Newser Story Index from May, 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.
TV Moguls Blast Web Rivals
Reuters
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May 9, 2007 8:01 AM CDT
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A panel of top television executives at a Vegas conference yesterday went on the offensive against their digital rivals, blasting the perception that cell phones, the Web, and other digital formats are killing their business. Quite the contrary, pronounced Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons: "The Googles, they are the Custer of the modern world....
Thomson Aims to Buy Reuters
Globe and Mail
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May 9, 2007 8:00 AM CDT
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Thomson, the Canadian publishing company, is poised to buy Reuters, the global news and information agency, the Globe and Mail reports. The timing of the takeover, which values Reuters at $17.7 billion, appears a response to Rupert Murdoch's proposed purchase of Dow Jones, but sources say they have been in talks with Reuters for months.
Second Toxin Found in Lethal Pet Food
New York Times
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May 9, 2007 7:19 AM CDT
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Add cyanuric acid to the list of industrial chemicals found in the contaminated pet food that killed thousands of dogs and cats. Like melamine, it was used by Chinese animal feed producers to fake higher protein content in their wheat and rice products, the New York Times reports.
Journal Offer Prompted Insider Trading, SEC Says
Wall Street Journal
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May 9, 2007 6:50 AM CDT
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The SEC has filed its first suit for insider trading involving Rupert Murdoch's bid to buy the Wall Street Journal 's parent company. The agency alleges a Hong Kong couple knew about the offer when they bought $15 million of Dow Jones stock in April and sold it for an $8.18 million profit after the announcement two weeks later.
Snow Job: 21-Ton Coke Bust
Newsweek
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May 9, 2007 6:43 AM CDT
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It's the biggest cocaine seizure on the high seas and the second biggest bust in US history: The Coast Guard boarded a Panamanian freighter and discovered, inside cargo containers on deck, 21 tons of cocaine with a street value of $300 Million. "It was fast and furious," says Joseph Evans, DEA attache in Panama.
Cheney Drops In On Baghdad
BBC
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May 9, 2007 6:27 AM CDT
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Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to Baghdad this morning, hours after the White House alerted 35,000 more troops of impending deployment to the fractious capital. Cheney met with top general David Petraeus and top envoy Ryan Crocker, and is expected to consult with PM Maliki and other top officials today. It's his second trip to Iraq...
Schilling Vows To Give Bonds Nothing to Hit
Boston Globe
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May 9, 2007 6:23 AM CDT
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Ace and blogger Curt Schilling let fly at Barry Bonds on Boston sports radio, asserting that the slugger's pursuit of the home-run record is irrevocably marred. Schilling contended that Bond admitted to using steroids and cheating on both his taxes and his wife, and this makes him "the biggest ass—who ever lived."
Drama Builds At HBO As CEO Departs
Variety
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May 8, 2007 8:52 PM CDT
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HBO's capo is making like Tony Soprano and taking an indefinite leave of absence from the cable network. Chris Albrecht, who has led the network since 2002, was arrested by Las Vegas police on Sunday, after officers said they witnessed Albrecht in a violent altercation with his girlfriend.
Gluten-Free Sticks for Many Dieters
New York Times
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May 8, 2007 8:24 PM CDT
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Gluten-free diets, once the purview of those with life-threatening conditions like celiac disease, have hit the mainstream. Docs now estimate that gluten allergies strike one in 100 North Americans, and even those who aren't allergic are turning onto gluten-free, blaming the protein for ailments from infertility to anxiety.
Bloomberg May Take on Spitzer
New York Post
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May 8, 2007 5:18 PM CDT
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It may not be Pennyslvania Avenue, but Mike Bloomberg is seriously weighing a run for Albany's top job, a senior Republican operative has told the New York Post . "On two occasions in recent weeks, the mayor brought up the possibility of running for governor, of running against Spitzer in 2010," the Post 's source claims.
