Newser Premium News Archive Index
Newser Stories from May, 2009

Within this archive you´ll find more than 1.5 million premium articles from our content partner, Highbeam Research, dating from as far back as 1984. These pages provide a deep news history of the last three decades along with more current related Newser articles.

Premium news related to Preggers Hudson Holds Baby Shower
Chicago Tribune | May 31, 09 7:59 PM CDT
(Newser) - A longtime friend of Jennifer Hudson confirmed rumors today that the singer is pregnant, the Chicago Tribune reports. Hudson held a baby shower yesterday at a relative's home, "a quiet gathering of friends and mostly family,” said actress/singer Felicia Fields. “They’re really trying to keep it kind of quiet.” Were gifts...

Premium news related to After Family Axes Wedding Plan, Man Cuts Off Penis
Associated Press | May 31, 09 7:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - A 25-year-old Egyptian man cut off his own penis to spite his family after he was refused permission to marry a girl from a lower class family, police reported today. After unsuccessfully petitioning his father for 2 years to marry the girl, the man heated up a knife and sliced off his reproductive organ. The young man came from a prominent family...

Premium news related to Twitter Trial to Test 'Remote Viewing'
Daily Telegraph (UK) | May 31, 09 7:06 PM CDT
(Newser) - A British psychologist plans to test the theory of "remote viewing" by asking Twitterers to identify far-off locations, the Telegraph reports. Professor Richard Wiseman, a psychic phenomena specialist, will show volunteers five photographs and ask which one a researcher has visited. If voters nail it in three of four trials, says Wiseman,...

Premium news related to Hurricanes Will Send Foreclosure Debris Flying
Associated Press | May 31, 09 6:28 PM CDT
(Newser) - It’s a perfect, er, storm: Some of America’s most hurricane-prone areas are littered with foreclosed houses likely send debris flying in a storm, the AP reports. Without caretakers to secure them, the houses will also endure greater damage and lose even more value. "A lot of these places will get destroyed,” a Florida resident...

Premium news related to Jobless Cling to Their Faith in Detroit
Detroit Free Press | May 31, 09 6:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Thousands of Detroit's jobless are coping with fear and desperation by falling back on faith, the Detroit Free Press reports. Houses of worship are increasingly fielding calls from people seeking jobs, food, and housing—but above all, congregants say, they find comfort. "When the tension comes and the pressure comes, I just ask God for...

Premium news related to Falco Brings Soul to Mean Nurse Jackie
Newsweek | May 31, 09 5:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - Former Sopranos matriarch Edie Falco is back, and this time her cable series character is closer to the actress herself—a blue-collar woman who shirks appearances and works hard, Newsweek reports. But Falco isn't quite the brassy protagonist in Showtime's Nurse Jackie , either. The Long Island native is a warm, happy mother of two adopted...

Premium news related to Last Titanic Survivor Dead at 97
BBC | May 31, 09 5:22 PM CDT
(Newser) - The last Titanic survivor has died at age 97, with no memory of the disaster but pleased by the attention it brought her, the BBC reports. Millvina Dean was 9 weeks old when the ship sank in 1912 and claimed her father's life, but spared her mother and brother. The Deans abandoned plans to move to America and returned to Southampton. "If it hadn't...

Premium news related to Docs Corral Immune System to Battle Cancer
USA Today | May 31, 09 5:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - After decades of false starts, doctors are tapping the immune system to help stave off cancer, USA Today reports. Using proteins from patients' tumors, American researchers have created a vaccine that can put off lymphoma relapses by 14 months. In one study, a cocktail of the vaccine and two other proteins fooled immune systems into attacking...

Premium news related to Hamas-Police Gunfight Kills 6
Associated Press | May 31, 09 4:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - Palestinian forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas stormed a Hamas hideout in the West Bank and set off a fierce gun battle that left six dead today, the worst violence since the factions fought a pitched battle over Gaza 2 years ago. Militants lobbed grenades and fired automatic weapons to push back the raid in a two-story building in Qalqiliya,...

