Newser Story Index from July, 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.
Cowabunga! Simpsons Rule Box Office
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 29, 2007 4:43 PM CDT
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Move over, Mr. Burns—America's favorite family became millionaires this weekend. “The Simpsons Movie” took in an estimated $71.9 on its opening weekend, beating industry expectations by more than $30 million. The film’s strong start, buffeted by an aggressive marketing campaign, proved the show's relevance and durability in...
Real Priest Urges Virtual Soul-Searching
Reuters
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Jul 29, 2007 4:20 PM CDT
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A Jesuit academic is encouraging fellow believers to take the word of God to a new world—virtual reality. In a Roman Jesuit journal, Father Antonio Spadaro urges missionaries to preach the good life in Second Life, describing the online simulation game as packed with real souls to save, Reuters reports.
Gator Goes to the Beach—on Long Island
Newsday
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Jul 29, 2007 3:38 PM CDT
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And you thought your Halloween costume was scary: A pillowcase found wriggling in a Long Island parking lot early yesterday turned out to contain a 2½-foot male alligator. An official from the town of Babylon found the creature near a beach, Newsday reports, with a message on the pillowcase: "Live Gator—Please find him a home."
Triumphant Iraqis Celebrate Soccer Win
Reuters
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Jul 29, 2007 3:16 PM CDT
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Iraqis celebrated their national soccer team's triumph in the Asian Cup today in an emotional bout of revelry marked by joyful gunfire in the streets of Baghdad. "We achieved the dream. Allahu Akbar!" a crying fan told Iraqiya state television after Iraq defeated Saudi Arabia 1 to 0 in Jakarta.
Spanish Cyclist Races to Tour de France Victory
New York Times
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Jul 29, 2007 2:36 PM CDT
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Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador donned the final yellow jersey on the Champs Elysées yesterday after winning the 94th tour de France. The 24-year-old underdog—who was not even captain of his team—was bolstered by his climbing skills on this year's particularly mountainous route.
Bush Buddy Squelched Health Report
Washington Post
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Jul 29, 2007 1:47 PM CDT
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A Bush appointee spiked a 2006 surgeon general's report on global health issues for not promoting the administration's policy efforts, WaPo reports. Richard Steiger, an HHS official and longtime Bush family friend, suppressed a report urging Americans to take on global health problems, and discussed connections between poverty and illness.
'Beauty and the Beast' Takes Last Bow on Broadway
Associated Press
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Jul 29, 2007 12:23 PM CDT
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The final curtain falls on Beauty and the Beast today after more than 5,000 performances and 13 years on Broadway. The show that started the Disney-on-Broadway rage will exit the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre to make room for a stage adaptation of another kiddie staple, The Little Mermaid, the AP reports.
Afghan Hostage Talks Stall as Threats Escalate
Reuters
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Jul 29, 2007 11:51 AM CDT
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The Taliban will kill 22 South Korean hostages tomorrow if the Afghan government does not release insurgent prisoners, a spokesman for the kidnappers said today. The Taliban leadership council issued the most recent death threat since the abductions Wednesday, signaling its seriousness, Reuters reports. And Afghan and foreign troops are stationed in...
Schedule Woes Plague Northwest
ABC News
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Jul 29, 2007 11:21 AM CDT
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Northwest Airlines is blaming a slew of weekend flight cancellations on a sharp rise in pilot absenteeism. The fifth-largest US airline canceled 200 flights over the past 2 days, but pilots say it has nothing to do with them skipping out on work, ABC News reports. They point the finger at maxed-out time sheets and a staffing shortage.
Harassment Allegation Could Haunt Bloomberg
Associated Press
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Jul 29, 2007 10:49 AM CDT
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A 1997 sexual harassment suit against Michael Bloomberg could become an obstacle if the New York mayor attempts a presidential run, the AP reports. Although the suit was settled in 2000 and has not been a political liability during his term, the allegations that he made bawdy remarks to a female executive at his company may hurt his support elsewhere.
