Oct 3 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
* Student protesters in Hong Kong agreed to hold talks with the city's No. 2 government official, averting a potentially violent confrontation overnight as demonstrators surrounded the office of Hong Kong's embattled chief executive. (http://on.wsj.com/1uibazO)
* The number of people in Texas who are being screened for potential exposure to Ebola expanded on Thursday to roughly 100, as health officials cast a wide net to try to prevent the one confirmed case of the disease from sparking an outbreak. (http://on.wsj.com/1CI2PYO)
* President Barack Obama on Thursday told Hispanic lawmakers and community leaders he shares their frustration on stalled plans to reform the U.S. immigration policy, and promised to take steps to on his own to fix a "broken" system before the end of the year. (http://on.wsj.com/1x5io9U)
* Federal Reserve Bank of New York President William Dudley pushed back Thursday against allegations his institution has been a weak and deferential regulator of big financial firms. (http://on.wsj.com/1r60wpZ)
* Billionaire investor Warren Buffet on Thursday agreed to buy America's fifth-largest auto retailer and use it to launch a consolidation of the highly fragmented business. His Berkshire Hathaway Inc would acquire an about $8 billion retail business with operations from Florida to California, and use it to snap up family-owned dealerships elsewhere. (http://on.wsj.com/1rCBncB)
* The head of Pratt & Whitney's commercial aircraft engine business is leaving the company, at a time when the United Technologies Corp unit is ramping up production of its newest engine model in an escalating competition with rival General Electric Co. David Brantner is joining GKN Aerospace, according to a person familiar with the matter. (http://on.wsj.com/1rPMKwF) (Compiled by Supriya Kurane in Bangalore)