Premium news related to Like Father, Like Son: Dodd Fights for Future
Newsweek | May 31, 09 4:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - For the second time in recent memory, a Senator Dodd from Connecticut is accused of corruption and faces a rocky political future, Newsweek reports. The current senator, Chris Dodd, is a 28-year veteran and former presidential candidate, but after devising an AIG loophole and appearing to make shady housing deals, he faces 54% of voters who...

Premium news related to Red Wings Give Hard-Luck Detroit Reason to Cheer
New York Times | May 31, 09 4:08 PM CDT
(Newser) - As Detroit reels from the automotive crisis, a much-needed emotional uplift is coming from a dependable source: the Red Wings, currently in the Stanley Cup finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. We “are one of the good stories that are coming out of Detroit right now,” a Red Wings VP tells the New York Times . “It’s definitely...

Premium news related to Donkeys Run Wild in Cyprus
Independent (UK) | May 31, 09 3:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Wild donkeys are overrunning northern Cyprus, upsetting locals and pitting conservationists against politicians, the Independent reports. Decades after farming technology rendered them obsolete, the donkeys—now numbering about 1,000—are destroying crops and causing traffic accidents. "The donkeys are a real problem," said...

Premium news related to Police Arrest Suspect in Murder of Abortion Doc
Wichita Eagle | May 31, 09 3:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - Police in Wichita, Kan., have arrested a 51-year-old male suspect in the murder of abortion doctor George Tiller, who was gunned down today as he walked into church, the Wichita Eagle reports. Wichita police Capt. Brent Allred did not name the suspect but did say other agencies, including the FBI, are assisting on the case. Tiller, 67, was famous...

Premium news related to 'Church Is About Forgiveness': Kissing Priest
Miami Herald | May 31, 09 2:49 PM CDT
(Newser) - His Catholic parish was scandalized when photos surfaced of the Rev. Alberto Cutié cavorting on the beach with a 35-year-old divorceé, but his new Episcopalian flock greeted his first sermon this morning with a standing ovation, reports the Miami Herald. From the altar of Miami’s Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, Cutié...

Premium news related to As Long as We Use Oil, We'll Spill Oil
Yale Environment 360 | May 31, 09 2:21 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Exxon Valdez oil spill is still wreaking havoc on Prince William Sound 20 years later, and an increased push for drilling in Alaska has conservationists and fisherman girding for a repeat, Yale Environment 360 reports. The decimation of the sound’s herring population has affected everything from seabirds to killer whales. But the legacy...

Premium news related to 'F@$%! I Wish I'd Refinanced My House'
ABC News | May 31, 09 2:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - Many homeowners are kicking themselves for not refinancing sooner now that mortgage rates are climbing, ABC News reports. “I was going to save $325 a month, and that covers all kind of things, from gas to groceries,” lamented one. “$325 is a lot of money.” And it’s money, economists say, that could have been used to boost...

Premium news related to Up Hits Box Office Heights
USA Today | May 31, 09 1:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - Pixar’s Up floated to the top of the box office this weekend with $68.2 million, USA Today reports. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian came in second with $25.5 million. Though critics loved it, Drag Me to Hell debuted to just $16.8 million, while Terminator Salvation ($16.1 million) and Star Trek ($12.8 million) rounded...

Premium news related to Cuba Open to US Talks on Migration, Mail
New York Times | May 31, 09 1:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - Cuba today said it's ready to restart talks with the US on migration and postal services, the New York Times reports. An American official confirms, meanwhile, that the island nation will also work with the United States on issues including terrorism, drugs, and disaster relief. The development marks another step toward improved relations between...

Premium news related to Clock Strikes 150 for Big Ben
Evening Standard (UK) | May 31, 09 1:13 PM CDT
(Newser) - London’s Big Ben will celebrate three 150th birthdays this year, starting with today’s anniversary of the first movement of the huge clock, the Evening Standard reports. July 11 marks the first ringing of “Big Ben,” the Great Bell that eventually gave its name to the tower, and September will see the anniversary of the first...

Premium news related to Pakistan Says It's Close to Swat Victory
BBC | May 31, 09 12:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - Pakistan’s defense secretary says the army will crush Taliban militants in the Swat Valley within days, the BBC reports. Just "5% to 10% of the job" is left, Syed Athar Ali told an Asian forum, though an army spokesman declined to give an actual timeline. Meanwhile, 40 rebels and four soldiers were killed in fighting near the Afghan...