Affordable Southern Suburbs
BusinessWeek
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Jul 29, 2007 10:18 AM CDT
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BusinessWeek lists the 25 most affordable suburbs in the South, determined not only by housing prices but also cost of living, violent crime rate, and school test scores. The first 10, in alphabetical order: Abilene, Texas Broken Arrow, Okla. Cary, NC Charlottesville, Va. Farragut, Va.
NY Times: Impeach Gonzales
New York Times
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Jul 29, 2007 9:45 AM CDT
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A scathing editorial in today's New York Times calls for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate Alberto Gonzales' "words and deeds" and concludes with an unequivocal recommendation: "If that does not happen, Congress should impeach Mr. Gonzales." The call comes as the White House attempts to resolve apparent contradictions...
Thou Shalt Not Wear Stained Neckties
Forbes
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Jul 29, 2007 9:15 AM CDT
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Forbes gives fashion-impaired guys a few much-needed tips. Here are 10 fashion sins to be avoided at all costs: Pants that are too long or too short. White socks with dress shoes. Mixing patterns, especially from different color families. Ties that are too long or too short. Stained clothing.
Japan Election Results Spell Big Trouble for PM
Reuters
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Jul 29, 2007 8:46 AM CDT
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Shinzo Abe's scandal-plagued administration suffered a possible death blow today as his coalition lost its majority in the upper house of the Japanese parliament, but the beleaguered PM vowed to remain on the job. Although Abe's Liberal Democratic Party dominates the lower chamber, the opposition can stall legislation in the upper house, effectively...
Docs Replace Cheney's Heart Implant
Associated Press
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Jul 29, 2007 8:15 AM CDT
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Doctors have replaced Dick Cheney's defibrillator "without complication," a spokeswoman for the VP says. A checkup last month revealed that the battery in the 6-year-old cardiac implant was running low, and yesterday doctors performed a routine procedure to swap out the power source without affecting the wires that connect to the heart, the...
Portrait of the Candidate as a College Student
New York Times
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Jul 29, 2007 7:43 AM CDT
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The first shock is to remember that college students used to actually write letters. To friends from high school, even. One of Hillary Clinton's bookish buddies from Park Ridge, Ill., then a Princeton undergrad and now a professor at Scripps College, saved her dispatches from Wellesley and shares the revelatory dispatches with the New York Times .
Scientists Race to Save Rice Crops
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 29, 2007 7:09 AM CDT
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While much of the world focuses its attention on oil, 1,000 people in a lab outside Manila are worrying about the other staple the modern world depends on: rice. Because of drought, floods, and overproduction, Asian rice yields are flatlining, the Journal reports; as a result, the price of the world's most eaten foodstuff has shot up 70% since 2001.
Pilots Killed at Two Air Shows
CNN
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Jul 28, 2007 6:50 PM CDT
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A stunt pilot doing loop-the-loops at a Dayton air show was killed in a crash today, just a day after another pilot died in a Oshkosh, WI, air show. The stunt pilot was flying one of two S2S biplanes when he crashed at the end of the runway, before thousands of fans.
Noriega Inspires Fight between Panama, France
New York Times
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Jul 28, 2007 4:34 PM CDT
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Manuel Noriega will be released from a Miami prison in September, but where he'll go after that is up in the air. The US wants to transfer the deposed dictator—convicted of corruption, kidnapping, and murder—to France for more jail time. But some Panamanians want him in a local prison, the NY Times reports. American officials say Noriega’s...
Why Wall Street Is Bullish on Texas
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 28, 2007 4:11 PM CDT
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Companies with Texas offices save thousands by hosting cattle or growing crops on their property, the WSJ reports. The state’s “agricultural exemption” grants hefty property tax breaks to firms devoting at least part of their land to preserving or cultivating nature. Fidelity saved more than $318,000 by allowing 24 longhorns to...
