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.
Israel Targets Palestinian PM
Guardian (UK)
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May 22, 2007 2:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Israeli government today threatened to assassinate the Palestinian prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, if rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip are not halted, reports the Guardian . Deputy defense minister Ephraim Sneh declared on the radio, "There is no one who is in the circle of commanders and leaders in Hamas who is immune from strike."
Drinking Slows Dementia
HealthDay News
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May 22, 2007 2:03 PM CDT
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Score a victory for the nightcap: Booze may help halt dementia in the elderly, a new study suggests. The Italian research, published in the journal Neurology , concludes that a one-drink-a-day habit can slow the progression of dementia by 85% in those in people 65 and older who already show mild cognitive impairment.
Drug Company Nemesis Strikes Again
Wall Street Journal
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May 22, 2007 1:32 PM CDT
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The doctor who helped to raise concerns about the painkiller Vioxx is back—with the study released earlier this week linking the same company's popular diabetes drug, Avandia, to higher risk of heart attacks. The Wall Street Journal looks at 58-year-old cardiologist Steven Nissen's role in identifying and publicizing drug risks.
Plague Kills Monkey in Denver Zoo
Denver Post
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May 22, 2007 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The bubonic plague has hit the Denver Zoo. An 8-year-old hooded capuchin monkey named Spanky was found dead last week, and postmortem tests confirmed that the cause was plague. The Denver Post reports that the monkey may have contracted the disease, which is usually spread by fleas, by eating the meat of an infected squirrel.
Hedge Funds Skip Riskier Gambles
BusinessWeek
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May 22, 2007 11:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Are hedge funds going soft? The swashbuckling industry has long been known for its high-risk, high-rewards MO, but returns are down, on average trailing the S&P 500 last year. The reason, BusinessWeek suggests, may be that alternative investments are no longer so alternative. And other non-traditional investments, like private equity, are feeling...
Iran Charges American Scholar
Washington Post
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May 22, 2007 11:20 AM CDT
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The Iranian government has charged an Iranian-American scholar already in custody in Tehran with working for "the soft-toppling of the country." Haleh Esfandiari, 67, was arrested May 8 after being under house arrest since January. The accusations come just days before American and Iranian diplomats are to meet in Baghdad for talks about...
Doctor Guilty of al-Qaeda Pledge
Reuters
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May 22, 2007 10:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Muslim doctor from Florida who was caught in an FBI sting has been convicted of conspiring to provide material support to al-Qaeda. Rafiq Sabir, 52, faces up to 30 years in prison after he swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden to an undercover agent posing as an al-Qaeda recruiter and offered to treat their wounded.
Dems Ditch Iraq Timeline Demand
Los Angeles Times
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May 22, 2007 9:51 AM CDT
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Democratic leaders have quietly abandoned a cornerstone of their Iraq war platform: a timeline for withdrawal. Racing to pass a spending bill before the Memorial Day recess, they don't have the votes to pass a timeline, the LA Times reports, and they risk fallout for failing to fund troops in the field if they can’t reach an agreement this...
Abortion Docs Drawn to Fight for Access
Los Angeles Times
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May 22, 2007 8:49 AM CDT
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Abortion doctors are an embattled bunch, harassed by activist opponents and shunned by other doctors. But a new generation of practitioners is entering the field not in spite of the obstacles, but because of them, the LA Times reports. Galvanized by the prospect of abortion rights being curtailed, they are determined to keep access available.
UK Demands Extradition in Spy Poisoning
BBC
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May 22, 2007 8:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The poisoning death of spy-turned-dissident Alexander Litvinenko was the work of another ex-KGB operative, the British government says, and it wants the accused charged and extradited. But Moscow refuses to deliver him, the BBC reports, saying that would violate the Russian constitution. Litvinenko was a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin, whom he accused...
Iran Said to Be Plotting Iraq Offensive
Guardian (UK)
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May 22, 2007 8:19 AM CDT
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Iran is secretly allying with al-Qaeda and Sunni insurgents to launch a major summer offensive against the US in Iraq, reports the Guardian . The goal is to trigger a political mutiny in Congress to force a withdrawal of US troops. Iran had previously been linked to Shia militias but had not collaborated with Sunnis.
Trail of Chinese Chemicals Leads to Toothpaste
New York Times
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May 22, 2007 8:02 AM CDT
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The Dominican Republic is the latest country investigating the possibility that a poisonous chemical from China wound up in a consumer product. This time it's toothpaste that contains the industrial solvent diethylene glycol, which has already turned up in Panama and Australia, the Times reports. The Chinese government has tracked the toothpaste...
