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Earl threatens East Coast with weekend pounding (AP)
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Holidaymakers stand on the balcony of a rented beach house in Avon, North Carolina. Hurricane Earl has closed in on a large part of the US east coast, as tens of thousands of people flee North Carolina's barrier islands to avoid dangerous winds and surf.(AFP/Getty Images/Mark Wilson)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.


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


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Israel, Palestinians agree to 2nd round of talks (AP)
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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 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.


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Oil sheen spreading from Gulf platform explosion (AP)
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Map locates site of new oil rig explosionAP - 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.


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