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Newser Story Index from October, 2007

Welcome to the Newser Story Index. Here you find stories written by Newser writers and editors, assembled with supporting photos and videos from the files of the news story.

Bills Planning to Shuffle off to...Toronto?
Globe and Mail | Oct 19, 2007 12:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Bills have announced that they intend to play pre-season games and at least one regular-season match in nearby Toronto as early as 2009. The move, intended to capture more of the Toronto market, may presage an eventual move, which the team denies. Buffalo has yet to secure approval from the NFL and local and county officials.
Google Search Finds $1B Profit
Wall Street Journal | Oct 19, 2007 12:42 AM CDT
(Newser) - Google's search for profit growth produced a 57% jump in revenue and a 46% increase in profits to $1B in the third quarter. The Wall Street Journal reports the boost in net income came from its core search-advertising business, as well as its brokering of ads that appear on partner Web sites. Shares have risen 39% so far this year.
Game Over! Halo 3 Zaps Wii
MarketWatch | Oct 19, 2007 12:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - The launch of Halo 3 helped XBox 360 sales to zoom beyond Nintendo Wii, making the Microsoft system the hottest selling console in September. MarketWatch reports the extraordinary popularity of Halo 3 also helped push video game software sales up 64% over the same period last year. Game consoles were up 188% - way beyond expectations.
Vatican's Fast Action on Gay Priest Could Herald Change
Newsweek | Oct 19, 2007 12:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - An incident in which a Vatican official was caught on video making advances in his office to a younger man has raised questions about homosexuality in the hierarchy. The immediate suspension of the official also has some convinced that the Holy See has turned a corner in cracking down on priests, reports Newsweek. The video, shown on Italian TV this...
Mukasey Silent on Torture, Vocal on Spying
New York Times | Oct 18, 2007 8:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - Michael Mukasey remained mum today on whether interrogation methods such as waterboarding constitute torture. But the president’s nominee for attorney general spoke out in favor of the White House’s eavesdropping program, the NY Times reports, frustrating and confusing Democrats on the second day of his confirmation hearings. Mukasey...
DNA Scientist Apologizes for Racial Uproar
Associated Press | Oct 18, 2007 7:50 PM CDT
(Newser) - DNA pioneer James Watson apologized today for comments in which he implied that white people were smarter than black people, the AP reported. "I am mortified about what has happened," said Watson, who helped discover the structure of DNA but whose recent words brought international condemnation and scorn. "I cannot understand how I could...
Can Bhutto's Alliance Succeed?
Christian Science Monitor | Oct 18, 2007 6:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - The murderous blasts that rocked Benazir Bhutto's homecoming rally in Karachi today underscored the uncertainty of a successful return for the deposed Pakistani leader, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The Supreme Court offers dual threats: It could nullify Bhutto's amnesty on old corruption charges or void Pervez Musharraf's recent presidential...
India Tech Consultants Snag Giant Deal
BusinessWeek | Oct 18, 2007 6:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - Tata Consultancy Service has won a $1.2 billion contract with Neilsen, marking a historical record for an Indian company. TCS will provide the Dutch media powerhouse  with 10 years of infrastructure and financial management, BusinessWeek reports. The deal puts the company on the global finance map, able to compete with outsourcing bigshots like...
UK Intelligence Courts Gamers
Associated Press | Oct 18, 2007 6:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - British Intelligence is hoping to court a new generation of tech-savvy recruits by inserting employment ads into games such as "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell," the AP reports. Billboards in the game and others participating in the campaign will read "Careers in British Intelligence," with a web address for more info.
BBC Cuts 1,800 Jobs, Updates for Digital Age
Reuters | Oct 18, 2007 5:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - The BBC will cut 1,800 of its 18,000 jobs and integrate its TV, radio and Internet news operations to adapt to the digital age, the public broadcaster announced today. As many as 2,500 positions may be lost, but others will be added, the BBC said, to reflect shifting audience habits. The Beeb will also pare by 10% its original television programming,...