Premium news related to Sotomayor the First Latino on Supreme Court? Not Exactly
Los Angeles Times | May 31, 09 12:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - Sonia Sotomayor is indeed the first Latino to be nominated for a Supreme Court post—if you don’t count Benjamin Cardozo, a justice serving in the 1930s who was born to parents claiming Portuguese descent. But, some ask, did that make him Latino? The answer, Antonio Olivo explains in the Los Angeles Times , depends on how people define...

Premium news related to Save the Trauma Excuses: You Failed on 9/11
Washington Post | May 31, 09 11:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - Ironically, Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice have defended their post-9/11 decisions by appealing for empathy, arguing that only those in charge on that bleak day could understand. “I have little sympathy for this argument,” Richard Clarke, who was there, retorts in a withering piece for the Washington Post , blaming them for ignoring...

Premium news related to Mexican Heroin Seeps Into Rural US
New York Times | May 31, 09 11:29 AM CDT
(Newser) - As the battle between drug cartels and law enforcement rages in Mexico, traffickers are gaining footholds in America's Heartland. Ohio saw heroin-related deaths spread into 18 new counties between 2004 and 2007, just one indication that dealers aren't limited to big cities. "It's like going to pick up beer," a former user tells the New York...

Premium news related to Nadal Falls in 4th Round
Associated Press | May 31, 09 11:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - Rafael Nadal's unbeaten run at the French Open is over. The four-time defending champion has lost to Robin Soderling of Sweden in the fourth round, ending his record 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros. Soderling, seeded 23rd at this year's tournament, ran Nadal ragged on center court with his hard serve and booming forehand.

Premium news related to Pentagon Builds Legion of 'Hacker Soldiers'
New York Times | May 31, 09 10:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - Military recruiters may still prize the strapping jock, but military contractors are wooing the scrawny computer geek to join the ranks of young "hacker soldiers" enlisted to defend the US in cyberwarfare, the New York Times reports. Most of the biggest companies, like Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, have “cyber contracts”...

Premium news related to Graham: Sotomayor Thinks She's Superior
Politico | May 31, 09 10:39 AM CDT
(Newser) - Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich have had their say, and today, the senators who will vote on Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation weighed in, Politico reports: On Fox News Sunday , Lindsey Graham demanded Sotomayor apologize for her “wise Latina” comment, saying the judge thinks she’s superior to people who haven’t...

Premium news related to GM Close to Hummer Sale That Would Save 3K US Jobs
Wall Street Journal | May 31, 09 10:14 AM CDT
(Newser) - GM has selected an unnamed investor to buy its hulking Hummer brand, in a move aimed at saving more than 3000 US jobs, sources tell the Wall Street Journal. They say the company hopes to seal the deal, rumored to be in the $200 million range, by September. An official spokesman declined to give any announcement, saying only that GM is "working...

Premium news related to What Happened to Kinder, Gentler Tom Hanks?
Los Angeles Times | May 31, 09 9:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - Where has Tom Hanks gone? Sure, he's still around on the big screen, currently breaking the bank with Angels & Demons, but what happened to the Tom Hanks that is "our Jimmy Stewart, a heartland guy, good people," wonders Betsey Sharkey in the Los Angeles Times . The "hero and stand-up guy" of movies like Big and Forrest...

Premium news related to Coleman-Franken Fight Heads to Minn.'s Top Court
The Hill | May 31, 09 9:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Norm Coleman and Al Franken take their protracted election battle to Minnesota's Supreme Court tomorrow, reports the Hill, in what could be its final stage. Lawyers on both sides have spent some 6 weeks readying their arguments—including Coleman, himself a lawyer. Franken, meanwhile, holding to a slim ballot advantage, has instead played the...

Premium news related to GM Bondholders OK Debt-for-Equity Plan in Vote
Wall Street Journal | May 31, 09 9:08 AM CDT
(Newser) - GM bondholders voted yesterday to forgive $27 million in debt for equity in the restructured automaker, the Wall Street Journal reports. The move opens the door for a bankruptcy filing tomorrow morning, the New York Times notes. The Treasury Department was in charge of deciding whether enough bondholders backed the offer; “more than 50% agreed,”...

