Newser Story Index from June, 2008
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.
China's One-Child Policy Leads to Nation of Angry Men
New Republic
|
Jun 28, 2008 7:43 PM CDT
(Newser) -
China’s got a big problem, one of its own making. The nation's one-child policy, now 30 years old, has resulted in a land of angry, testosterone-filled young men unable to find wives, writes Mara Hvistendahl in the New Republic . Finally worried about the world's biggest gender imbalance and its related spike in crime, the government is "vainly"...
Euro Cup Arena Covers Vienna's Dark Past
Radio Free Netherlands
|
Jun 28, 2008 7:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Vienna stadium that will host tomorrow's Euro Cup final hides a brutal past beneath the stands, where more than the 1,000 Jewish prisoners were held in 1939. Nazis took medical samples and made plaster casts of the prisoners, who were allowed outside daily but could not step on the grass—because soccer games were still being played there.
Why Aren't I Laughing About McCain's Age?
New York Times
|
Jun 28, 2008 7:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Face it, John McCain: You’re old. How old? “When I was born, you were nearly six years older than my mother,” writes Charles Blow in the New York Times . “Now, seven years into her retirement, you want a new job: the hardest job in the world. Wow!” This worries Blow, who's not alone: A recent poll reveals that 25% of...
Idol's Studdard Says, 'I Do'
OK!
|
Jun 28, 2008 6:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Remember Ruben Studdard? The winner of American Idol ’s second season now has won himself a wife. Studdard, 29, married his girlfriend of 2 years, Surata Zuri McCants, 30, in a lavish ceremony today in Birmingham, Ala., OK! reports.
Surgery Cuts Down Obesity Without a Knife
Boston Globe
|
Jun 28, 2008 5:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A Boston hospital has successfully performed a first-of-its-kind obesity surgery that doesn’t require a scalpel. The promising treatment involves passing a tube through the patient’s throat, which bypasses the need to cut the patient—and reduces the risk of infections, bleeding, and scarring. “This is less invasive, and patients...
Fuel Crisis a Boon for Rickshaw Business
Washington Post
|
Jun 28, 2008 5:32 PM CDT
(Newser) -
New Delhi had fallen out of love with rickshaws. Here, as in many modernizing Asian capitals, the bicycle-drawn cabs are seen as embarrassing, street-clogging third-world throwbacks. They’ve even been banned from the city’s older, walled section—but with gas at $7 a gallon, rickshaw peddlers are touting their services once again....
Obama Could Lose on Substance
Chicago Tribune
|
Jun 28, 2008 5:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama’s double-digit lead over John McCain may end up a mirage, writes Paul West in the Chicago Tribune , because many voters still don’t know much about the senator's politics. The media has focused largely on trivia, leaving wide swaths of the electorate unsure where Obama stands. “I just know ‘vote for change,’”...
Religious Tensions Follow India Bombings
Washington Post
|
Jun 28, 2008 4:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A sign on a mosque door in India warns outsiders—that is, members of conservative Muslim sects—to keep out. “These are dangerous times,” one mosque member told the Washington Post . “We cannot trust anybody.” Such is the climate in India, where moderate Muslims feel besieged by conservatives, and fear groups such...
Obama Show Coming to Europe, Mideast
New York Times
|
Jun 28, 2008 3:53 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama will travel to Europe and the Middle East this summer in his first international tour as a presidential candidate, he announced today. Designed to offset criticism that he lacks foreign policy experience, the trip will include stops in Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and Britain, the New York Times reports. He will also visit Iraq and...
What if Oil Hits $200?
Los Angeles Times
|
Jun 28, 2008 3:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Wall Street has predicted $200-per-barrel oil for months, but what if it really happens? Not only drivers would be hurt by such a spike, the Los Angeles Times reports: Inflation would skyrocket as oil-derived products turn pricey and "the purchasing power of the American people would be kicked in the teeth so darned hard that they won't have...
Mugabe Targets Opposition— in Britain, Too
Independent (UK)
|
Jun 28, 2008 3:05 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Robert Mugabe has agents in Britain harassing dissidents and disrupting opposition fundraising, the Independent reports. British security sources confirmed that Zimbabwean government supporters in England are terrorizing the nearly 4,000 supporters of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the UK as Mugabe seeks to keep his grip on power. A key target...
