Earl threatens East Coast with weekend pounding (AP)
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:06:19 GMT
AP - Hurricane Earl packed winds near 140 mph as it blew toward North Carolina on Thursday, putting the Eastern Seaboard up to Maine on alert for a Labor Day weekend pounding by waves, gales and rain.

Data shows jobless claims drop, retail sales rise (AP)
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:53:24 GMT
AP - A weak economy got a little lift Thursday with new data suggesting companies aren't pursuing mass layoffs and stores are a little busier.

New round of direct Mideast peace talks begins (AP)
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:41:37 GMT
AP - Israeli and Palestinian leaders sat down for their first direct peace talks in two years on Thursday, pledging to overcome deep skepticism and disappointment with past U.S.-brokered attempts to resolve the long-running conflict.

Gulf oil platform explodes, burning off La. coast (AP)
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:00:53 GMT
AP - An offshore petroleum platform exploded and was burning Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico about 100 miles off the Louisiana coast, west of the site where BP's undersea well spilled after a rig explosion.

Feds sue Arizona sheriff in civil rights probe (AP)
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:08:22 GMT
AP - The U.S. Justice Department sued Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Thursday, saying the Arizona lawman refused for more than a year to turn over records in an investigation into allegations his department discriminates against Hispanics.

Gunman shot as Discovery hostages planned escape (AP)
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:21:03 GMT
AP - As the three hostages at Discovery Channel's headquarters appeared ready to make a run for it, police said Thursday that a SWAT team officer quickly shot and killed the increasingly agitated gunman who had explosives strapped to himself, ending the four-hour standoff.

Study: 1 in 7 home kitchens would flunk inspection (AP)
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:28:48 GMT
AP - A new study suggests that at least one in seven home kitchens would flunk the kind of health inspection commonly administered to restaurants.

Google, Skype targeted in India security crackdown (AP)
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:00:09 GMT
AP - India has widened its security crackdown, asking all companies that provide encrypted communications — not just BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion — to install servers in the country to make it easier for the government to obtain users' data. That would likely affect digital giants like Google and Skype.

Rapper T.I., wife arrested on drug charges (AP)
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:57:09 GMT
AP - Grammy-winning rapper T.I. was arrested along with his wife on suspicion of possessing methamphetamines, five months after the hip-hop star finished a prison stint on weapons charges.

Oudin, Roddick bounced from U.S. Open (AP)
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:27:47 GMT
AP - One woman's exit from the U.S. Open was jarring and sudden. Another's came off as sad and not all that surprising.