Last Rat Packer Joey Bishop Dies
CNN | Oct 18, 2007 5:27 PM CDT
(Newser) - A comedian, actor, talk show host, and last living member of the Rat Pack, Joey Bishop died last night of multiple causes at age 89, CNN reports. Though many critics minimized Bishop's role, Sinatra termed him "the Hub of the Big Wheel." Bishop hosted Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show," acted in Pack originals Ocean's Eleven and ...
Diana Jury Watches Dodi Buying 'Engagement Ring'
Reuters | Oct 18, 2007 5:13 PM CDT
(Newser) - The jury hearing inquiries into the 1997 death of Princess Diana saw footage today of the princess' lover at a Paris jewelers hours before the couple died in a car accident. Dodi Fayed's father claims his son was purchasing an engagement ring to propose to Diana that night. The jury was also shown a $23,500 receipt from that same date.
Europe Likely to Get Cell Phones on Flights
CNET | Oct 18, 2007 5:01 PM CDT
(Newser) - European regulator Ofcom has proposed allowing cellphones in airplanes in EU airspace, making it more likely that Europeans will soon be able to chat in the air. Under the proposal, a mobile base station could be installed on planes, and the signal would be routed by satellite. The FAA ruled that it would not allow cell phones on American flights in...
Torre Done, Turns Down Yanks
New York Post | Oct 18, 2007 3:58 PM CDT
(Newser) - In a stunning move, Joe Torre ended his 12-year tenure today as New York Yankees manager—which included four World Series titles—by turning down a new contract that would have cut his salary to $5 million from the $7 million he made in 2007. The one-year offer for 2008 would have included as much as $3 million in playoff incentives.
In Public Chat, Putin Dodges Big Question
Christian Science Monitor | Oct 18, 2007 3:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - Vladimir Putin held his sixth and final “dialogue” with the Russian people today, but the departing president revealed few clues about how he might maintain power after leaving office. The 3-hour YouTube-debate-style discussion saw Putin respond—from scripted text, some said—to ordinary citizens, but he didn't elaborate on his...
Dollar, Oil Woes Weigh on Market
Wall Street Journal | Oct 18, 2007 3:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - Stocks mostly finished where they began today, despite the dollar hitting a record low against the euro and continued record-busting oil prices ($89.45 a barrel). Weak Bank of America profit figures started off the day badly, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow was down 3.58 to 13888.96, the Nasdaq up 6.64 to 2799.31, and the S&P down 1.16...
Plame Tell-All Blasts the White House
Associated Press | Oct 18, 2007 3:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - Famously outed spy Valerie Plame hits back at the Bush administration in Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, the AP reports. The book blasts the administration's "arrogance and intolerance," and calls the smear campaign against her husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, a dress rehearsal for Karl Rove's swiftboating...
Bombs Aimed at Bhutto Kill 130
BBC | Oct 18, 2007 3:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - Two car bombs exploded in a crowd of supporters gathered to greet Benazir Bhutto as her convoy made its way through the streets of Karachi today, killing at least 130 people and wounding 150. The ex-PM was reported safe though one of the bombs exploded near the truck she was riding in. Several militant Islamist groups made threats on Bhutto's life...
Taiwan Leader Pans Chinese Peace Proposal
New York Times | Oct 18, 2007 3:28 PM CDT
(Newser) - Taiwan's Chen Shui-bian panned a Chinese peace overture, criticizing the adherence to what he calls "the framework of the 'one China' principle." "I think this would mean, for the 23 million people of Taiwan, a treaty of surrender," said the president, referring to China's refusal to negotiate without considering Taiwan a component...
Brit's Visitation Rights Revoked
Reuters | Oct 18, 2007 3:24 PM CDT
(Newser) - A court re-suspended Britney Spears' visitation rights yesterday, the latest in an ongoing tug-of-war between the fallen pop star and ex-hubby Kevin Federline over their two sons. The court recently granted Spears a weekly chaperoned overnight visit, but rescinded it until she complies with outstanding court orders, including one to get coaching on...
