MSNBC

Another oil rig exploded and caught fire Thursday off the Louisiana coast, spreading a mile-long oil sheen in the Gulf of Mexico west of the site of BP's massive spill.



Gulf of Mexico - Oil spill - Oil platform - Environment - Energy

Israeli and Palestinian leaders opened direct peace talks under U.S. auspices on Thursday and agreed to meet every two weeks to try to forge a deal within a year.



Middle East - Israel - Palestinian people - Warfare and Conflict - Israel-Palestine

The last ferry pulled away from North Carolina's vulnerable barrier islands Thursday, while bands of rain moved in and waves kicked up to 14 feet as Hurricane Earl and its 125 mph winds spun closer.



National Hurricane Center - Tropical cyclone - Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale - Meteorology - Hurricanes

The first Army chaplain to be killed in action since Vietnam, died this week in Afghanistan, military officials said Thursday.



Afghanistan - Vietnam - Killed in action - Military - United States

Fed chief Bernanke told a panel investigating the financial crisis Thursday that regulators must be ready to shut large institutions if they threaten to bring down the financial system.

Federal Reserve System - Business - Financial crisis - Financial Services - Ben Bernanke

The Afghan president's brother — a major investor in the Kabul Bank — confirms to NBC News that funds were used to buy villas in Dubai but urges the U.S. to step in to prevent a financial panic.

Dubai - Afghanistan - United States - Kabul Bank - Asia

Montgomery County police department sources say the hostage-taker at the Discover Channel building had only starter guns that make noise but can't cause serious injury.



Hostage - Discovery Channel - NBC - Discovery - Maryland

A new study suggests that at least one in seven home kitchens would flunk the kind of health inspection commonly administered to restaurants.

United States - Inspection - Business and Economy - Real Estate - Business

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.

Hip hop - TI - Grammy Award - Tameka Cottle - Music

In an atmosphere of tension between the federal government and Arizona, the Justice Department today dialed it up some more, filing a lawsuit against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio -- accusing him, the county, and his office with failing to cooperate with a civil rights investigation of his office.



Joe Arpaio - United States Department of Justice - Lawsuit - Civil and political rights - Sheriff

It was a glass-half-full day for economic data on Thursday ... sort of.  The upbeat news was tempered by worries about what Friday's unemployment report will say about the state of the labor market.



Labour economics - Jobless claims - United States - Work - Labor Movement

The exotic acai berry has been the superstar in the world of diet supplements. But the federal government is cracking down on false advertising claims and unlawful payment practices.

Açaí Palm - Shopping - United States - Health - Food

NYT: Ho-hum Oval Office? Arianna Huffington, Ann Coulter and top designers react to the makeover unveiled this week.



New York Times - Huffington Post - Politics - Ann Coulter - People