California Student Shoots Three in Video Game Row
Fresno Bee
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May 8, 2007 4:44 PM CDT
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A California college student is under arrest after an argument over a video game console left one man dead and two others wounded. Jonquel Brooks opened fire late Monday night in a Fresno apartment building, after an argument over a Sony Playstation escalated. Brooks, on leave from Fresno State, turned himself in late this morning.
Tech Guru Takes Mass Approach
New Yorker
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May 8, 2007 4:39 PM CDT
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The New Yorker profiles columnist and technology prophet Walt Mossberg, whose word has decided the fate of many a digital revolution. Mossberg's mantra is that technology should be easy and elegant, and he tells Ken Auletta that companies like Mac and Microsoft still have a ways to go in satisfying him.
Coconut Oil Powers Papua New Guinea
BBC
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May 8, 2007 4:17 PM CDT
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It's the ultimate in energy independence. On Papua New Guinea's Bougainvillea island, residents are battling expensive and unreliable oil imports by making their own perfumed alternafuel—from local coconuts. The refined coconut oil functions as diesel, residents say, and has already generated inquiries from as far away as Iran.
Pals Seek Pardon for Jail-Bound Heiress
NBC
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May 8, 2007 12:20 PM CDT
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Paris Hilton fans are rallying to keep the heiress out of an orange jumpsuit. More than 1,000 have signed an online petition to Gov. Schwarzenegger to pardon her for the parole-violation conviction that otherwise will cost her 45 days in jail. The grounds: that she "provides hope for young people all over the U.S. and the world."
Putin's Top Rabbi Lifts Sect to Power
Wall Street Journal
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May 8, 2007 11:23 AM CDT
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A rabbi from an ultra-orthodox Jewish group is ultra-powerful in Russia's shrinking oligarchy, using Putin's patronage to raise funds and revive Judaism across the country, the Wall Street Journal reports. But critics charge him with selling his soul for the cozy position, downplaying anti-Semitism and becoming an apologist for the anti-democratic...
Fort Dix Terror Plot Foiled
NBC 4 New York
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May 8, 2007 10:37 AM CDT
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Six alleged terrorists are under arrest after plotting an attack against New Jersey's Fort Dix Army Base. The men, Islamic radicals from Albania and the former Yugoslavia, had hatched a deadly (if decidedly low-tech) plan: storm the base with automatic weapons and execute as many soldiers as possible.
Dognappers Target Toy Breeds
Chicago Tribune
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May 8, 2007 10:01 AM CDT
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Forget cat burglars: a surge in the popularity of pricy diminutive dogs has generated a wave of dognapping. Dog thieves across the nation have assaulted store clerks, broken into cars, and even held a family at gunpoint to get their hands on the pups, which can be fenced for thousands of dollars, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Northern Ireland Launches Historic Power Share
CNN
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May 8, 2007 8:58 AM CDT
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Protestant and Catholic leaders pledged to cooperate as Northern Ireland inaugurated a power-sharing government today, ending a deadly decades-long conflict. Protestant leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness will serve as first minister and deputy first minister, respectively. Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams hailed "a new era of...
King of Supernovas Sheds Light on Early Stars
Space.com
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May 8, 2007 8:19 AM CDT
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Researchers are reporting the biggest stellar explosion ever recorded—a discovery which could shed light on how the universe was shaped. The star, 150 times more massive than the sun, went out with a bang 100 times more powerful than typical supernovas. Astronomers think the first stars after the Big Bang, which were also gargantuan, met similar...
September Looms as Iraq Watershed
Washington Post
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May 8, 2007 8:18 AM CDT
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September is likely to be put-up-or-shut-up time for supporters of the Iraq war, legislators from both parties tell the Washington Post. Gen. David Petraeus has said he will have a sense of whether the surge is working by then, and lawmakers want a clearer picture of America's future involvement before the fiscal year begins October 1.
