Gulf oil platform explodes, burning off La. coast (AP)

AP - An offshore petroleum platform exploded and was burning Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico about 80 miles off the Louisiana coast, west of the site where BP's undersea well spilled after a rig explosion.
Earl undergoes change, strong winds extend farther (AP)

Sherwin-Williams paint store assistant manager Emily Venable takes precautions and duct-tapes the store windows as Hurricane Earl approaches the Outer Banks city of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.(AFP/Paul J. Richards)AP - The head of the National Hurricane Center says the center of Hurricane Earl is undergoing a change and its powerful winds are going to extend farther out from the eyewall.



Feds sue Arizona sheriff in civil rights probe (AP)

FILE - In this file photo taken July 30, 2010, shows Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio during a news conference in Phoenix. The U.S. Justice Department sued Arpaio on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010, saying the Arizona lawman refused for more than a year to turn over records in an investigation into allegations his department discriminates against Hispanics. (AP Photo/Amanda Lee Myers, File)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.



Data shows jobless claims drop, retail sales rise (AP)

In this photo taken Sept. 1, 2010, unemployed people wait in line for information on unemployment insurance and job listings in Las Vegas. The number of people requesting unemployment benefits declined for the second straight week, suggesting that the slowing economy isn't prompting widespread job cuts. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)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)

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton looks on as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands as she hosts the re-launch of direct negotiations, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010, at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)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.





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