Force May Be Used to Free Korean Hostages
Reuters
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Jul 28, 2007 3:49 PM CDT
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One of the 22 South Korean hostages held in Afghanistan spoke to a Reuters reporter today, saying she and the other remaining hostages are continually moved to different locations. She appealed to both the Taliban and the Afghan government to free them. A senior Afghan official said force “certainly” will be used if necessary to free the...
UN Eyes Congo After Gorilla Murders
CNN
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Jul 28, 2007 3:47 PM CDT
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Four mountain gorillas were shot to death in a nature preserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and UNESCO is flying in to help with the unsolved crime, CNN reports. The massacre of an alpha male and three females follows the recent killing of three other mountain gorillas—only 700 of which exist worldwide.
Libya Reveals Source of $$$ to Free Medical Workers
BBC
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Jul 28, 2007 1:35 PM CDT
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Libya announced details today about the deal that freed six foreign medical workers, as it officially protested the pardoning of the workers by the Bulgarian government, BBC reports. The group had been imprisoned in Libya since 1999 for infecting 438 children with HIV/AIDS. But international experts say there was absolutely no basis for...
Musharraf Meets with Exiled Pakistani Leader
CNN
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Jul 28, 2007 12:36 PM CDT
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Embattled Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf met with exiled opposition leader Benazir Bhutto yesterday in Abu Dhabi to rally support, sources tell CNN. The two leaders haven’t spoken since Musharraf seized power in 1999, but their reps have been talking for months. Musharraf hopes to hang on to the presidency but may have to cede his...
Cleared Terror Suspect to Leave Australia
BBC
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Jul 28, 2007 12:04 PM CDT
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An Indian doctor cleared of involvement in the failed UK bomb attacks is flying home to India to be with his family, but his Australian work visa won't be restored, the immigration minister announced today. Lawyers for Mohamed Haneef are demanding that his name be cleared completely and will mount a court appeal to restore the visa.
Phoenix News Choppers Collide
Washington Post
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Jul 28, 2007 11:23 AM CDT
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Television reporters had to focus on their own yesterday, after a pair of news choppers from different stations collided over a Phoenix park, killing two pilots and two photographers. Both choppers were sending live footage of a police chase involving a stolen truck. "There was a huge boom," said one eyewitness who was almost directly below.
Bush Plans Huge Arms Deal With Saudis
New York Times
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Jul 28, 2007 8:43 AM CDT
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The White House is proposing a $20 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia and five Gulf neighbors, despite increasing dismay over the Saudis' undermining the US-backed Iraqi government, the New York Times reports. The deal, likely to generate resistance in Congress, makes no demands for Saudi cooperation on Iraq; its aim is to counter Iranian power in...
'Picnik' Lets Photographers Edit Anywhere
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 28, 2007 8:22 AM CDT
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Extolling the new crop of slick, easy-to-use Web-based applications, the Wall Street Journal's Walter Mossberg singles out "Picnik"—a new free alternative to traditional desktop editing programs. Picnik lets photogs on the go add simple edits like cropping, resizing, and color correction without installing anything.
British Doc Prescribes Statins to All Men Over 50
Guardian (UK)
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Jul 28, 2007 8:06 AM CDT
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All men aged 50 and over should forestall heart disease with daily doses of cholesterol-reducing statins, a leading health figure in British government has proposed. The so-called “heart czar” acknowledged he might provoke “nanny state” accusations, but said the process of identifying at-risk men is too cumbersome,...
Exploring the Two Sides of India
The Morning News
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Jul 28, 2007 7:45 AM CDT
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The Delhi area is a microcosm of India, torn between urban sprawl and utter poverty. Endless construction, skyscrapers, highways, condos, and shopping malls share the city with naked children rummaging through garbage for food. Pasha Malla of the Morning News returns to his ancestral home on a mission to visit Kashmir and encounters the two sides of...