Premium news related to Brit Tycoon Murder Suspect Tried to Flee by Sea
Times (UK) | May 31, 09 8:47 AM CDT
(Newser) - A British millionaire sought in the murder of his Polish girlfriend in a tony Paris hotel tried to buy a cabin cruiser to flee, reports Times of London. Ian Griffin visited a British marina earlier this week after his girlfriend was found beaten to death and tried buy a vessel—but left because the process was taking too long. A friend has warned...

Premium news related to Common Tie for Women of Supreme Court? Nancy Drew
New York Times | May 31, 09 8:19 AM CDT
(Newser) - The women of the Supreme Court—Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and now likely Sonia Sotomayor—may come from wildly different backgrounds, but they all shared a common childhood pastime: curling up with a Nancy Drew novel. What was it about that wholesome teenage detective? wonders Mary Jo Murphy in the New York Times. ...

Premium news related to Chavez Cuts TV Debate After Row With Writer
BBC | May 31, 09 7:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez cancelled an edition of his TV show after a confrontation with famous Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, reports the BBC. Chavez had challenged Vargas Llosa to hold a televised debate with pro-Chavez academics. In a volley of insults, Vargas Llosa responded that he would only debate Chavez directly. The Chavez program,...

Premium news related to Hitler Sells Again in Germany
Los Angeles Times | May 31, 09 7:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Broadway hit musical comedy The Producers finally opened in Berlin to boffo box office receipts—but not before in intense sales push to break through German reluctance to see an ersatz Hitler hamming it up on stage, reports the Los Angeles Times . "If you put it on most places, then it's a jolly musical about friendship and trust,"...

Premium news related to Under Fire, USC Drops Ball in Sports Perks Probe
Los Angeles Times | May 31, 09 6:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - Years after footballer Reggie Bush was accused of accepting gifts from marketers while at USC, the university is still doing almost nothing to investigate the matter, despite the spread of allegations to a top basketball player and coach, the Los Angeles Times reports. Though the NCAA has expanded its own probe—with potentially dire consequences...

Premium news related to Hendrix 'Murdered by Manager'
Daily Mail (UK) | May 31, 09 6:11 AM CDT
(Newser) - Jimi Hendrix's manager murdered the legendary rocker to cash in on a $2 million life insurance policy, an aide reveals in a new book. Hendrix was "worth more dead to him than alive," according to roadie James Wright. Wright said manager Michael Jeffrey confessed to him that he filled the musician's mouth with sedatives and wine because Hendrix...

Premium news related to Bomb Defused on Iranian Airliner
BBC | May 31, 09 5:38 AM CDT
(Newser) - A home-made bomb found aboard an Iranian airliner was defused after an emergency landing, reports the BBC. Plainclothes security guards discovered the bomb in a bathroom of the plane shortly after take-off from Ahvaz, an oil-rich area along the Iraq border marked by unrest among minorities. The incident signals rising tension as presidential elections...

Premium news related to Brazen Paris Gunman Grabs $8M in Gems
BBC | May 31, 09 5:17 AM CDT
(Newser) - A lone gunman boldly stepped into a plush Chopard store in Paris and walked out with $8 million in gems yesterday, reports the BBC. The thief, dressed in a suit and fedora, forced the staff to hand over 15 pieces of jewelry, then calmly exited into the aftyernoon sun.  Late last year armed robbers stole $102 million in jewels from a shop off the...

Premium news related to JD Salinger Moves to Block 'Sequel' to Catcher In Rye
Daily Telegraph (UK) | May 31, 09 4:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - Lawyers for the famously reclusive author JD Salinger are considering legal action to block an unauthorized sequel to his classic The Catcher in the Rye, reports the Telegraph. The new novel, by a Swedish-American named John David California, is titled 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye.  It follows the Holden Caulfield-esque wanderings...

Premium news related to World's Most Luxe Pools
Woman's Day | May 31, 09 4:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - On the lookout for a unique summer vacation experience? Woman’s Day recommends eight stunning pools in some of the world’s most beautiful locations: The hanging pool atop the Joule hotel in Dallas projects 8 feet over the edge of the building. The Homestead Crater at Homestead Resort in Utah is a 55-foot-high dome filled...

