Newser Story Index from June, 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.
Nifong Disbarred
News & Observer (Raleigh)
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Jun 17, 2007 6:41 AM CDT
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North Carolina's Disciplinary Hearing Commission found that Durham County prosecutor Mike Nifong intentionally and repeatedly lied in prosecuting three Duke University lacrosse players for rape. Nifong gave up his law license minutes later. Nifong now likley faces civil law suits by the men he wrongly prosecuted.
US Goes on Move Against Qaeda
New York Times
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Jun 16, 2007 5:42 PM CDT
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In a major tactical shift, the US is set to launch a large-scale offensive against Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia, General David Petraeus said today. The new campaign moves attention away from Baghdad's sectarian violence to the outskirts of the capital, where the military will target Al-Qaeda strongholds and aim to destroy their bomb-making capabilities.
Ronco Goes Bankrupt
Chicago Tribune
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Jun 16, 2007 4:49 PM CDT
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But wait, there’s more, as pitchman Ron Popeil liked to say. Ronco, maker of Veg-o-matic, Chop-o-matic, Popeil’s Pocket Fisherman, and an endless array of consumer items sold through infomercials, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. While founder Ron Popeil had sold the company in 2005, he remains a spokesperson.
Child Slavery Scandal Blows Up in China
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 16, 2007 11:39 AM CDT
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A child labor scandal is rocking rural China as information surfaces on kidnapped children forced to work as slaves in the country's brick factories. In crackdowns this week, nearly 50,000 police in two Chinese provinces have rescued 550 people, including dozens of the thousands of children believed to be enslaved, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Duke Prosecutor to Resign
Washington Post
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Jun 16, 2007 9:57 AM CDT
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Mike Nifong broke down in tears on the stand at his ethics trial yesterday as he announced his intention to resign as Durham DA. Admitting that he got "carried away" in the case against the three "innocent" Duke University lacrosse players he prosecuted for rape, Nifong apologized to the defendants and their families for causing...
Another Player Joins Competition for Dow Jones
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 15, 2007 5:40 PM CDT
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Another would-be Dow Jones suitor emerged this afternoon: Pearson, which publishes the Financial Times. In a media-company-news hall of mirrors, the Wall Street Journal reports that Pearson is searching for partners in its "longshot" bid and has approached Hearst and GE; the FT reports that its parent company has "sounded out"...
Gambling Firm Agrees to Buyout
Bloomberg
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Jun 15, 2007 4:08 PM CDT
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The casino-operator buyout spree continued today as Penn National Gaming agreed to be acquired by two private-equity firms for $8.9 billion. The deal, which allows the company to solicit bids for 45 days, includes $2.8 billion in debt. News of the $67-a-share offer, a 31% premium over yesterday's closing price, drove the stock up to $62.12 at close.
Fatbloggers Unite, Shed Pounds Online
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 15, 2007 4:00 PM CDT
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The tech sector is buzzing with pudgy geeks dropping weight through the web, the LA Times reports. Jason McCabe Calacanis, the web vet who started it all, turned his business-oriented site into a dietary forum, promising to lose 27 lbs. and urging other techies to chronicle their own diet dramas. Dozens soon weighed in, posting their...
TB Patient Preps for Surgery
Associated Press
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Jun 15, 2007 3:42 PM CDT
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The TB traveler will go under the knife to remove a tennis-ball sized area of infected lung tissue, his doctors said today. Andrew Speaker, who triggered an international health crisis last month when he took a transatlantic flight while infected with an extremely drug-resistant strain of TB, will undergo surgery in July.
Scooter Won't Need to Beg for Pardon
Slate
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Jun 15, 2007 2:28 PM CDT
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President Bush will step in and save Scooter Libby for two reasons, argues Slate 's John Dickerson. First, to repay Dick Cheney for not throwing Karl Rove under the bus. And second, pardoning Libby could help Bush regain Republican support by appeasing conservatives who opposed the CIA leak investigation from the get-go and are riled up by immigration...
Immigration Bill Brings Out 'Best,' 'Worst' of America
New Republic
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Jun 15, 2007 2:22 PM CDT
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Calling the immigration bill currently fighting its way through the Senate "the best that liberals are likely to get," the New Republic 's editors tepidly endorsed the legislation that would bring 12M laborers closer to US citizenship even as they condemned the implications of the bill's proposed guest-worker program.
Dutch Do Pensions Right
Time
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Jun 15, 2007 2:00 PM CDT
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Governments around the world are stuck between tightfisted Anglo-American pension plans that pay only a fraction of one's past salary, and extravagant European-style social security that ends up welshing on the payments. But the Dutch have struck a balance that's working, reports Time , as sufficient amounts of money are saved up and invested skillfully.
