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.
Hubble Finds Dark Matter
Space.com
|
May 15, 2007 8:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Astronomers have discovered a ring of dark matter in a galaxy cluster about 5 billion light years away. The Hubble Telescope turned up an anomaly in the way stars in the area appear, which researchers think is a distortion caused by the intense gravity of the galactic "glue" holding the cluster together.
Ethiopia Pushes for Somalia Pullout
BBC
|
May 15, 2007 7:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Ethiopia wants its troops out of Somalia, where the UN says the refugee crisis is now worse than the situation in Darfur, the BBC reports. But a pullout now could spell disaster for the estimated 300,000 Somalis displaced by recent fighting between the Ethiopia-backed government and the Islamist resistance, which troops from the neighboring country...
Chrysler Sale Suggests New Deal for Detroit
Wall Street Journal
|
May 15, 2007 7:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The sale of Chrysler to private-equity firm Cerberus Capital Management could be a watershed for the entire industry, the Wall Street Journal predicts. Cerberus thinks it can make the embattled carmaker profitable by restructuring its debilitating $18-billion health care and pension liability. If it succeeds without resorting to bankruptcy—which...
Palestinian Factions Call Ceasefire
BBC
|
May 15, 2007 6:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hamas and Fatah have brokered a truce after two days of intense factional fighting that left 9 dead and 30 wounded. The Palestinian government has deployed its entire security force to the Gaza strip in an effort to maintain peace, but, the BBC observes, sporadic fighting continued Monday.
British Man Is Suspect in Kidnapping
Guardian (UK)
|
May 15, 2007 6:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Police searching for a four-year-old British girl missing on a family vacation in Portugal have named a 33-year-old British expat as a suspect. Robert Murat lives less than 150 metres from where Madeleine McCann vanished 12 days ago, the Guardian reports. Murat was questioned for more than 16 hours yesterday, and then released.
Violence Mars Philippine Vote
BBC
|
May 15, 2007 6:21 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Violence, feuds and corruption charges have marred midterm elections in the Philippines. Three people were killed on election day yesterday, bringing the death toll for the three-month campaign to 110, the BBC reports. Opponents of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo are trying to win enough seats in parliament to impeach her over allegations of...
Bank Probe Slams Wolfowitz
Financial Times (UK)
|
May 15, 2007 6:21 AM CDT
(Newser) -
World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz broke the bank's code of ethics, three bank rules and the terms of his own contract when he ordered pay raises and promotions for his girlfriend, a panel investigating his role concluded. The Financial Times details the withering report, which says Wolfowitz displayed "questionable judgment and a preoccupation...
T.O.: Parcells Taught Me 'Nothing'
Los Angeles Times
|
May 15, 2007 5:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens is happy to see Bill Parcells gone. After the famed disciplinarian made it clear in an interview that signing the controversial receiver was not his decision,Owens fired back, saying he had gotten "nothing" out of Parcells' tenure. "A new head coach is good for everybody," he added.
Ottawa Continues Playoff Rampage
Canada.com
|
May 15, 2007 5:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Ottawa Senators needed only one goal from their vaunted line of Heatley, Alfredsson, and Spezza to extend their playoff winning streak to six, as python-owner and goalie Ray Emery scored his third shutout of the postseason. Ottawa, a fourth seed, hopes to sweep the NHL's highest-scoring team at home on Wednesday.
"Vulture Fund" Behind Chrysler Deal
Der Spiegel
|
May 14, 2007 10:49 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Der Spiegel vivisects Cerberus, the private equity group that won Chrysler for a relative bargain today from German auto giant Daimler. Financier Stephen Feinberg's 15-year-old firm has $60 billion in assets, and specializes in companies on the brink of bankruptcy. The group avoids the spotlight, recruits former CEOs and politicians, including John...
Spielberg and Jackson to Direct Tintin
Variety
|
May 14, 2007 6:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The men behind Jurassic Park 's ferocious dinosaurs and King Kong 's gargantuan ape will soon be the men behind a tiny white dog named Snowy. Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are teaming up to produce and direct a trilogy of movies based on T he Adventures of Tintin , George Remi's popular French comic books about a young Belgian reporter and his...
No. 2 at Justice to Step Down
Washington Post
|
May 14, 2007 6:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty will quit the Justice Department after admitting he misled a Senate committee in its investigation into nine fired US attorneys. Three other top Justice officials have resigned in recent weeks, but McNulty, AG Alberto Gonzales' second-in-command and himself a former US attorney, is the highest-ranking casualty of...