Don't Buy Latest Dot-Com Hype, Mag Warns
Economist | Oct 18, 2007 3:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - While Facebook and other online social networks are growing like digital weeds in Silicon Valley, their popularity may be more a product of hyperbole than actual developmental potential, the Economist argues. But major internet speculators Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft don't seem to care, as each bids billions to buy Facebook, whose 2007 revenue may...
Hi-Res Pic of 'Mona Lisa' Raises Some Eyebrows
CNN | Oct 18, 2007 3:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" has eyebrows and eyelashes, according to one French inventor, answering a long-standing question about the haunting image painted some 500 years ago. Pascal Cotte said he made the discovery using a camera that yielded a 150,000-dots-per-inch photograph, CNN reports, magnifying her face 24 times to reveal a...
Porn Seeps Into Workplace Via Laptops and Phones
USA Today | Oct 18, 2007 2:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - It's been a decade since the advent of online pornography started driving down productivity in offices, but new portable technologies have made it easier than ever to beat firewalls and check out naughty pictures on the job. USA Today writes that while 65% of American companies use porn-blocking software, it's still coming into the workplace—on...
Kids' Health Veto Override Fails
CNN | Oct 18, 2007 2:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - A House vote today failed to override President Bush's veto of a bill that could have provided health insurance to 10 million children. The measure fell 13 votes short of the needed two-thirds majority, with 273 voting for the bill, including 44 Republicans. Democratics say the fight isn't over. "There will be no compromise on 10 million children's...
Wal-Mart Cuts Prices to Boost Holiday Sales
Reuters | Oct 18, 2007 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Wal-Mart is slashing prices on 15,000 more items this week in an effort to capture sales during the holiday shopping season, Reuters reported today. The nation's largest retailer reduced prices two weeks ago on popular toys, and has now discounted 20% more items than in the previous holiday season. New discounts go beyond the toy department to home...
Anti-Corruption Fight Takes Root in Rural China
Christian Science Monitor | Oct 18, 2007 1:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - Citizens of a southern Chinese town have been occupying the village hall since the beginning of July, seeking recompense for their leaders’ alleged theft of public money. The authoritarian central government hasn't taken action against Xiantang’s activists, who are mostly elderly, the Christian Science Monitor reports; the protest is...
Whoops! Uncle Sam Doesn't Want You
USA Today | Oct 18, 2007 1:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - The US Army, Navy and Air Force were surprised Tuesday to learn they'd been advertising thousands of jobs on GLEE.com, a gay networking website included in job-listing giant Monster.com's "diversity and inclusion" package. The website is at odds with the military's exclusionary "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which bars openly homosexual...
Athletes Urged to Tackle China
New Republic | Oct 18, 2007 1:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - US athletes have a moral imperative to take a stand at the Beijing Olympics, the New Republic ’s editors assert: The American delegation should follow Lee Bollinger’s example of “spectacular rudeness” next summer, condemning the Chinese for their brutal human rights record. It’s unethical to be hosted by a country that...
Call Centers Go From Booming to Begging
Time | Oct 18, 2007 1:04 PM CDT
(Newser) - India's call centers are the classic symbol of how outsourcing has helped the world's second-largest country to boom, but Time reports that the sector is suffering as India grows richer and better educated. College graduates who several years ago aspired to work in a call center now say that the bleary-eyed profession isn't worth the trouble.
Parents Leaning on Religion to Dodge Vaccines for Children
Associated Press | Oct 18, 2007 12:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - Parents are turning to state laws allowing religious exemptions to keep their children from being vaccinated, the Associated Press reports. Such shots are often required for children to attend preschool; though sects such as the Christian Scientists have real religious objections to medicine, some parents distrustful of the science behind vaccines...