Premium news related to Orlando Dumps LeBron, Cavs to Reach Finals
Orlando Sentinel | May 30, 09 10:49 PM CDT
(Newser) - There will be no LeBron-Kobe matchup in this year's NBA Finals. The Orlando Magic took care of that tonight with a 103-90 thumping of LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6, reports the Orlando Sentinel . Dwight Howard had 40 points for Orlando, which will take on Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the finals. The Magic—which swept LA in...

Premium news related to US Reforms Bring Partying Expats Back to Cuba
Guardian (UK) | May 30, 09 7:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - Taking advantage of loosened US rules, Cuban-Americans are flocking back to Havana and sparking a mini economic boom, the Guardian reports. Expatriates are bringing everything from Victoria's Secret bras to M&Ms to toothbrushes—and, of course, American dollars—for their Cuban families. "Capitalism à la carte," said...

Premium news related to Obamas Dine Out, Do Broadway in NYC
Associated Press | May 30, 09 7:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - President Barack Obama made good on a campaign promise to his most important supporter tonight—his wife, Michelle. The president and first lady jetted for a date in New York late this afternoon, aides and media in tow. "I am taking my wife to New York City because I promised her during the campaign that I would take her to a Broadway show...

Premium news related to Saudi Arabia Displays Beheaded Convict
CNN | May 30, 09 6:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - Saudi Arabian authorities decapitated and publicly displayed a convicted killer last night, drawing fire from Amnesty International, CNN reports. A state press agency said Ahmed Al-Shamlani Al-Anzi was sentenced for murdering an 11-year-old boy and his father. The Saudis likely sewed Al-Anzi's head back on before his display, or "crucifixion,"...

Premium news related to Microsoft's Bing: Life-Saver, or Big Brother?
PC World | May 30, 09 6:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - Reviewers say Microsoft's new Bing search engine—still not officially released—is great for shopping and answering tricky questions. It's also Big Brother in disguise: "There's much to like," writes Mike Elgan in PC World , except Bing's top search matches—chosen by Microsoft, not popularity rankings. "It's...

Premium news related to 8 Funky Boozing Trends
Esquire | May 30, 09 5:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - If you’re going to consume conspicuously, you may as well imbibe in style. Esquire distills eight drinking trends coming to a bar near you: The Enomatic, a high-end wine vending machine. This auto-sommelier pours a perfect glass every time, leading some bars to cut out the middleman (in this case, the bartender) and let you help yourself....

Premium news related to Berlusconi Blocks Release of Topless Photos
BBC | May 30, 09 5:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - Silvio Berlusconi can rest easy: Racy photos allegedly showing young, bikini-clad and topless women frolicking at his villa will be sealed, BBC reports. The Italian prime minister said the 700 images, furtively snapped by a photographer on the island of Sardinia, violated his guests’ privacy. Meanwhile pressure is mounting on Berlusconi to explain...

Premium news related to Boyle Loses Britain's Got Talent
News of the World (UK) | May 30, 09 4:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - Susan Boyle lost her bid today to win Britain’s Got Talent , reports News of the World . The Scottish songbird, performing the same song from Les Miserables that brought her international fame, finished second behind a young dance troupe, which won about $161,000 and an audience with Queen Elizabeth. “Lads, I wish you all the best,”...

Premium news related to Pols Pushed U. of Illinois Into Taking Students
Chicago Tribune | May 30, 09 4:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - Prominent state lawmakers have been pressuring administrators at the University of Illinois to accept favored applicants or risk facing their wrath, the Chicago Tribune reports. Analyzing 1,800 documents, the paper found that subpar applicants on a “clout list” gained admission over the objections of admissions officers after school lobbyists...

Premium news related to Celebs Watch Prince Harry Play in NYC
Associated Press | May 30, 09 4:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Prince Harry reminded New Yorkers today how much his mother had loved their city, then climbed onto a pony for a rousing game of polo to raise money for impoverished children in Africa. The 24-year-old prince drew a crowd that included stars like Madonna, actresses Kate Hudson and Chloe Sevigny, and rapper LL Cool J, but also lots of ordinary New Yorkers...