School Bullying Victim Awarded $800K
Sydney Morning Herald
|
May 14, 2007 5:46 PM CDT
(Newser) -
An 18-year-old Australian is over $800,000 richer today after a court ruled that his life was "all but destroyed" by school bullying. Australia's Supreme Court said the public school system "grossly failed" Ben Cox when it didn't stop an older student from repeatedly physically and verbally abusing him in kindergarten and first...
Iran Boosts Nuclear Capability
New York Times
|
May 14, 2007 5:36 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Iran has made a quantum leap in its nuclear program, and now has the capacity to enrich uranium on a much larger scale than previously believed, the International Atomic Energy Agency reports after a short-notice inspection last weekend. With dramatically improved centrifuge technology, engineers are turning out reactor-grade uranium.
Rupert Woos Bancrofts
Editor & Publisher
|
May 14, 2007 5:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Rupert Murdoch doesn't want to shake things up at Dow Jones—or so he implied in a weekend missive wooing the Bancroft family. In the folksy, flattering letter, Murdoch called himself "first and foremost" a "newspaper man," and promised to appoint an independent editorial board for the Wall Street Journal should he take over...
Bush Asks Agencies to Cut Emissions
Associated Press
|
May 14, 2007 4:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Bush stepped up to the plate on global warming today, ordering the the EPA, transportation and other agencies to begin to regulate vehicle emissions by the time he leaves office. Chided by the Supreme Court last month for failing to protect the environment, Bush asked agencies to prepare plans, but offered no other details.
Bride and Groom Need Not Attend
Chicago Tribune
|
May 14, 2007 3:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Who says you need to be present at your own wedding? In Montana, where a World War II–era law allows "proxies" to stand in for the bride and groom, hundreds of couples from as far away as China are sending substitutes to the altar—or in this case, bench—the Chicago Tribune reports. Stand-ins charge $50 to say "I do"...
Rudy Faulted on Safety at Ground Zero
New York Times
|
May 14, 2007 3:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Rudy Giuliani's leadership in the aftermath of 9/11 made him America's hero, and the GOP's top presidential candidate. But thousands of the firefighters and construction workers who cleaned up Ground Zero now claim that the mayor's single-minded drive to see the city rebound from the attacks is to blame for respiratory illnesses they've suffered.
Plot Twist: NBC Renews 'Law & Order'
Associated Press
|
May 14, 2007 2:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In a fitting move for a show that made its name with unexpected twists, ratings-challenged "Law & Order" will return to NBC's fall lineup for its 18th season, the network announced today. The eleventh-hour deal relegates the show's "Criminal Intent" spinoff to fellow NBC Universal network USA, with reruns on NBC, a reversal...
KKR Dominates in '07 Buyouts
Financial Times (UK)
|
May 14, 2007 1:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Private equity powerhouse KKR has been on a monumental spending spree this year, closing more than $120 billion in deals to date in 2007—more than twice its closest rival. Now the Financial Times wonders whether the veteran PE firm it may be hitting the market too forcefully.
Defense Dept. Blocks Access to YouTube
Stars and Stripes
|
May 14, 2007 12:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
MySpace as a national security threat? Yes, says the Department of Defense, which is blocking service members' access to the site—as well as YouTube and 11 other popular destinations troops use to communicate with family and friends—on department computers as of today. The department calls the online traffic a drain on bandwidth and an...
Chemicals in Tap Water, French Fries May Cause Breast Cancer
Los Angeles Times
|
May 14, 2007 10:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hundreds of common chemicals—from a substance used in French fries to one found in tap water—may cause breast cancer, a new report linking the disease to everyday products suggests. Researchers say they've found a link between cancer in animals and more than 200 common chemicals, many of which the federal government doesn't regulate.
Burning Forests Heat Globe
Independent (UK)
|
May 14, 2007 8:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Destruction of rainforests is a bigger source of global warming than all the planes, cars and factories in the world, concludes a study reported today in the Independent . It's not just the loss of forests, which absorb CO2, that's the problem. It's the rampant burning of those forests that actually pumps more CO2 into the atmosphere than any sector...
Hagel Weighs Running as Independent
The Hill
|
May 14, 2007 8:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Republican gadfly Chuck Hagel hinted yesterday at an independent bid for the White House, saying "the system needs to be shaken up." The Nebraska senator used the "Face the Nation" pulpit to vent his continuing frustration with the GOP, particularly on Iraq. The lifelong Republican also expressed admiration for another rumored independent...
Katie's Ratings Flatline
New York Times
|
May 14, 2007 8:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Katie Couric, as always, is upbeat, but her ratings are undeniably dismal: “CBS Evening News” numbers have dropped lower than they've been since the Nielsens began measuring audiences with “people meters” 20 years ago, the New York Times reports. The 8-month-old show is an even-more-distant third than its predecessor.