Mais Oui! French Prez Is Friend to Business
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 28, 2007 7:42 AM CDT
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France could see a longer work week and new limits on workers' right to strike if President Nicholas Sarkozy gets his way. He's already reduced wealth taxes on certain investments and practically eliminated the inheritance tax, the Los Angeles Times reports. But supporters insist he will not erode social benefits or copy the freewheeling American...
Crossfire Over Hillary's Cleavage
Washington Post
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Jul 28, 2007 7:40 AM CDT
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A senior adviser to Hillary Clinton released a letter yesterday condemning a Washington Post columnist for noting a cleavage-baring outfit the Senator wore in a televised speech last week. In a fundraising flyer, Ann Lewis called Robin Givhan's piece "grossly inappropriate," and urged donors to help fight treatment she called "insulting."
10 Free Ways to Make Your Windows Computer Safer
ZDNet
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Jul 28, 2007 7:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The tech wizards at ZDNet offer their picks for security-conscious PC users on a budget: Secunia Personal Software Inspector (psi.secunia.com) OpenDNS (www.opendns.com) Active Virus Shield (www.activevirusshield.com/antivirus/freeav/index.adp?) Haute Secure (www.hautesecure.com) GMER anti-rootkit (www.gmer.net/index.php)...
Immigration Busts Have Whiff of Politics
Salon
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Jul 28, 2007 7:38 AM CDT
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Massive workplace raids, conducted by armed federal agents and targeting illegal immigrants, are on the rise, and the reason, critics charge, is that the White House wants to curry favor with conservatives. In the first five months of '07, Salon reports, 3,226 undocumented workers were arrested in these expensive operations; in all of 2002, the total...
Bonds Moves Within 1
Associated Press
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Jul 28, 2007 1:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barry Bonds moved within one home run of Hank Aaron in the first inning last night in San Francisco, smacking his 20th round-tripper of the season and running his career total to 754. The slugger pumped his fist as he rounded the bases, and the Marlins then walked him four times as the Giants recorded a 12-10 victory.
Ex-Qwest CEO Gets 6 Years
Bloomberg
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Jul 27, 2007 5:43 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Qwest's former CEO was sentenced to 6 years in prison today for engaging in insider trading while the company's stock plummeted. Joseph Nacchio committed "crimes of overarching greed,'' a federal judge in Denver said as he fined him $19 million in addition to the $52 million he must forfeit, then denied Nacchio's request for both probation and...
GOP Must Break Mold to Beat Hill
New York Times
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Jul 27, 2007 5:15 PM CDT
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Hillary is such a surprise campaign juggernaut that her Republican rivals don't stand a chance, says New York Times’ resident conservative David Brooks, unless they muster weapons nobody's seen yet. The senator’s display of experience and confidence has been extraordinary, he writes, and her falling negatives bode well for converting...
France Opens Probe Against Former PM
BBC
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Jul 27, 2007 4:47 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Dominique de Villepin, France's former PM and a longtime rival of president Nicolas Sarkozy, will undergo a formal investigation for his alleged role in improperly smearing Sarkozy. De Villepin denies involvement in the scandal which may also implicate former president Jacques Chirac, but the announcement is seen as a step towards criminal charges.
Harsh Reality: Richie Draws 4-Day Sentence
E! Online
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Jul 27, 2007 4:14 PM CDT
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Giving the cast of The Simple Life an 0-for-2 record in the California courts, Nicole Richie was sentenced to 4 days in jail today after pleading guilty to driving the wrong way on an LA freeway while under the influence of drugs. The skeletal starlet must attend 21 days of alcohol-education classes and pay a $2,048 fine, E! Online reports.