Senate Puts Blackstone on Notice
Bloomberg
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Jun 15, 2007 12:48 PM CDT
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Less than 2 weeks ahead of Blackstone's IPO, bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate yesterday threatens to hamper or halt the avidly anticipated stock sale. The private equity behemoth's tax bill would more than double if the measure—under which partnerships like Blackstone would pay the 35% corporate rate rather than the 15% capital...
Defense Lawyer: Duke Prosecutor Hid Crucial DNA
News & Observer (Raleigh)
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Jun 15, 2007 11:54 AM CDT
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Mike Nifong withheld key DNA evidence from defense attorneys, a lawyer for one of the accused Duke lacrosse players testified yesterday in the disgraced DA's misconduct hearing. Bradley Bannon told the State Bar panel he was "bewildered" to find lab results favorable to his clients after Nifong had repeatedly told him no DNA evidence existed,...
Olympic Schedule Caters to US
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 15, 2007 11:42 AM CDT
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Some marquee events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics will air live during US prime time, and the schedule is giving international TV execs a scorching case of jet lag. But complaints from outside North America are falling on deaf ears, the Wall Street Journal reports, because money talks: NBC paid $894 million for broadcast rights; Australian TV paid...
CPI Registers Spring Spike
MarketWatch
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Jun 15, 2007 11:06 AM CDT
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The consumer price index jumped 0.7% in May, riding high energy prices to its second-biggest spike in 16 years. But the volatile food and energy sectors appeared not to disrupt the rest of the economy, MarketWatch reports. The core CPI, which excludes food and gas prices, rose only 0.15%, just enough below 0.2% forecasts to calm inflationary fears.
100 Biggest Celebrities
Forbes
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Jun 15, 2007 10:39 AM CDT
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Forbes’ new list of the 100 most powerful celebrities is packed with broken records, including the highest-grossing athlete (Tiger Woods: $100M in the past year), the highest-grossing concert tour (The Rolling Stones: over $400M in sales) and the highest-paid film role (Johnny Depp: $92M for Pirates II). But the ubiquitous Oprah topped the list.
Abbas Names New PM, Asks for Gov't
BBC
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Jun 15, 2007 9:59 AM CDT
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Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has asked a former finance minister to form an emergency government, hours after the Hamas-Fatah coalition authority collapsed. Salam Fayyad, an independent legislator, will have to contend with Hamas' Ismail Hayineh, who still lays a claim to the PM's office.
Clintons Sell Stock to Avoid Bonds
New York Times
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Jun 15, 2007 8:57 AM CDT
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Nobody wants to see Whitewater II, least of all the Clintons. As Hillary barrels towards the White House, they've liquidated a blind trust worth $5 million to $25 million in an effort to avoid potential conflict-of-interest charges. The fund, invested on their behalf since Bill took office, included live-wire investments in oil companies, military...
Senate Leaders Reach Deal to Revive Immigration Bill
Associated Press
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Jun 15, 2007 8:42 AM CDT
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Derailed last week, the controversial immigration bill will get a second chance, Senate leaders from both parties announced last night. The statement followed days of closed-door negotiations, the AP reports, and a personal pledge from President Bush to immediately provide $4.4 billion for border security—a key concern of conservative Republican...
Court Curbs Unions' Political Spending
Associated Press
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Jun 15, 2007 8:31 AM CDT
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The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a Washington State law forcing public-sector unions to win consent from workers before spending their dues on politically-charged activities. The law applied to workers who opt out of joining a union but still have to pay the dues, some of which are spent supplying (mainly Democratic) political coffers.
Ex-Klansman Guilty in '64 Teen Murders
CNN
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Jun 15, 2007 7:46 AM CDT
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A former Klansman was convicted yesterday of conspiracy and kidnapping in the 1964 murder of two black teenagers. The prosecution's star witness was a Klan member who said he and James Ford Seale stuffed the 19-year-olds into their trunk and drowned them in the Mississippi River. The jury deliberated for about 2 hours, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger ...
Mass. Upholds Gay Marriage
Boston Globe
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Jun 15, 2007 7:27 AM CDT
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Gay couples in Massachussetts scored a major victory yesterday, after state legislators threw out a proposed constitutional amendment that would have put gay marriage to a popular vote. The proposed ban was defeated 151-45, only 5 votes short of the 50 necessary to place the issue on a statewide ballot in 2008.
Kellogg Will Ease Off Ads Aimed at Kids
New York Times
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Jun 15, 2007 7:24 AM CDT
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Averting a threatened lawsuit, Kellogg will reformulate its cereals and snack foods to make them more nutritious—or keep them as is and stop targeting advertising at children under 12. The plan affects about half of the company's offerings, meaning that fans of Pop-Tarts and Rice Krispies may be getting a little healthier whether they want to...