Nigerian Prez Accuses VP of Death Threat
BBC
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May 22, 2007 7:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The president of Nigeria and his former vice president are locked in a jihad of words, after the latter allegedly consulted Islamic holy men about when the former would die, and assured other ministers the date was not far off. President Olesugun Obasanjo decried the treasonous consultation, but added that he is "not afraid of such stupidity."
Artist Gets Museum Show, Whether He Likes It or Not
New York Times
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May 22, 2007 7:17 AM CDT
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A New England museum will display an artist's work against his will, the New York Times reports. Swiss provocateur Christoph Büchel, who recreates environments for visitors to wander through, shut down his show at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art after a squabble over budget constraints. But the museum is defiantly opening the exhibition...
Richardson Makes It Official
Washington Post
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May 22, 2007 6:39 AM CDT
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Bill Richardson has officially joined the throng of Democrats running for president, and become the first Latino to seek his party's nomination. The New Mexico governor made his announcement, in Spanish and English, in LA last night, touting his record as governor of a divided state and his proximity to America's fastest-growing voting bloc.
CO2 Emissions Soared From 2000 to 2004
Reuters
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May 22, 2007 6:27 AM CDT
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Worldwide carbon dioxide emissions boomed between 2000 and 2004, a new study shows. Output of the greenhouse gas accelerated by 3.1% each year, compared to a 1.1% rate during the '90s, according to the National Academy of Sciences, faster than all but the most dire forecasts.
Immigration Bill Alarms Employers
Wall Street Journal
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May 22, 2007 5:42 AM CDT
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The new immigration bill now on the Senate floor puts a massive burden on employers, the Wall Street Journal reports, requiring them to verify the papers of all 146 million workers in the US, and stiffening penalties for violations. "It's like throwing a huge net to catch a few minnows," a Chamber of Commerce VP said.
Lebanon Seeks Aid in Fighting Islamists
CNN
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May 22, 2007 5:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Lebanon's finance minister appealed to Arab and Western governments yesterday, begging for money and supplies to help fight militants in a Palestinian refugee camp. Thirty Lebanese troops, 15 members of the group Fatah al-Islam, and more than 25 civilians have been killed in two days of clashes.
Portis Defends Vick on Dog Fighting
ESPN
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May 21, 2007 9:59 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Even if Michael Vick held stake in a dog fighting ring in rural Virginia, said Redskins running back Clinton Portis to a local television station, it's not a big deal. The embattled Atlanta signal caller owned property on which scarred dogs and dog fighting paraphernalia were discovered during a drug raid weeks ago. He has since sold the property.
America's Cup Lacks Americans
New Zealand Herald
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May 21, 2007 9:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
After a decisive 5-1 defeat by Italy's Luna Rossi, BMW Oracle Racing's leadership is in doubt; for the final race, owner Larry Ellison grounded skipper Chris Dickson, whose dictatorial style is said to have chafed the crew. Aided by the futuristic USA98, the underachieving Oracle team was predicted to challenge Alinghi for the title.
New Airlines Fly on a Wing and $10
BusinessWeek
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May 21, 2007 6:49 PM CDT
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Frequent fliers will soon be reminiscing about the small luxuries a $200 airline ticket bought: like free Diet Coke. A new wave of start-up airlines is selling ultra-affordable flights as low as $10. But prepare to plunk down for seat assignments, checked baggage—and even peanuts.
EU Universities Could Lose Ground to Asia
Times (UK)
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May 21, 2007 6:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Top-tier European universities like Oxford, Cambridge and the Sorbonne will fall behind competitors in China and India within 10 years, the EU's education commissioner warns. The Times of London reports underfunding and outmoded curricula could cost the mossier Western schools their international reputations, and international enrollments with them.
Why Iran Must Be Bombed
Commentary
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May 21, 2007 5:16 PM CDT
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The only way to protect the West from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to bomb Iran now, writes Norman Podhoretz in Commentary . The irascible neocon blasts left-wingers who downplay the threat of a nuclear Iran, and argues that deterrence won’t stop the Iranian leader once he’s armed.
Satire Finds a Stage in Baghdad
Washington Post
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May 21, 2007 3:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
At least someone is laughing: At Iraq's National Theater a one-act play called "The Intensive Care Unit" satirizes the country's bombed-out chaos. The prevailing mood, the Washington Post reports, is jovial and non-sectarian; performances are all matinees because no one dares venture out at night.
Livestock Pigging Out on Junk Food
Wall Street Journal
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May 21, 2007 3:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The biofuel craze has doubled the price of corn in just a few years, forcing farmers from Pennsylvania to California find alternatives to feed their livestock. What they're coming up with is cookies, candy bars, cheese curls, breakfast cereal and french fries, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Diabetes Drug Ups Heart Risk
Associated Press
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May 21, 2007 3:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A popular diabetes drug may increase heart attack risks, a study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes. Patients who took Avandia, which treats Type 2 diabetes, were 43% more likely to have a heart attack than those who took a placebo, the Cleveland Clinic study found.