Drudge Reports, Candidates Cower
Salon
|
May 14, 2007 7:39 AM CDT
(Newser) -
What do a $400 haircut, a hawkish rendition of a Beach Boys tune, and a decade-old donation to Planned Parenthood have in common? They're all results of an "opposition research game" that's pitting presidential campaign teams against each other in a contest to leak dirt to blogs and news sites as the '08 race waxes viral.
Daimler to Unload Chrysler in $7.4B Deal
Associated Press
|
May 14, 2007 7:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
DaimlerChrysler has sold a majority stake in the Chrysler Group to the American private-equity firm Cerberus for $7.4 billion, the auto giant announced today. The deal unhooks the money-losing American arm of the international conglomerate from its German partner, which will retain a 19.9% stake in Chrysler and change its name to Daimler AG as soon...
US Engages Iran on Iraqi Security
Washington Post
|
May 14, 2007 7:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The US will sit down with Iran to enlist its aid in quelling violence in Iraq as early as next week, reports the Washington Post . US ambassador Ryan Crocker will meet with his Iranian counterparts in Baghdad to encourage the country, frequently accused of sponsoring sectarian violence in neighboring Iraq, to take on a "productive role."
Pope: Marxism, Capitalism Hold Latin America Back
CNN
|
May 14, 2007 6:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Pope Benedict XVI blamed both capitalism and Marxism for Latin America's problems in a speech yesterday in Brazil, the world's most Catholic nation. Benedict blamed Marxism for "a painful destruction of the human spirit," but also worried that capitalism gives rise to "degradation of personal dignity through drugs, alcohol and deceptive...
Phil's Getting His Groove Back
Washington Post
|
May 14, 2007 6:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Less than a year after a monumental 16th- and 18th-hole collapse at the 2006 U.S. Open, Phil Mickelson demonstrated his recovered mojo at the PGA Players Championship, cruising to a 69 on the final 18 en route to an 11-under 277. The one blip was an 18th-hole shot that stopped just short of the water.
Al-Qaeda Claims It Captured Soldiers
Associated Press
|
May 14, 2007 6:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
An al-Qaeda umbrella group claims it kidnapped the three US soldiers missing since Saturday. Thousands of troops continue to sweep the area south of Baghdad dubbed the Triangle of Death for their comrades, who disappeared in an ambush that killed four other solders. The so-called Islamic State of Iraq offered no proof for the claim.
General Strike Called After Violent Clashes In Pakistan
Financial Times (UK)
|
May 14, 2007 6:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A nationwide strike has been called for today in Pakistan, after violence over the weekend left 40 dead in Karachi, the Financial Times reports. Pressure is mounting against military rule by President Pervez Musharraf. "We want to demonstrate that this country is unanimous in opposing the government," said a leader of the alliance of six...
Bulls Finally Show Some Fight
NBA.com
|
May 13, 2007 10:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
After seven playoff wins, the Pistons finally dropped a game in Chicago; they return home with a 3-1 series lead. The Bulls had coughed up a 19-point lead in Game 3, and seemed headed for similar disaster in Game 4, when Detroit pared a 21-point lead to seven late in the fourth, despite Chris Webber's second straight scoreless game.
Cerberus Close to Consuming Chrysler
Reuters
|
May 13, 2007 10:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management is said to have cut a deal to buy Chrysler from DaimlerChrysler. Cerberus has lots of experience in negotiating for assets in the auto industry, having led the buyout of auto parts maker Delphi, which has not yet closed and may yet fall apart.
Fed-Up Favre Wants a Trade
Fox News
|
May 13, 2007 9:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Packers signal caller and future HOFer Brett Favre privately demanded a trade last week, livid that Green Bay's management failed to acquire talented receiver Randy Moss. Moss had taken a pay cut to escape Oakland and join the now-terrifying offense of New England, and Favre felt the Packers could have gotten him for less.
Brown Outlines Post-Blair Era
Guardian (UK)
|
May 13, 2007 5:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Gordon Brown is about to put some distance between himself and his former boss with a series of proposals laying out his vision, including giving Parliament the right to approve war powers, reports The Observer . With Blair pilloried for pusuing a profoundly unpopualr war almost single-handedly from Number 10, Brown is declaring his independence.
Top Taliban Commander Is Killed
New York Times
|
May 13, 2007 2:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Taliban's top military commander was killed in Southern Afghanistan, and his body displayed, covered by a pink sheet, in Kandahar today. An amputee whose body was recognizable in part by a missing leg, Mullah Dadullah was killed in a joint operation by Afghan security forces and American and NATO troops.