Ex-UN Head Waldheim Dead at 88
Associated Press
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Jun 15, 2007 6:50 AM CDT
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Haunted by his World War II German army service to the end, former UN secretary-general Kurt Waldheim died yesterday at 88. Reports that he served in a German army unit that committed atrocities during the war emerged in 1985, during his successful campaign for the Austrian presidency; at his death, he was still barred from entering the US.
Sex Offenders Snared in MySpace Web
Reuters
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Jun 15, 2007 6:46 AM CDT
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Texas officials using ID information ceded by MySpace have nabbed seven sex offenders trolling the online networking site. Six were arrested for violating parole, which barred them from using the internet, and another had failed to register as a sex offender with the local police. The seven men had been convicted of assaulting kids as young as 4 years...
Africans OK Nine-Year Ivory Ban
BBC
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Jun 15, 2007 6:30 AM CDT
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Four southern African countries will hold a one-time sale of 200 tons of stockpiled ivory before the start of a nine-year moratorium, in a hard-fought conservation compromise. Proceeds from the blowout will be used in elephant conservation efforts in the future. "It's the best we could achieve for the African elephant," said one activist.
Black's Blind Eye Could Convict
Chicago Tribune
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Jun 15, 2007 6:18 AM CDT
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The standard of proof at former media mogul Conrad Black's fraud trial in Chicago will be set low. In issuing the so-called "ostrich instruction," the judge allowed the jury to convict if Black and his co-defendants deliberately avoided knowing about wrong-doing.
Ticket Sales Scuttle Clarkson Summer Tour
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 15, 2007 5:56 AM CDT
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Inaugural American Idol darling Kelly Clarkson has pulled the plug on her summer tour because of dismal ticket sales—just 11 days before her new album hits stores. It's been a rocky week for Clarkson, who canned her manager and has irritated RCA execs by refusing to work with producers from her last Grammy-winning album.
Sid the Kid Collects Hardware
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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Jun 15, 2007 5:45 AM CDT
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Pittsburgh phenom Sidney Crosby was voted hockey's MVP by both writers and players, adding the Hart trophy and the Pearson award to his collection. Only Wayne Gretzky received the Hart at a younger age, edging out the 19-year-old Crosby by two months. Fellow Penguin Evgeni Malkin, at twenty, won top rookie honors.
Spurs Win Fourth in Decade
Associated Press
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Jun 15, 2007 5:18 AM CDT
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The spurs won their fourth NBA title since 1999 with a sweep of the bumblingly outclassed Cavs—spurring talk of a San Antontio dynasty. In Cleveland for game four, the Spurs eeked out an 83-82 victory to clinch. Speedy Frenchman Tony Parker got the series MVP award, which teammate Tim Duncan had won three times.
Ruth Graham Dead at 87
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 15, 2007 4:14 AM CDT
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Ruth Graham, wife of Billy Graham, stayed in the background of the legendary evangelist's ministry but was far from obscure. The missionary's daughter was at once demure, feisty, independent, and unpredictable, the LA Times reports. Graham, who died yesterday at 87, was also an accomplished poet and parent to five children whose father often traveled...
Ex-'Grey's' Star Speaks Out
Entertainment Weekly
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Jun 14, 2007 10:54 PM CDT
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Isaiah Washington "can only apologize so many times" for the behavior that prompted his dismissal from ABC's hit series "Grey's Anatomy," the actor tells Entertainment Weekly in his first post-firing interview. But contrition evidently wasn't enough to save his job: The network couldn't justify the risk of keeping him on the show,...
Vatican Shuns Amnesty International
Associated Press
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Jun 14, 2007 10:10 PM CDT
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The Vatican is calling on Catholics to stop contributing to Amnesty International, a reaction to the human rights group's new stance on abortion. "AI has betrayed its mission," a prominent cardinal said this week, referring to the April announcement that the organization supports access to abortion services in cases involving rape, incest,...
Hamas Executes Captives
Guardian (UK)
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Jun 14, 2007 9:30 PM CDT
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The Palestinian Authority is teetering on collapse after Hamas declared victory in Gaza, executing captured Fatah leaders accused of collaborating with Israel. The Palestinian government was dissolved by President Mahmoud Abbas while Fatah militants in the West Bank ominously rounded up Hamas supporters.
Bottoms Up! La. Town Gets Down and Dirty
BBC
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Jun 14, 2007 6:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In Delcambre, La., showing your skivvies is about to come with criminal consequences, thanks to a new ordinance that prohibits residents from wearing low-hanging pants. Saggy-trousered offenders may be fined $500 and risk 6 months in jail. “They’re better off taking the pants off and just wearing a dress,” the mayor says of the low-riders.
Palestinian Government Falls
CNN
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Jun 14, 2007 5:56 PM CDT
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Hamas is in control of the Gaza strip this evening and Palestine's unity government dissolved, in what the moderate Fatah party is calling a coup d'etat. President Mahmoud Abbas declared a state of emergency in both the West Bank and Gaza, where the hard-line Islamic group seized control of the presidential compound at midnight (5 pm EST).
