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.

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.

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.

AP - The top US military commander in Afghanistan says the sometimes strained relationship between the US and Afghan President Hamid Karzai is solid.

AP - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton formally opened the first direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in nearly two years on Thursday, imploring the parties to ignore the long history of failed negotiations and make needed compromises to forge an agreement.

AP - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told a panel investigating the financial crisis that regulators must be ready to shutter the largest institutions if they threaten to bring down the financial system.

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.

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.

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.

Reuters - Powerful Hurricane Earl bore down on the U.S. East Coast on Thursday on a path toward North Carolina's barrier islands, which it was expected to lash with dangerous winds and pounding surf.

Reuters - Israeli and Palestinian leaders began direct peace negotiations on Thursday, saying it was time to end their conflict but projecting tough talks ahead as hardliners on both sides vowed never to accept a deal.

Reuters - The International Monetary Fund will give Pakistan $450 million in emergency flood aid, providing some relief for a government overwhelmed by the disaster and facing renewed militant violence.

Reuters - Burger King Holdings Inc , the No. 2 U.S. fast-food chain, agreed to sell itself to investment firm 3G Capital for about $3.26 billion in a deal analysts said would give the restaurant breathing room to fix its business.

Reuters - Russia abruptly signaled Thursday it would extend a grain export ban until late 2011 and ordered authorities to prevent speculators driving up food prices after the worst harvest in years.

Reuters - Afghan President Hamid Karzai strongly condemned an air strike by NATO-led forces which he said killed 10 campaign workers for this month's election, a sour note as U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived for talks.

Reuters - Police shot and killed a man who took three people hostage, waving a gun and apparently fitted out with explosives, in the headquarters of the Discovery Channel near Washington Wednesday.

AFP - Israeli and Palestinian leaders launched their first direct talks in 20 months Thursday, starting the clock on a daunting one-year deadline to flesh out a Palestinian state to live in peace with Israel.

AFP - Ten Afghan civilians were killed Thursday in a NATO air strike on three vehicles carrying election campaign workers in northern Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai said in a statement.