'Extreme Makeover'? Try 'People's Court'
Los Angeles Times
|
May 13, 2007 2:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
It was supposed to be a great story: ABC's hit reality show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" transformed the home of Phil and Loki Leomiti and their five adopted children into a nine-bedroom dream house. Today the children, who moved out within weeks of the show's broadcast, are locked in a legal battle with the couple and the network.
Reward for Lost Girl Reaches £2.6 Million
News of the World (UK)
|
May 13, 2007 9:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
JK Rowling, Richard Branson and other British business figures have contributed to a £1.5 million reward offered by the tabloid News of the World for the safe return of Madeleine McCann. The British 4-year-old was kidnapped in Portugal 10 days ago; the new offer raises the total reward to a record £2.6 million.
Obama Is Irish, Too
Washington Post
|
May 13, 2007 6:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Add one more bit of heritage to Barack Obama’s rich texture of multi-ethnicity; it turns out he’s Irish, too. His great-great-great grandfather on his mother’s side was Fulmuth Kearney, originally from the tiny village of Moneygall in Ireland.
Chicago Retail Institution Sam's Wines Sells Out to Private Equity
Chicago Tribune
|
May 12, 2007 8:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Proving that size (or lack thereof) is no obstacle to the relentless march of private equity, Chicago’s best known and among its largest liquor stores, Sam’s Wines, sold 80% of itself to Chicago-based private equity company, Arbor Investments.
No-Confidence Vote Looms For Wolfowitz
Washington Post
|
May 12, 2007 8:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The World Bank executive board plans to force Paul Wolfowitz out of his post as president this week, reports The Washington Post; they're hoping a vote of no-confidence will induce him to resign without having to risk angering the U.S. by firing him.
3 Soldiers Missing, 5 Dead
CNN
|
May 12, 2007 7:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A pre-dawn attack on a patrol of seven U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi translator has left five dead and three missing, CNN reports. U.S. and Iraqi troops have joined together to search the violent and explosive region just south of Baghdad for the missing soldiers.
Prosecutors Reopen Civil Rights Case
Montgomery Advertiser (Alabama)
|
May 11, 2007 4:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Alabama prosecutors have reopened a decades-old murder case that helped spark the seminal Selma-to-Montgomery civil rights march and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. James Bonard Fowler, 73, a former state trooper, turned himself in yesterday after being indicted the 1965 murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson, whom prosecutors say he shot and killed during a...
NASA Reveals Superpowered Telescope
BBC
|
May 11, 2007 4:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
NASA has uncovered a prototype for a new telescope that will outmagnify the dominant Hubble. The James Webb Space Telescope will cost $4.5 billion and float nearly a million miles from Earth when it launches in six years; its supercharged hexagonal mirror will transmit images of the farthest and oldest corners of the universe.
Rudy Tries Candor On Tough Issues
New York Times
|
May 11, 2007 4:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Rudy Giuliani chose Houston Baptist College to debut his new, more candid campaign today, telling a conservative crowd that he supports abortion rights, some restrictions on gun ownership, and gay civil unions, though not same-sex marraige. Giuliani appealed to the audience to be open to a GOP candidate who may differ with them on some issues.
Polish Artist Installs Huge Nude Balloon in Italy
Associated Press
|
May 11, 2007 3:51 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Polish artist Pawel Althamer has placed a 70-foot long nude balloon in a plaza in Milan. It is a self-portrait of the artist. In Italy such a sculpture is "nothing new." A passing American commented that it "wouldn't fly" in the U.S.
Train Will Reunite Koreas—Briefly
CBC (Canada)
|
May 11, 2007 3:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
North and South Korea agreed today to allow the first train crossing of their heavily guarded border in over half a century. Two tracks have been reconnected for the test run on Thursday, the first time rail service has linked the countries since the middle of the Korean War.
For Blair, Iraq Was No Anomaly
New York Times
|
May 11, 2007 2:59 PM CDT
(Newser) -
As Tony Blair prepares his exit from No. 10, the British left is already eulogizing the PM as a good man consigned by circumstance to a bad war. Not so, says David Brooks: The crux of Blair's political philosophy was a radical, religious communitarianism, which sired both his leftist leanings domestically, and a genuinely felt interventionism in Iraq.
White House Hid Rove's Role in US Attorney Hiring
National Journal
|
May 11, 2007 2:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Karl Rove finagled a U.S. attorney post for his protégé Timothy Griffin, and the White House concealed his role in the appointment, the National Journal concludes from previously unrelease e-mails leaked to them. Griffin replaced fired attorney Bud Cummins; a Justice Department letter (later retracted) assured Congress Rove played no...