Colgate Cautions Against Fake Toothpaste
Reuters
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Jun 14, 2007 4:23 PM CDT
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Colgate alerted the public today that counterfeit toothpaste bearing its brand name and possibly containing a deadly chemical has turned up in discount stores in four Northeast states. The phony products' packaging is riddled with misspellings and gives the manufacturing location as South Africa, where the company doesn't make toothpaste. Colgate-Palmolive...
Kodak Sets Sights on Flashless Future
Reuters
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Jun 14, 2007 3:55 PM CDT
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Kodak showed off a new technology today that enables digital cameras to capture clearer pictures in low light—without a flash. Kodak revealed the innovation just as the enduring photography company finishes up its long and costly transformation to digital and begins to tap into its valuable portfolio of patents.
Judge Orders Libby to Prison
Washington Post
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Jun 14, 2007 3:42 PM CDT
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Scooter Libby may not remain free pending appeal, the judge in his perjury trial ruled today, and must begin serving his 30-month sentence this summer. His defense team will turn next to a federal appeals court, the Washington Post reports, but the most pressing legal question now is whether President Bush will pardon the VP's onetime right-hand...
Home Foreclosures Hit Record
Bloomberg
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Jun 14, 2007 3:16 PM CDT
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Home foreclosures hit a record high in first-quarter 2007 as more subprime borrowers failed to make their mortgage payments. The number of mortgages entering foreclosure spiked four basis points to 0.58% and over 2.4% of subprime mortgage holders defaulted, up from 2% last quarter, according to a report released yesterday by the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Big Bird Dazzles Paleontologists
San Francisco Chronicle
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Jun 14, 2007 2:27 PM CDT
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The largest birdlike creature on record stood over 16 feet tall, weighed a ton and a half, and had sharp claws but no teeth. The Chinese paleontologist who unearthed the creature's thigh bone wasn't sure what it was, he tells the San Francisco Chronicle, but as he listed the possibilities for a colleague he realized: "We have a gigantic chicken!"
Pension Flub Could Doom Japanese PM
Economist
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Jun 14, 2007 1:31 PM CDT
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A pension scandal rocking Japan threatens to bring down the ruling party, and it could take PM Shinzo Abe with it. Sixty-four million pension payments—in a country of 130 million—have gone missing, and that's riling Japan's growing gray-haired population. The pensioners may pay Abe back with a vote for the opposition in next month's elections,...
Yankees Break Even With Win Streak
Associated Press
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Jun 14, 2007 1:11 PM CDT
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The Yankees have found their way back to the familiar side of .500 for the first time since April, with their eighth win in a row. The Yanks climbed to 32-31 at the expense of the Arizona Diamondbacks, aided by Alex Rodriguez's league-leading 25th home run and a strong eight innings from Mike Mussina.
Paris Was Right: It's Not Fair!
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 14, 2007 12:53 PM CDT
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Paris Hilton wasn't just being a spoiled brat when she cried injustice on being hauled back to jail earlier this week. The weepy celebutante is in fact doing more hard time than most people guilty of crimes like hers, the LA Times reports after analyzing 1,500 similar cases in the last five years.
Top 10 Country Music Rebels
jam! showbiz
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Jun 14, 2007 12:29 PM CDT
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And the roughest toughest country singer is... Hank Williams Johnny Cash Willie Nelson Merle Haggard Loretta Lynn
Va. Tech Probe Points to Privacy Laws
Washington Post
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Jun 14, 2007 12:15 PM CDT
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A tangle of privacy laws helps prevent officials from sharing vital info about mentally ill individuals who may be dangerous, making it possible for them to buy handguns—and setting the stage for incidents like the Virginia Tech massacre. Greater awareness of the leeway officials have when safety is a concern could improve record-sharing, a high-level...
Surge Fizzles in Iraq
Washington Post
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Jun 14, 2007 11:45 AM CDT
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A new report shows no overall drop in bloodshed in Iraq despite the three-month-old troop surge. Violence has fallen slightly in Baghdad and Anbar province, where troops are concentrated, but a corresponding rise everywhere else more than compensates. And while sectarian killings have dropped slightly, civilian casualties are up, and suicide attacks...
Mortgage Trouble Rattles Wall Street
Bloomberg
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Jun 14, 2007 10:54 AM CDT
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Bear Stearns posted a 10% drop in quarterly earnings today, the latest victim of the subprime collapse. The country's second-largest mortgage-bond underwriter posted profits well below expectations, down nearly 33% from last year to $362 million. Goldman Sachs escaped bruised but more-or-less unscathed, with profits up 1% on the strength of its banking...