SEC Gets Lessons on Terrorism
Reuters
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May 21, 2007 2:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
For the first time in history, the SEC is being briefed on a different kind of security: homeland security. Barron's revealed that the CIA is filling in the SEC every month about terrorists and other criminals who might affect world stock markets.
Burgeoning Saudi Firm Snags GE Plastics
Bloomberg
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May 21, 2007 1:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A Saudi chemical company will take over General Electric's plastics division in a deal worth $11.6 billion, the companies said today. Saudi Basic Industries Corp., or Sabic, beat out Dutch-owned Basell for GE Plastics, which was put up for sale in January. The purchase, the largest ever by a Gulf-based company, is seen as a coup for Sabic.
Page Six Fallout May Hurt Murdoch
New York Times
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May 21, 2007 12:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Shenanigans at the New York Post may mean trouble for Rupert Murdoch's Dow Jones bid, David Carr writes in today's Times. The tales of sex, lies, and bribery spicing up Page Six are normal fare for the gossip standby, but the fact that they're about the Post itself may not sit well with the owners of the Wall Street Journal.
Gas Spikes to All-Time Record
CNN
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May 21, 2007 12:01 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Gas hit a record high of $3.18 yesterday, soaring past the previous all-time high, the inflation-adjusted 1981 price of $3.15 per gallon. A spate of fires and power outages have crippled the nation's refineries, sending prices soaring even as crude oil costs drop. That's turning consumers away from non-essential purchases like clothing and big-ticket...
Australia Cuts Stallone Down to Size
The Australian
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May 21, 2007 11:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Muscle-bound "Rocky" star Sylvester Stallone was hit with nearly $10,000 in fines and court costs today after being convicted of bringing body-building hormones into Australia without proper documentation. Customs officials busted him with human growth hormone and testosterone in February while he was promoting "Rocky Balboa" en...
Private Equity Binge Goes Wireless
Arkansas Business Journal
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May 21, 2007 10:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A consortium led by the Texas Pacific Group and Goldman Sachs yesterday snapped up the nation's fifth-largest wireless provider for $27.5 billion, the largest telecom buyout ever. The $71.50 per share offer for Alltel awaits shareholder and regulatory approval and comes weeks before a scheduled auction for the company, which has been seen as a prime...
GOP Finds Itself Tangled in the Web
Washington Post
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May 21, 2007 9:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The digital divide is widening—between Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. Websites, blogs and online video aren't the only areas where the GOP trails; fundraising numbers reported in the Washington Post tell a similar story. In the first quarter of 2007, the top three Democrats raked in $14 million online, more than twice the...
Blaze Ravages London Clipper
Guardian (UK)
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May 21, 2007 9:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A fire ripped through London's historic Cutty Sark early this morning, nearly destroying the 138-year-old tea clipper. But an ongoing £25 million restoration saved the ship, which has drawn 15 million tourists to its south-east London dock since it opened in 1957. Much of its structural foundation, including its original masts and half its planks,...
Booming India Is Starved for Power
New York Times
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May 21, 2007 8:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
India's economy is growing so fast it has outstripped its electrical capacity, leaving burgeoning businesses, industries and homes to generate their own power with soot-belching diesel-powered generators for hours every day. Half of India's populace has no connection to the grid at all, and new construction often goes up without any plan for supplying...
Israel Steps Up Attack on Hamas
Reuters
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May 21, 2007 8:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Israel is escalating both its shooting war and its war of words with Hamas over the Gaza Strip. An Israeli air assault today killed at least five people and came on the heels of a massive attack targeting a Hamas leader over the weekend. That strike missed Khalil al-Hayya but killed seven family members and caused widespread protests.
Gang Members Join New Brotherhood: Unions
Los Angeles Times
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May 21, 2007 7:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As construction booms, LA's building-trade unions are stepping up recruitment in the inner city, where many new hires are former gang members. The LA Times explores a trend that's turning traditionally white, fraternal outfits like the pipefitters, sheet-metal workers and even Teamsters into majority minority—and, in some cases, majority gang—shops.
Shrek Beats His Own Record
Los Angeles Times
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May 21, 2007 7:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It's the year of the threequels. With the success of the third Spider-Man and this weekend's triumph of Shrek the Third, all eyes are on the upcoming third Pirates of the Carribean . Dreamworks bigwigs were cautious leading up to green monster's latest bow, but its $122 million take smashed the previous record for an animated film of $108...