Bundling Hits Its Stride
Wall Street Journal | Oct 18, 2007 12:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - Bundlers have become the stars of 2008 campaign fundraising, the accounting for one-quarter of all money raised in the presidential race—up from 8% in 2000. Donors sought new inroads when soft money was restricted, and the gathering of donations has become “the chief source of abuse,” says Wall Street Journal 's look at bundling’s...
Viacom Puts Daily Show Online
Los Angeles Times | Oct 18, 2007 12:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - Taking a page from YouTube's playbook, Viacom is putting every minute, ever, of "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" online, the Los Angeles Times reports. The parent of Comedy Central has long been stung by the unauthorized appearance of clips on YouTube; the massive archive is Viacom's attempt—sure to be watched by other media outfits—to...
Supreme Court Halts Another Lethal Injection
Washington Post | Oct 18, 2007 12:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Supreme Court issued a stay of execution yesterday for Christopher Scott Emmett, four hours before the Virginia inmate was scheduled to die. Observers say the move signals a de facto moratorium on executions, as the court considers the legality of lethal injection. One expert called it “the most profound hiatus in the death penalty in at...
Net to House World's Top Library
Washington Post | Oct 18, 2007 11:56 AM CDT
(Newser) - If the World Digital Library works out as planned, it’ll make Alexandria look like a Buck-a-Book. The UN project hopes to collect primary sources from around the world in every medium, digitize them, and offer them online, free, in seven languages. “What they are doing is building an intellectual cathedral, and it may never get finished,”...
Tests Confirm: Airport Security Isn't Working
USA Today | Oct 18, 2007 11:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - You might have hoped interminable lines and indignities of shoe removal might have contributed to safer airplanes, but a study by the Transportation Security Administration shows screeners missing fake bombs at an alarming rate. USA Today obtained a copy of the classified report, whose rate of failure stunned officials: at LAX, about 75% of the dummy...
Sony Cuts PS3 Price For Xmas
Wall Street Journal | Oct 18, 2007 11:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - Sony has slashed the price of PlayStation 3 by $100 in advance of holiday shopping; the cheapest console will now be a 40-gigabyte model for $399—down from $499 for a 60-gigger. PlayStation is the priciest of its rivals, and sales have lagged: Compared with 404,000 Nintendo Wiis and 277,000 Xbox 360s, only 131,000 PS3s sold in August, the Journal...
Top NYC Gallery Shuttered As Lawsuits Mount
Artnet | Oct 18, 2007 11:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - Visitors arrived yesterday at New York's Salander-O'Reilly Gallery for a Caravaggio exhibition only to discover the gallery shuttered and the exhibition postponed. In fact, it might never open: Guards were seen carting off dozens of paintings from the gallery's Upper East Side townhouse. Its owner is facing no fewer than 20 lawsuits, alleging everything...
Actress Deborah Kerr Dead at 86
Telegraph (UK) | Oct 18, 2007 11:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - British actress Deborah Kerr has died at age 86, the Telegraph reports. Kerr was a six-time Oscar nominee who is probably best remembered for her beach embrace with Burt Lancaster in 1953's "From Here to Eternity," and her starring role in "The King and I." The Telegraph writes Kerr held audiences spellbound with intense sensuality...
Maine Middle School Offers Preteens the Pill
Associated Press | Oct 18, 2007 10:56 AM CDT
(Newser) - A Portland, Maine, middle school stirred controversy last night when its board voted 5-2 to make birth control pills and patches available for its pupils, typically between 11 and 13 years old. The move was prompted by the school nurse's claim that five of 134 students treated by the health center last year were sexually active, the AP reports. Opponents...
Brownback to Quit GOP Race
Associated Press | Oct 18, 2007 10:43 AM CDT
(Newser) - Sam Brownback will withdraw from the GOP primaries as early as tomorrow, sources tell the AP. The conservative senator’s fundraising abilities apparently didn't keep pace with his presidential ambitions; his campaign reported raising only $800,000 in the third quarter. “I know Senator Brownback enjoyed campaigning and meeting new people...