Frank, Chicago Isn't Your Kind of Town Anymore
Chicago Tribune
|
Jun 28, 2008 2:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The gritty home of the Bulls and Bears is turning soft, Radley Balko gripes in the Chicago Tribune . The Windy City has developed a nasty case of paternalism that’s trampling the rights of its people to smoke, drink, and eat trans fats freely—and even ranked last in a poll gauging the freedoms of America's most-populated cities.
Venus Wins With Record Serve at Wimbledon
Associated Press
|
Jun 28, 2008 1:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Venus Williams served her way into history today, dispatching Spaniard Maria Sanchez 6-1, 7-5 and finishing with a 127-mph delivery, the fastest ever by a woman at Wimbledon. “I was happy with that one,” gushed the defending champ, aiming for her fourth title. She and number two seed Jelena Jankovic now advance to the fourth round.
Pakistan Routs Taliban Forces in Major Offensive
CNN
|
Jun 28, 2008 1:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Pakistan blasted suspected militant hideouts today, launching its biggest offensive against Taliban forces since electing a government last March. The military cleared three militant outposts and forced the insurgents west, CNN reports. For weeks, tensions have mounted between militants and Islamabad, which abandoned its diplomatic strategy as insurgent...
Bush Demands Action Against Zimbabwe
Associated Press
|
Jun 28, 2008 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Washington is seeking ways to punish Robert Mugabe for his violent "sham" of an election, President Bush said today. Bush has ordered Condoleezza Rice and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to work up sanctions against Zimbabwe, which ran a runoff ballot yesterday with Mugabe the sole candidate. Rice vowed to "press for strong action by...
Mennonites, Amish Battle Hospitals Over 'Inflated' Bills
Wall Street Journal
|
Jun 28, 2008 12:36 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Jesse Martin shuns health insurance and government aid, although nine of his kids are seriously ill. Like other self-sufficient Pennsylvania Mennonites, and Amish too, Martin avails modern medicine for the fatal diseases that are ravaging their families—but is hard-up to pay the bills, which Martin claims are inflated. "I just want to pay...
Barr's Run Has Many in GOP Worried
New York Times
|
Jun 28, 2008 12:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Bob Barr’s former GOP colleagues have been beseeching the Libertarian Party presidential nominee not to run against John McCain. “Please don’t do it,” Barr happily recounts being told. They fear he could do to McCain what Nader did to Gore in states such as Georgia, Alaska, and Colorado, the New York Times reports. But those...
5 Potions for Sun Worshipers
Vogue
|
Jun 28, 2008 11:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With summer upon us, Vogue offers five suggestions for skin care products that also protect from the sun: Freeze 24-7 Ice Shield Facial Cleanser: With an SPF 15 rating, it offers decent protection from incidental exposure. $48.
Judge Pulls Sex Tapes Off Web Site
Associated Press
|
Jun 28, 2008 10:59 AM CDT
(AP) -
Verne Troyer managed to get the sex tape starring him and a former girlfriend out of circulation, at least for a while, last night, after a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order requested by his attorneys. The celebrity Web site TMZ pulled the 25-second snippet of the Austin Powers actor that had been up since Wednesday, and the ruling...
Mugabe Expected to Declare Landslide Victory Today
Reuters
|
Jun 28, 2008 10:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Robert Mugabe is wasting little time. Zimbabwe is expected to announce today that he will win in a landslide and be sworn in to a new term as early as tomorrow, Reuters reports. That would allow him to attend Monday's summit of African Union nations with the election wrapped up. Meanwhile, stories continue to surface about Mugabe's supporters forcing...
For Venture Capitalists, Wells Run Dry
New York Times
|
Jun 28, 2008 10:04 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Wall Street has not been kind to venture capitalists in the second quarter. For the first time since 1978, not one company they backed went public, taking away their source of big paydays, the New York Times reports. Observers cite a number of reasons, including lousy market conditions, a shift to investment in alternative energy companies...
NRA Sues San Francisco, Chicago Over Gun Laws
San Francisco Chronicle
|
Jun 28, 2008 9:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Close on the heels of the Supreme Court ruling that Americans have the right to own guns for self-defense, the National Rifle Association filed suits yesterday against San Francisco and Chicago over gun-control laws in those cities. In San Francisco, the NRA hopes to overturn a law keeping guns out of public housing, and in Chicago, to end a ban on...