Premium news related to You Broke Promises, Obama: Now Quit
Springfield Journal-Register | May 30, 09 3:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - That jarring thud you just heard was Obamania crashing back to earth. For reneging on promises and making "Bill Clinton look like a paragon of integrity," President Obama must quit his post, Ted Rall writes in the Springfield Journal-Register . “Obama is useless. Worse than that, he’s dangerous,” Rall writes, eviscerating...

Premium news related to Octu-Mom Inks Reality TV Deal
US Magazine | May 30, 09 3:26 PM CDT
(Newser) - Nadya Suleman has just signed a deal to bring her brood of 14 children to television, Us Magazine reports. The “quasi-reality TV series” will periodically follow the family during big events, like the octuplets’ first birthday, said Suleman attorney Jeff Czech, who would not reveal the size of Octu-mom's paycheck.

Premium news related to Defense Giants Stalk Cyberwar Contracts
New York Times | May 30, 09 3:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Major defense contractors are already staffed with "hacker soldiers" who can help them earn billions of dollars in Washington's new cyberwar, the New York Times reports. Cranking rock tunes and piling up pop cans, engineers hack away at companies like Raytheon, working for the Pentagon or protecting internal documents. Now, with President...

Premium news related to What Charges? Brown Focused On 'Masterpiece'
People | May 30, 09 2:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - A Chris Brown collaborator says the disgraced singer is focused on music despite facing felony assault charges, People reports. “He's predicting this will be his biggest album,” said songwriter Robert Allen of Brown’s upcoming effort, Graffiti . “He wants this to be his masterpiece.”

Premium news related to 'Mancow': Waterboarding 'Absolutely Real'
Chicago Tribune | May 30, 09 2:19 PM CDT
(Newser) - Erich “Mancow” Muller is outraged by the Gawker report that he faked his own waterboarding, the Chicago Tribune reports. The right-wing shock jock defended himself last night on MSNBC's Countdown: “It’s like saying that Mike Tyson’s daughter didn’t really hang herself,” he said. He theorized that “dark...

Premium news related to NBC Gives NHL Little Love
Michigan Live | May 30, 09 1:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - NBC is putting the NHL in the penalty box. Unwilling to sacrifice its weeknight programming, particularly Conan’s Tonight Show debut, the network has dictated that games 1 and 2 will be tonight and tomorrow, the first time games have been back-to-back since 1954. Then, it’ll kick games 3 and 4 over to little-watched Versus on cable. The...

Premium news related to Gen. Disputes Story, Says He Hasn't Seen Photos
Salon | May 30, 09 1:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - Retired Army Gen. Antonio Taguba has seen photos of rape at Abu Ghraib, but they aren’t the ones the Obama administration is trying to keep from the public. “The photographs in that lawsuit, I have not seen,” he told Salon. The general says he was not misquoted in the Telegraph , but that when he described “torture, abuse,...

Premium news related to Former Iraqi Trade Minister Arrested on Graft Charges
BBC | May 30, 09 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Iraq’s erstwhile trade minister has been arrested on charges of corruption, the BBC reports. Abdul Falah Sudani resigned his post earlier this month after allegations emerged that he and other officials in his department were embezzling government funds. The dramatic capture today occurred after police requested Sudani’s flight to Dubai...

Premium news related to We Fell Out of Love With Cars
Wall Street Journal | May 30, 09 12:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - Plenty of economists are trying to define what killed Detroit, but they’re looking in all the wrong places. “Fire the MBAs and hire a poet,” writes PJ O’Rourke in the Wall Street Journal. This isn’t a story of unions or financial crisis. “It’s a tragic romance—unleashed passions, lost love and wild...

Premium news related to Ozzy Sues Bandmate Over Sabbath Name
Rolling Stone | May 30, 09 12:18 PM CDT
(Newser) - Trouble in heavy metal land. Ozzy Osbourne is suing Black Sabbath bandmate Tommy Iommi over rights to the band's name—and its lucrative merchandise, reports Rolling Stone . Ozzy says Iommi illegally took ownership of the name when he toured in the 1990s without the original band members. The prince of darkness maintains that the Sabbath reunion...

