Hiring in the US surged unexpectedly last month, easing fears that the economy might be heading for a sudden, sharp downturn. Employers in the US added 254,000 jobs in September, much more than expected, while the jobless rate dipped from 4.2% to 4.1%, the Labor Department said. That was the strongest gain since March, and was far higher than the roughly 150,000 many analysts had forecast. (BBC News)