Kyle Busch's pit crew got his car running like he wanted, then got him on the track ahead of everyone else.

The volatile driver took it from there, locking up a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship that slipped away last year.

Liverpool and Arsenal relied on goals from their in-form strikers to secure 1-0 home wins over their biggest rivals on Sunday, handing Manchester United and Tottenham their first defeats of the Premier League season.

England international Daniel Sturridge flicked home a fourth-minute header from close range on his 24th birthday in Liverpool's gritty victory over United at Anfield, putting his team top of the standings on a maximum nine points.

With flying pigs and wigs, Lady Gaga debuted her "ARTPOP" songs at the iTunes Festival.

The pop star performed seven new songs, as she headlined the event at London's Roundhouse Sunday night.

Militants attacked a U.S. base in Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan on Monday, setting off bombs, torching vehicles and shutting down a key road used by NATO supply trucks, officials said. At least three people — apparently all attacking insurgents — were killed.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the strike in the Torkham area, the latest in a surge of attacks in Afghanistan as U.S.-led foreign troops reduce their presence en route to a full withdrawal by the end of next year. Militants frequently target NATO's supply lines in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

North Korea said it rescinded its invitation for a U.S. envoy to visit the country to seek the freedom of an American detainee because Washington perpetrated a "grave provocation" by allegedly mobilizing nuclear-capable bombers during recent military drills with Seoul.

The moves signal that possible informal negotiations between the two countries over detainee Kenneth Bae were not going smoothly, with Pyongyang seeking some concessions from Washington in return for releasing the man, analysts said.

Stand by for one of the nastiest and, perhaps most economically dangerous U.S. political fights in recent memory.

As the languorous Washington summer draws to a close, Congress returns to the capital next month with stark battle lines drawn on spending issues that, if left unresolved, could shove the United States into defaulting on its debt for the first time or force the government to shut down for lack of funding. Conservative Republicans threaten one or both unless Democrats and the White House surrender to right wing demands to slash spending for President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she'll press for progress on financial regulation at next week's summit of global economic powers, which comes ahead of Sept. 22 elections in which she's seeking a third term.

Merkel said in her weekly video message Saturday: "Germany will, along with other countries, exert pressure so that we do not let up in the regulation of financial markets."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has launched a review of whether it should take North Pacific humpback whales off the endangered species list.

NOAA Fisheries is responding to a petition filed by a group of Hawaii fishermen saying the whale should no longer be classified as endangered because its population has steadily grown since the international community banned commercial whaling nearly 50 years ago.

Real Madrid midfielder Kaka wants to leave the Spanish club after seeing that his role as a bench player has not changed under coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Kaka said late Thursday that he wanted to change clubs after scoring two goals in a friendly for Madrid.

Bayern Munich and France midfielder Franck Ribery won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award for the 2012-2013 season on Thursday, beating Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by a big margin.

Ribery earned 36 votes in the poll of journalists from across Europe — 23 more than four-time reigning world player of the year Messi. Real Madrid forward Ronaldo won three votes.