General News News and Updates	Related: Business , Politics , Local News , Weather
Oil sheen spreading from Gulf platform explosion		Thu, Sep 2 11:46 AM
A Gulf of Mexico oil rig exploded Thursday morning, sending its crew of 13 scrambling into the water 92 miles off the coast of Louisiana, the ...		USATODAY.com Nation News
Hurricane Earl to batter North Carolina tonight		Thu, Sep 2 11:45 AM
Hurricane Earl is a powerful Category 3 storm packing 125-mph winds, and coastal residents in its path need to take action now, FEMA Administrator ...		USATODAY.com Nation News
Oil spill seen in Gulf platform explosion		Thu, Sep 2 11:44 AM
HOUSTON (Reuters) - An oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico exploded on Thursday, setting off a blaze and a small oil spill, but the accident does not appear to be as serious as BP's deadly rig explosion and oil spill in April.		Reuters: Top News
Chicago gang members criticize 'gang summit' (AP)		Thu, Sep 2 11:42 AM
AP - Several current and ex-gang members lashed out at Chicago's police chief on Thursday, calling his so-called "gang summit" initiative to crack down on crime a wasted effort that will have little effect on the streets of the county's third largest city.		Yahoo! News: U.S. News
In Medical School Shift, Meeting Patients on Day 1		Thu, Sep 2 11:30 AM
A new curriculum at N.Y.U. is intended to foster more personal relationships between medical students and patients.		NYT > Home Page
U.S. says Israelis and Palestinians agree to more talks		Thu, Sep 2 11:30 AM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli and Palestinian leaders began their first round of direct peace negotiations in more than a year on Thursday, pledging to meet again in two weeks as part of a U.S.-brokered quest for peace.		Reuters: Top News
Oil Sheen Seen Near Damaged Platform in Gulf of Mexico		Thu, Sep 2 11:27 AM
The mile-long sheen was spotted hours after an explosion on the offshore oil platform on Thursday, the Coast Guard said.		NYT > Home Page
Hurricane Earl bears down on East Coast		Thu, Sep 2 11:16 AM
HATTERAS ISLAND, North Carolina (Reuters) - Hurricane Earl took aim at North Carolina on Thursday and was on track to lash its barrier islands with dangerous winds and pounding surf before cutting a path up the East Coast.		Reuters: Top News
Israel, Palestinians agree to 2nd round of talks (AP)		Thu, Sep 2 11:13 AM
AP - Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed Thursday to produce a framework for a permanent peace deal and to hold a second round of direct talks this month, modest achievements reached under U.S. mediation amid deep skepticism about success at their first such session in two years.		Yahoo! News: Top Stories
Hurricane Earl Nears Atlantic Coast		Thu, Sep 2 11:12 AM
Communities from North Carolina’s sandy barrier islands to the seaside towns along Cape Cod were bracing for the storm on Thursday.		NYT > Home Page
Leaders Agree to Successive Rounds of Mideast Talks		Thu, Sep 2 11:12 AM
With Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressing confidence in the talks, the Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to hold regular meetings.		NYT > Home Page
Oil sheen spreading from Gulf platform explosion (AP)		Thu, Sep 2 11:12 AM
AP - A mile-long oil sheen spread Thursday from an offshore petroleum platform burning in the Gulf of Mexico off Lousiana, west of the site of BP's massive spill.		Yahoo! News: Top Stories
1 in 7 home kitchens would flunk inspection, worse than restaurants		Thu, Sep 2 11:12 AM
A new study suggests that at least one in seven home kitchens would flunk the kind of health inspection commonly administered to restaurants ...		USATODAY.com Nation News
Earl threatens East Coast with weekend pounding (AP)		Thu, Sep 2 11:11 AM
AP - Hurricane Earl packed winds near 125 mph as it blew toward North Carolina on Thursday, putting the Eastern Seaboard all the way to Canada on alert for a Labor Day weekend pounding by waves, gales and rain.		Yahoo! News: Top Stories
Man in Letterman blackmail plot freed from NY jail (AP)		Thu, Sep 2 10:56 AM
AP - The former television producer who tried to blackmail David Letterman was freed Thursday after four months in jail for a plot that put a spotlight on the comic icon's office affairs, city Correction Department records show.		Yahoo! News: U.S. News
Can home cooking be hazardous to your health? (AP)		Thu, Sep 2 10:54 AM
AP - Could your kitchen at home pass a restaurant inspection?		Yahoo! News: Top Stories
U.S. Retailers Depended on Discounts in August		Thu, Sep 2 10:30 AM
Retail sales rose 3.3 percent, more than forecast. But the results are measured against a weak month a year ago.		NYT > Home Page
As Colleges Compete, Money Flows to Minor Sports		Thu, Sep 2 10:24 AM
The Directors’ Cup, a little-known but prized honor, has set off a competition to have the best broad-based sports program.		NYT > Home Page
Feds sue Arizona sheriff in civil rights probe (AP)		Thu, Sep 2 10:08 AM
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.		Yahoo! News: Top Stories
Gunman shot as Discovery hostages planned escape (AP)		Thu, Sep 2 09:21 AM
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.		Yahoo! News: Top Stories
Pakistan gets IMF relief, tightens security		Thu, Sep 2 09:06 AM
LAHORE, Pakistan (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: Top News
Data shows jobless claims drop, retail sales rise (AP)		Thu, Sep 2 08:53 AM
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.		Yahoo! News: Top Stories