Dow Sinks Further on Credit Jitters
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 27, 2007 4:10 PM CDT
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Stocks tumbled more than 200 points for the second day in a row, on fears that small-cap securities might be especially hard hit by a possible collapse in certain financial services. The Dow was down 208.10 to 13265.47, despite a report that the GDP grew faster this quarter than it has in a year—but the Russell 2000, which measures small stocks,...
NASA Admits Sabotage, Drunk Astronauts
CNN
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Jul 27, 2007 3:20 PM CDT
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NASA promised immediate action today on embarrassing reports of an intentionally damaged computer and inebriated astronauts. An administrator said an internal safety review, staff briefing on new policy, and official 12-hour pre-flight ban on alcohol would follow an independent panel’s finding of “heavy” alcohol use by astronauts...
Lynchings Re-enacted to Probe Cases
CNN
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Jul 27, 2007 2:55 PM CDT
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Graphic re-enactments of lynchings, including ketchup-covered doll ‘fetuses’ ripped from ‘pregnant victims,’ were staged in a Georgia campaign to warm up some cold civil rights cases, CNN reports. Some groups have also offered private rewards, as local and national efforts converge in a desire to bring '60s-era murderers to...
Online Maps Give Personal View of World
New York Times
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Jul 27, 2007 2:16 PM CDT
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Taking a page from Wikipedia, Internet users are harnessing the collective knowledge of millions and applying it to maps. On the rapidly growing "GeoWeb," surfers create custom atlases using mapping technology by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and others. The user-generated maps can highlight anything from stores to previously unavailable maps...
US Will Share Nuke Fuel, Technology With India
Associated Press
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Jul 27, 2007 1:46 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The United States unveiled a plan today to share nuclear fuel and technology with India, upending decades of American non-proliferation strictures, the AP reports. The deal allows only civilian uses, but critics are concerned nonetheless about the specter of an Asian nuclear arms race.
Whoopi Joins 'The View'
People
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Jul 27, 2007 1:15 PM CDT
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Whoopi Goldberg and comedian Sherri Shepherd will be adding their views to daytime television this fall. "The View” will announce the new additions next week, the LA Times reports, two months after Rosie O’Donnell’s acrimonious departure.
Brown Downplays US Fissure
Reuters
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Jul 27, 2007 1:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Britain's new Prime Minister is set to meet with President Bush at Camp David next week amid rumors that relations between the two nations have cooled since Tony Blair's departure. Brown is walking a tightrope between rebuffing this speculation and being seen as "America's poodle," an epithet Blair earned for his close collaboration with...
Judge Tosses Anti-immigrant Town Law
BusinessWeek
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Jul 27, 2007 12:43 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A set of city ordinances intended to check illegal immigration was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge yesterday, the AP reports. The measures had imposed fines on businesses that hired illegal workers and required rental tenants to register with the city and buy permits.
Major Bancroft Branch to Nix Murdoch Offer
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 27, 2007 12:09 PM CDT
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An important faction within the Bancroft family will vote against Rupert Murdoch’s controversial $5 billion deal for Dow Jones, instead demanding a significant increase of his offer. The Denver branch of the family, which owns a crucial 9.1% of Dow Jones voting stock, wants an extra $120 to $240 million to match their higher-valued voting shares,...
US Economy Surpasses Forecasts
Bloomberg
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Jul 27, 2007 12:05 PM CDT
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Sumbrime-lending and housing-market woes didn't hold back the rest of the economy in the second quarter, as overall growth exceeded expectations and hit a 3.4% projected annual rate, the government said today. Economists pointed to the expanding global economy, which drives demand for exports, as well as greater business investment and government spending...
Hospitals Make Progress Against Infections
New York Times
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Jul 27, 2007 12:00 PM CDT
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Infections picked up in hospitals kill nearly 100,000 people in the US every year and are on the rise, but some institutions seem to have found a remedy: simple hygiene. The Times visits the VA hospital in Pittsburgh, which has slashed the rate of virulent bacterial infections by using simple, cheap measures such as making hand sanitizer widely available.