Amnesty Faults Sudan for Arming Darfur
BBC
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May 8, 2007 8:00 AM CDT
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Amnesty International accuses Sudan of violating the UN arms embargo with the help of Security Council members Russia and China. The human rights group claims the Khartoum government is using planes disguised as all-white UN aircraft to move military equipment into the embattled region where 200,000 people have already died.
Rudy Backed Planned Parenthood
Politico
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May 8, 2007 7:58 AM CDT
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Rudy Giuliani donated to Planned Parenthood, the country's leading abortion provider and a prominent abortion-rights advocate, at least six times in the 1990s, according to public tax returns. Giuliani has walked a thin line during his campaign for the Republican nomination, maintaining that he personally opposes abortion but supports a woman's right...
Fans Rooting Against Bonds
Sports Illustrated
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May 8, 2007 7:46 AM CDT
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An ABC-ESPN poll found that just 37% of baseball fans want embattled Giants slugger Barry Bonds to break Hank Aaron's career home runs record of 755. After 10 quick homers to start the season, Bonds just needs 11 more to tie. Fifty-two percent of fans said they would prefer not to see that happen.
Piston Fans Dump Big Ben
ESPN
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May 8, 2007 7:20 AM CDT
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Despite six years of success in Detroit, where his defense and charisma helped turn around a slumping franchise, Ben Wallace can't get a break from the fickle fans who once loved him. Wallace jumped ship to division rival Chicago after being offered a frankly insane $60 million, four-year deal. Detroit fans are acting like jilted lovers.
Ex-Boxing Champ Dies in Crash
ESPN
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May 8, 2007 7:16 AM CDT
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Diego "Chico" Corrales, a former boxing world champion, died last night in a Las Vegas motorcycle crash. Two years to the day before his death at 29, Corrales unified lightweight titles with a come-from-behind knockout of Jose Luis Castillo. "That fight with Jose Luis Castillo will be remembered by many forever," said Corrales'...
In Detroit, Obama Rocks Boat
Wall Street Journal
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May 8, 2007 7:01 AM CDT
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Barack Obama called out the U.S. auto industry yesterday in its own front yard, reports The Wall Street Journal . In a sold-out speech at the Detroit Economic Club, the Illinois senator blamed much of the industry's current problems on automakers, whom he criticized for making larger and larger vehicles as foreign competitors pushed fuel efficiency.
Europeans Offer Deal to Make Wolfowitz Quit
New York Times
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May 8, 2007 7:00 AM CDT
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European partners in the World Bank have signaled to the White House that they want Paul Wolfowitz to resign, the New York Times reports, and they're willing to let the U.S. appoint his successor to make that happen. After an investigating committee found Wolfowitz guilty of ethical breaches, one European official called his credibility "beyond...
Awkward! Bush Muffs Dates in Front of Queen
Guardian (UK)
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May 8, 2007 7:00 AM CDT
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British protocol hounds were on high alert for lapses as President Bush hosted their regent yesterday, and he did not disappoint. At a photo op with Queen Elizabeth II, he mangled the date of a previous visit. "You helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17—1976," he told her, drawing a sharp look from her and a laugh from the...
'Lost' to Unravel Final Mystery
USA Today
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May 8, 2007 6:36 AM CDT
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Lost will end in 2010, ABC announced yesterday, after three more seasons of just 16 episodes each. The unusual strategy is an attempt to reverse a ratings slump caused by scheduling shifts and a slew of increasingly baffling plot twists. Co-creator Damon Lindelof tells USA Today the team behind the show has "specific designs" for the...
Unions Fire Warning Shots At Sarkozy
Guardian (UK)
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May 8, 2007 6:00 AM CDT
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Nicolas Sarkozy could be on a collision course with French labor unions over his "economic evolution." The president-elect wooed voters with proposals to extend the 35-hour work week, slash welfare, curb the right to strike and cut taxes. But even as Sarkozy headed to Malta before taking office next week, union leaders were flexing...