China to Buy $3B Stake in Blackstone
Financial Times (UK)
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May 21, 2007 7:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Chinese government will buy a 9.9% stake in Blackstone, the US private equity fund that's about to launch its IPO. The $3 billion purchase of nonvoting shares, the first time China has invested its enormous foreign reserves in commercial stock, is meant to exploit a private equity market booming almost as much as China itself.
Evangelicals Sway Toward the Center
New York Times
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May 21, 2007 5:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The once hard-right Evangelical Christian movement is waxing centrist, the New York Times reports, as a new breed of religious leaders breaks from an abortion-and-sexuality-obsessed old guard to tackle broader nonpartisan issues like AIDS, and even liberal-leaning ones like Darfur and global warming.
Rome Deal Creates World's 5th-Largest Bank
Wall Street Journal
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May 21, 2007 5:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Italian lenders UniCredit and Capitalia yesterday inked a $29.7 billion deal to create a bank with the world's fifth (and Europe's second) largest market cap. The hurried Rome merger indicates, according to the Wall Street Journal , a rush to consolidate Europe's banking sector, but also the persistent challenges to cross-border deals within the EU.
Edwards Tops Iowa Poll
Des Moines Register
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May 21, 2007 5:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Presidential hopeful John Edwards ranked first in a poll of voters from Iowa, home of January's pivotal caucus and the first step to the Democratic ballot. Edwards landed 29 percent of the vote in the Des Moines Register poll, compared to erstwhile frontrunners Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who took 23 and 21 percent, respectively.
Bush, Carter, Trade Barbs
Reuters
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May 21, 2007 5:11 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A cold war of words is escalating between the White House and former occupant Jimmy Carter. On Saturday, Carter called the Bush administration "the worst in history" on the international front; yesterday Bush spokesman Tony Fratto shot back against the "reckless personal attack," sneering at Carter as "increasingly irrelevant."
Iraqi Cash Is Funding Al Qaeda
Los Angeles Times
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May 21, 2007 4:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A stepped-up CIA effort to hunt down Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan hasn't succeeded in locating the terrorist, the LA Times reports, but it has uncovered evidence that cash is being funneled from Iraq to keep Al Qaeda alive and well. "Iraq is a big moneymaker for them," a senior U.S. counter-terrorism official told the Times...
Ducks Clip Wings in Overtime
Toronto Star (Canada)
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May 20, 2007 10:49 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Playing six on four during a power play and without a goalie, the Ducks tied the Red Wings with 48 seconds remaining, and Teemu Selanne scored on a steal to win Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals in overtime. Detroit had outshot Anaheim 34-18 in regulation and kept the puck out of their zone for most of the game.
Tigers Get Some Revenge
Detroit News
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May 20, 2007 10:43 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Behind eight solid innings from Justin Verlander, the Tigers finished a sweep of the swooning Cardinals, who at nine games under .500 reside near the basement of the hapless NL Central. St. Louis had taken the World Series from Detroit last year, 4-1, and the Tigers acknowledged that their revenge was both sweet and insufficient.
Preakness Top 3 Head for Record at Belmont
Baltimore Sun
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May 20, 2007 10:33 PM CDT
(Newser) -
As Preakness winner Curlin and his trainer, Steve Asmussen, enjoyed a rare day-after rest today, thoughts turned to Belmont, and the possibility that the trio of 3 year olds that took the top honors at both the Preakness and the Derby—Curlin, Street Sense and Hard Spun—may be rematched at the upcoming Belmont Stakes.
First Computer May Be 2100 Years Old
New Yorker
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May 20, 2007 9:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
An unknown scientist in the first century B.C. may have invented the world’s first computer. Discovered by Greek divers in 1900 on the bottom of the Aegean Sea near the island of Antikythera, the so called Antikythera Mechanism lay in the National Museum in Athens mistaken for an astrolabe until the late 1950s.
Shiite al-Sadr Reaches Out to Sunni Rivals
Washington Post
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May 20, 2007 3:14 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In a dramatic shift in tacttics, Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is reaching out to rival Sunni leaders in Iraq, and purging radical elements of his own militia, the Washington Post reports. With Sunni insurgents making moves to distance themselves from al-Qaeda, Sadr sees an opportunity for a cross-sectarian political alliance, aides tell the Post...
Clashes in Lebanon Kill 39
Associated Press
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May 20, 2007 2:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A gunbattle between the Lebanese army and al-Qaeda-linked militants in Tripoli today left 22 soldiers and 17 insurgents dead, the AP reports. The fighting—the worst in the city in two decades— began when police raided an apartment occupied by militants. The army later shelled a Palestinian refugee camp which contains the group's headquarters,...