Police kill gunman holding hostages at Discovery building		Thu, Sep 2 08:37 AM
Three hostages were freed unharmed Wednesday when police fatally shot a gunman with explosives at Discovery Channel headquarters in Maryland ...		USATODAY.com Nation News
The Peanut Solution		Thu, Sep 2 08:25 AM
An easy-to-produce paste may help cure malnourishment around the world. But who owns the recipe?		NYT > Home Page
Risks remain with Gulf well cap coming off (AP)		Thu, Sep 2 06:56 AM
AP - The cap that ended BP's three-month oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico was set to come off Thursday as a prelude to raising a massive, failed piece of equipment and preparing for a final seal on the broken seafloor well.		Yahoo! News: U.S. News
Communities to get first shot at foreclosed homes		Thu, Sep 2 06:19 AM
Major mortgage lenders will now give state and local governments the right to buy foreclosed properties before they go on the market, HUD sa ...		USATODAY.com Nation News
Hurricane Earl roars toward North Carolina		Wed, Sep 1 10:40 PM
Two days before Labor Day weekend and one day before the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Earl, many tourists were evacuating their North Carolina ...		USATODAY.com Nation News
Growth slows in health spending		Wed, Sep 1 09:54 PM
Health care spending this year has grown at its at the slowest rate in a half-century, a USA TODAY analysis of government data finds.		USATODAY.com Nation News
Building Dikes of Courage in Pakistan		Sun, Aug 29 10:36 AM
Twenty million people have been affected by the flooding in Pakistan, and with water-borne diseases on the rise and clinics wiped out by the flooding, aid workers and now-homeless Pakistanis are struggling to persevere.		Top Headlines from World Press Review
The Cost of Mental Health in Europe		Thu, Aug 26 02:51 PM
Mental health problems are tied to social and economic factors, both in cause and in treatment. By investing in mental health, in addition to the human victories, Europe can actually benefit economically.		Top Headlines from World Press Review
Yemen on the Brink		Tue, Aug 24 12:27 PM
With al Qaeada activity increasing, oil reserves running out, and poverty and disorder rampant, Yemen is in need of vast infrastructure reform across all levels of its governmental and economic institutions.		Top Headlines from World Press Review
TIME.com: Top Stories
The Discovery Gunman: TV as Enemy, and Weapon		Thu, Sep 2 01:35 AM
James Lee's rants were unified by one familiar theme: the exaggerated belief in a media institution's ability to single-handedly create, and impose solutions upon, social problems.		TIME.com: Top Stories
Why Israelis Don't Care About Peace with Palestinians		Thu, Sep 2 09:25 AM
Israelis feel prosperous, secure -- and disengaged from the peace process with the Palestinians. Is that wise?		TIME.com: Top Stories
Tony Blair in 'A Journey': On U.S. Leaders Bush, Clinton		Thu, Sep 2 09:25 AM
In an essay exclusively adapted for TIME from his new memoir, Britain's former Prime Minister reflects on the U.S. Presidents he has known and worked with -- and on their country		TIME.com: Top Stories
How Can a Democracy Solve Tough Problems?		Thu, Sep 2 02:30 AM
What if we gave people real choices and real consequences and let them make decisions?		TIME.com: Top Stories
Arizona's Anti-Immigration Firebrands: Fueled by Out-of-Staters		Thu, Sep 2 10:35 AM
Both Governor Brewer SB1070 defense fund and Sheriff Joe Arpaio's campaign are being supported by a large number of contributions from outside of Arizona		TIME.com: Top Stories
Egypt's Mubarak, Israel, and Obama		Thu, Sep 2 01:35 AM
While the Mubarak regime may be grossly repressive and anti-democratic, one thing you can say for Hosni and son is that they sing a quite reasonable tune about Israel and the peace process.		TIME.com: Top Stories
Oil Sludge Blights Beaches of Party Mecca Goa		Thu, Sep 2 01:35 AM
Black tar balls and oil sludge have surfaced this week on the famed beaches of Goa, the small Indian state so beloved by the day-glowed ravers of yesteryear		TIME.com: Top Stories
3 Unthinkable Things the Recession Has Caused		Thu, Sep 2 01:35 AM
The global economic downturn has done what government policymakers, bosses and employers, the collective health care complex, and the consumer brain could not accomplish.		TIME.com: Top Stories
Obama's Iraq Speech: Reactions from Afghanistan		Thu, Sep 2 09:25 AM
President Obama's Oval Office address indicated that the Iraq withdrawal would lead to more forces for Afghanistan. But Afghans only see an eventual withdrawal from their own troubled country		TIME.com: Top Stories
Study: Diet Drug Meridia May Boost Heart Risks		Wed, Sep 1 05:50 PM
A new study finds that some users of the weight-loss pill Meridia may have an increased risk of heart attack or stroke		TIME.com: Top Stories
The FCC's War on TV Curse Words: Misguided and Tiresome		Thu, Sep 2 10:35 AM
In this age of cable TV and the Internet, it makes no sense to obsess over what appears on a few broadcast television stations		TIME.com: Top Stories
How I Learned to Love Farmed Salmon		Thu, Sep 2 10:35 AM
Yes, high-tech aquaculture like genetically modified salmon sounds spooky, but it might just save the world		TIME.com: Top Stories
Exercise Can Counteract Obesity Genes, Says Study		Wed, Sep 1 05:50 PM
A new study finds people who are genetically predisposed to obesity may benefit most from physical activity		TIME.com: Top Stories
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