Bank Panel Faults Wolfowitz
New York Times
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May 7, 2007 4:07 PM CDT
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World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz is guilty of a conflict of interest for finagling promotions and raises for his girlfriend, according to a panel of seven bank directors. The result isn't binding and doesn't recommend a punishment, but bank insiders tell the Times that a majority of the 24 board members want Wolfowitz out.
The Newest Fundraisers? Social Networkers
San Francisco Chronicle
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May 7, 2007 4:00 PM CDT
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Think Iowa Caucus folkways meets Silicon Valley tech savvy: A group of high-tech entrepreneurs are using online and offline social networking to evaluate, pick, and support their presidential candidate. The groups skip traditional intermediaries—namely, political parties—to meet directly with candidates, then use their widespread (and wealthy)...
World Bank Fallout Runs Downhill
Associated Press
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May 7, 2007 3:30 PM CDT
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A top Paul Wolfowitz adviser—and Bush administration loyalist—has announced his resignation from the World Bank, citing the fallout from the Shaha Riza scandal. Kevin Kellems, who met Wolfowitz when both were at the Pentagon, says he cannot be "effective" in the wake of accusations that the bank president inappropriately secured...
Aluminum Giant Makes Play for Rival
Wall Street Journal
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May 7, 2007 1:44 PM CDT
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Aluminum titan Alcoa is hoping to get its largest rival, Alcan, to melt under a hostile takeover bid, after merger talks between the two companies collapsed. Alcoa, the world's largest aluminum company, has offered $26.9 billion for its Canadian competitor in an effort to beat out the emerging market producers who have recently dominated the industry.
Thompson Fails Reagan Test
Chicago Sun-Times
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May 7, 2007 11:40 AM CDT
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For a party in search of its last, best hope, Fred Thompson may turn out to be not so much savior as dud. The actor-turned-senator-turned-heir to the Reagan throne chose Orange County's conservative Lincoln Club for his first speech since the presidential hype began, and the reaction, writes Robert Novak, was decidedly underwhelming.
Pentagon Woos Tech Startups
New York Times
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May 7, 2007 11:38 AM CDT
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Infant tech companies are fast becoming a tributary in the pipeline between the Pentagon and big contractors, the Times reports. And in a new, official initiative, Defense is tasking venture capitalists to harvest ideas and technologies from the fast-moving tech startups they monitor, and small companies are winning coveted contracts.
Ou Est Mme. Sarkozy?
Times (UK)
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May 7, 2007 10:57 AM CDT
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To add frisson to the French election, new president Nicolas Sarkozy is already facing questions about his rocky marriage to his glamorous second wife, Cecilia. The London Times reports the former model, who once said she was "bored stiff" at the idea of being France's First Lady, was conspicuously absent from the campaign trail and appeared...
Eco-Awareness Is In The (Reusable) Bag
Los Angeles Times
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May 7, 2007 10:57 AM CDT
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Whether it's a designer tote bag with a three-figure price tag or a $5 carryall from the convenience store, Americans are slowly catching on to the European trend of answering the eternal question "paper or plastic" with "neither." Tote bags eliminate environmental stress, proclaim a consumer's eco-friendliness, and can even exude...
Mexicans Stand for Art, Nudity
Los Angeles Times
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May 7, 2007 10:00 AM CDT
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A mob of some 20,000 Mexicans stormed the capital yesterday morning not to protest, but to show off their birthday suits. The stark-naked crowd pranced around Mexico City's historic plaza as part of a giant photo shoot orchestrated by New York–based photographer Spencer Tunick, a well-known buff of everything in the buff.
Tenet Earns Big Bucks off War Profiteers
Salon
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May 7, 2007 9:31 AM CDT
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Former CIA boss George Tenet has made a killing off companies profiting in Iraq, Salon reports—one fact undisclosed in his recent tell-all screed. Besides a reported $4 mil advance for the book, Tenet used his spook cred to win spots on corporate boards in a national security industry he himself pushed hard to privatize.
