central bank stimulus measures.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Friday the military stood ready to aid the U.S. response to Hurricane Irene, with some 101,000 National Guard forces available if needed to governors of East Coast states.

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - Hurricane Irene's sheer size will create a huge impact, even if it falls short of being an epic Northeast coast storm for the history books, a geographer and hurricane historian said on Friday.

Internet giant Google has rolled out an online map tracking the path of Hurricane Irene and providing other useful information about the storm headed for the US east coast.