Guns Were OJ's Idea, Says Crony
Associated Press | Oct 18, 2007 10:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - Bringing guns to to a confrontation with sports memorabilia dealers was OJ Simpson's idea, says a codefendant in the armed-robbery case who has agreed to testify against his former pal. "OJ said, 'Hey, just bring some firearms,' " Walter Alexander told police in a taped statement acquired by the AP. The weapons would just be for show, Alexander...
Hastert Likely to Step Down Early
Chicago Tribune | Oct 18, 2007 10:17 AM CDT
(Newser) - Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert may leave office before his term expires in 2008, according to subscription-only RollCall.com. Hastert—who has already announced that he won't seek reelection—is reportedly telling colleagues that he'll leave office later this year, and sources say an official announcement is likely "soon."...
Pope's New Cardinals: Still Old & European
Time | Oct 18, 2007 9:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI has named a new batch of cardinals, generally preserving the "princes of the church" posts for aging Europeans, reports Time magazine. There is, however, a new cardinal in Baghdad. And in recognition of the southward and Spanish-language shift of Catholicism in the United States, the pope has made the archbishop of Galveston-Houston...
Disney Park Launches $1B Redo
Los Angeles Times | Oct 18, 2007 9:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - Disney is launching a $1.1 billion overhaul of its California Adventure theme park in a bid to boost smaller-than-predicted earnings and make the park more like big brother Disneyland. The Anaheim park, opened in 2001, drew 6 million visitors last year—a million less than predicted and far fewer than the 15 million who hit Disneyland.
OJ, Warwick on IRS Naughty List
Los Angeles Times | Oct 18, 2007 9:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - The California Franchise Tax Board has published a list of 224 of the worst tax dodgers in hopes that public humiliation will succeed where strongly worded warning letters have failed in collecting big tax debts. The list includes OJ Simpson, with a debt of $1.4 million, and singer Dionne Warwick ($2.7 million), reports the Los Angeles Times.
Bank of America Takes 32% Third-Quarter Dive
Wall Street Journal | Oct 18, 2007 8:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - Bank of America today reported a whopping 32% drop in third-quarter net income, thanks to steep trading losses, write-downs to cover loan defaults, and larger set-asides to cover credit losses. Unlike many competitors, the nation's second-largest bank hadn’t issued loss guidance.
China Livid at Dalai Lama Award
Reuters | Oct 18, 2007 8:10 AM CDT
(Newser) - China called the US ambassador on the carpet today, saying that the US had "gravely undermined relations" when President Bush yesterday presented the Dalai Lama with the Congressional Gold Medal. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman told Reuters that DC is "very aware of what steps it can take" to correct the rift and accused the...
Pfizer Down 77% on Loss of Exubera
Wall Street Journal | Oct 18, 2007 7:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - The world's largest drug maker took a 77% hit in third-quarter net income after dropping Exubera, its inhaled insulin product. Competition from generic drugs also pulled down sales, Pfizer announced this morning, as the company lowered its 2007 net-income forecast.
Sarkozy, Wife Confirm Split
Associated Press | Oct 18, 2007 7:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy's office confirmed that he and his indomitable wife Cecilia are separating even as transit strikers railing against his economic reforms have idled France—handing the bombastic French president a bad day, indeed. The 1-2 punch ends months of speculation about the collapse of the 11-year marriage, and provides Sarkozy the biggest...
Nokia Profits Soar 85% on Popular New Models
Bloomberg | Oct 18, 2007 7:19 AM CDT
(Newser) - The world's biggest maker of mobile phones announced an 85% increase in third-quarter profits today, topping analysts' estimates on the strength of popular new models. Nokia Oyj increased its already dominant market share to 39%, from 36% last year, giving the Finnish company more of the pie than its three biggest competitors—Motorola, Samsung...
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