Blair Ally to Step Down
Guardian (UK)
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May 7, 2007 9:25 AM CDT
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British Home Secretary John Reid will stand down, he announced yesterday, giving PM apparent Gordon Brown space to rejigger the cabinet when he succeeds Tony Blair. Tensions have run high between the old and new Labour leaders' supporters, but Reid stressed that his surprise departure was personal; the Guardian reports that wider decamping by Blair...
Designer's Pals Rally to Keep Label Alive
New York Times
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May 7, 2007 9:17 AM CDT
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Narciso Rodriguez, the designer of sexy minimalist frocks like Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's wedding dress, is one of the darlings of the close-knit fashion community. And it's a good thing: When Rodriguez faced bankruptcy last fall, instead of shuttering his studio he called Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Anna Wintour and Jessica Seinfeld.
LAPD Chief Orders Elite Officers Retrained
Los Angeles Times
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May 7, 2007 8:42 AM CDT
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Citing "things that shouldn't have been done," LAPD Chief William Bratton apologized yesterday for the actions of an elite platoon that broke up a pro-immigration May Day rally and said the officers involved are off the streets and will be retrained. The officers' prestigious assignment is in jeopardy after police batons and projectiles injured...
Tasmanian Devils Face Extinction
Der Spiegel
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May 7, 2007 8:33 AM CDT
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Tasmanian Devils, the largest marsupial carnivore and the island's main tourist attraction, are threatened with extinction due to a contagious and fatal form of facial cancer spreading rapidly through the population. "Once they've got a lump, it's a one way trip," one expert says.
ABN Turns Down RBS Spoiler Offer
Financial Times (UK)
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May 7, 2007 8:01 AM CDT
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Dutch bank ABN Amro has rebuffed a $24 billion offer for its American nephew LaSalle, from a consortium led by the Royal Bank of Scotland. ABN says the bid was no better than a previous one from Bank of America, and that the Scots had ignored "repeated requests for clarification" on the deal's financing and other issues.
Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea
Economist
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May 7, 2007 7:53 AM CDT
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If the choice is between somewhat more religion in public life and democracy in Turkey, choose the latter, argues the Economist. The ruling party's choice of an Islamist candidate, Abdullah Gul, for president set off a familiar confrontation between the Turkish military and the political establishment. The Economist asks, "if Turkey cannot...
Turkish Candidate Bows Out
BBC
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May 7, 2007 7:46 AM CDT
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Turkish presidential candidate Abdullah Gul threw in the towel yesterday after secularist legislators boycotted the election for the second time in nine days in reaction to Gul's pro-Islamist record. The partisan standoff portends a bitter clash between secularists who generally populate Turkey's urban areas and the ruling AK party in crucial...
Dow Shareholder Duels Murdoch
Wall Street Journal
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May 7, 2007 6:51 AM CDT
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A powerful shareholder in Dow Jones is opposing Rupert Murdoch's takeover bid, saying the tabloid publisher would destroy the Wall Street Journal 's integrity. James Ottaway Jr. said Murdoch "has for a long time expressed his personal, political and business biases through his newspapers and television channels."
Spidey Swings Past Pirates
Variety
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May 7, 2007 6:51 AM CDT
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Shy, do-gooder Peter Parker has again done superhero's work: His webbed alter-ego has vaulted the third installment of the Spider-Man franchise past its rivals and predecessors to shatter the opening weekend box-office record, netting $148 million--over $10 million more than Pirates 2 , the previous record holder.
Sarkozy Sees Mandate for New France
Guardian (UK)
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May 7, 2007 6:29 AM CDT
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Newly elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared an economic revolution for France and closer friendship with the United States to thousands of jubilant supporters at Paris's Place de La Concorde last night. But there were riots in Bastille and car burnings in the suburbs as disappointed Socialists reacted to the pugnacious right winger's victory.