Premium news related to Woodward Working on Obama Book
New Republic | May 30, 09 11:59 AM CDT
(Newser) - It's almost a political rite of passage at this point: Bob Woodward is writing a book about the Obama administration, reports Gabriel Sherman in the New Republic . No word on the focus, but Sherman notes that Woodward has a knack for making administrations nervous. “Every White House is wary of Woodward,” a veteran reporter tells him....

Premium news related to Kennedy Raising Voice Again on Health Care
Politico | May 30, 09 11:37 AM CDT
(Newser) - Ted Kennedy is back, and ready to make the more liberal argument for health care, Politico reports. The ailing senator had been working on the issue behind the scenes as he battled brain cancer, but yesterday his committee began circulating a 12-page “policy overview” on a potential bill. The day before, he wrote an op-ed in the Boston...

Premium news related to Sexist? Racist? Chill Out, GOP Pundits
Washington Post | May 30, 09 11:21 AM CDT
(Newser) - The conservative chattering class needs to chill out about Sonia Sotomayor, writes Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post . Bloggers are frothing with rage over Sotomayor’s infamous comment that a Latina woman might make better decisions than a white man. “Could a white man get away with saying something comparable about a Latina? Of course...

Premium news related to Summer Book Suggestions
Wall Street Journal | May 30, 09 10:42 AM CDT
(Newser) - It’s almost summer, and that means it’s time to forget about the economy, grab a book, and head to the beach. The Wall Street Journal has some suggestions: The Secret Speech , by Tom Rob Smith: Nothing says “escapism” like this novel—set in the paranoid nightmare of Soviet Russia. The Bourne Deception...

Premium news related to Shriveled Sports Scene Irks Some Ivy Alums
Wall Street Journal | May 30, 09 10:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Ivy League has a reputation for excellence in all things, but the consignment of its sports programs—particularly the more visible ones like football and basketball—to college athletics’ second tier has alumni clamoring for change, the Wall Street Journal reports. Academic standards limit the pool of top student-athletes for...

Premium news related to Suu Kyi Forgives American for Intrusion
Associated Press | May 30, 09 10:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - Aung San Suu Kyi feels no ill will toward the American who infiltrated her home in an act that could land her another 5 years of prison, the AP reports. “Suu Kyi said she bore no grudge against (John) Yettaw or his family,” her lawyer said after a meeting today. Meanwhile, Myanmar officials said Suu Kyi is “provided with adequate...

Premium news related to McAuliffe Denies DNC Offered Money to Nader
Blue Virginia | May 30, 09 10:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - Ralph Nader's claim that then-DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe offered him cash to stay out of key state races in 2004 is far from the truth, McAuliffe campaign strategist Mo Elleithee tells the Blue Virginia blog. McAuliffe did speak to Nader—who Elleithee claims was being funded by the GOP—to try to convince him not to run, or at least not...

Premium news related to Pakistan Retakes Key Swat City
Reuters | May 30, 09 9:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - Pakistan's military has regained control of the main town in the Swat Valley, raising hopes that at least some of the 2 million refugees from the region may be able to return home, reports Reuters. Battles on the outskirts remain, but the military said today it has ousted the Taliban from the central part of the city after a week of intense fighting....

Premium news related to Bush Says Clinton Is Like a Brother to Him
New York Times | May 30, 09 9:43 AM CDT
(Newser) - The audience probably expected a throw-down. What they got was a sewing circle. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush sat down for a friendly chat yesterday in Toronto, emphasis on the friendly. The ex-presidents went out of their way to be agreeable, at times almost seeming like a support group, the New York Times reports. Bush even said that his mother...

Premium news related to EU Going After Microsoft, Again
Wall Street Journal | May 30, 09 8:47 AM CDT
(Newser) - European Union regulators are taking yet another shot at Microsoft, and this time they’re hoping to do more than fine the software giant, the Wall Street Journal reports. Their latest strategy: forcing Microsoft to bundle alternative web browsers with Windows, thereby diluting Internet Explorer’s inherent advantage. They may also demand...