Hanoi Captor Endorses McCain, Denies Torture
Associated Press
|
Jun 28, 2008 9:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain’s Vietnam War jailer says he would vote for him because of McCain's willingness to forgive and look to the future, the AP reports. In the same breath, Tran Trong Duyet denied that McCain was tortured during his 5-year imprisonment and accused him of making up the stories to win votes. A retired Marine imprisoned with McCain spoke...
YouTube Divorcee Hubby Goes to Court
New York Daily News
|
Jun 28, 2008 8:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
"I felt absolutely awful, I was humiliated, I was embarrassed, I was hurt," the husband of YouTube sensation Patricia Walsh-Smith said yesterday in a New York divorce court. "I felt violated in every sense of the word." Philip Smith was telling his side of the story—to a judge—after his wife's series of angry videos...
Deep V-Necks No Longer Welcome at Tee Party
Radar
|
Jun 28, 2008 8:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The deep V-neck T-shirt, that "misguided ode to the male sternum," has taken the classic, plain, white version to a place so fashion forward many are hoping it gets lost there, Kate Radway writes in Radar . "I see them on the street and I am almost sick of it," says a rep for American Apparel, identified as the key trend culprit.
Fighting Forces Get No Break on Fuel Price Hikes
Associated Press
|
Jun 28, 2008 7:37 AM CDT
(AP) -
Consumers at the gas pump aren't the only ones suffering sticker shock: Military units in Iraq and elsewhere will see another hike in fuel costs next week, the second increase this budget year amid soaring oil prices. On July 1, the cost for refined fuel used by troops will jump 34% to more than double what the Pentagon was paying 3 years ago, the...
US and Europe to Share Private Data
New York Times
|
Jun 28, 2008 7:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The US and the European Union will soon allow security agencies to swap private information, including credit card purchases, travel histories and web surfing. The potential agreement is a breakthrough in a standoff between American counterterrorism officials and their trans-Atlantic counterparts, whose countries tend to have more stringent privacy...
Afghan Taliban Resurgence Alarms Pentagon
Wall Street Journal
|
Jun 28, 2008 6:59 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Taliban militants in Afghanistan have regrouped “into a resilient insurgency” that has US allies "losing ground and slipping backwards," a new Pentagon report concludes. Bombing attacks set a record in 2007, and are on track to top that in 2008. Security conditions in the war-torn country have declined sharply, and the Afghan...
Where Will Jay Go After Tonight ?
Hollywood Reporter
|
Jun 28, 2008 6:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Jay Leno might be losing his beloved "Tonight Show," writes the Hollywood Reporter , but the host still has a ratings punch and an enviable set of options (in decreasing order of probability): Take ABC’s 11:30pm-12:30am slot, displacing Nightline and Jimmy Kimmel Live and competing with Letterman and O’Brien. ...
Air Travelers Will See 10% Flight Cuts by Fall
New York Times
|
Jun 28, 2008 6:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Travelers will start to feel the full force of airline moves to grapple with rising fuel costs by Labor Day, as 10% of flights will be cut, a dip that will downsize the industry to post-9/11 levels, the New York Times reports. The reductions could push fares up by 40% over the next 4 years, on top of 17% hikes in the cost of tickets already this...
The Next Big Web Start-Ups
MIT Technology Review
|
Jun 28, 2008 6:04 AM CDT
(Newser) -
What’s next in the wide world of Web? MIT’s Technology Review lists 10 up-and-coming apps and gadgets to make communicating even easier: Pinger . Like texting, but with your voice: leave voice messages for your friends on the company’s server. Pownce . A microblogging service like Twitter—but users can...
Lindsay Has Secret Half-Sis, 13, Dad Says
OK!
|
Jun 27, 2008 8:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Lindsay Lohan may have a secret sister, if her dad is dishing the truth. Michael Lohan told OK! today that he fathered a child with another gal while separated from ex-wife Dina 13 years ago. She’s “beginning to look a lot like Linds,” Papa Lohan wrote to the girl's mom.
Angry Worker Blasts Yahoo in Email
Fortune Magazine
|
Jun 27, 2008 8:05 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A sarcastic Yahoo employee slammed the company in an email sent to Fortune today, taking aim at futile executives and lousy decision-making. In the wake of Yahoo's latest shakeup, "things could not be better," the email says: True, past "reorgs" were sparked by pointless executive shifts, but eight execs really did quit this week...
Ex-Army Doc to Get $5.8M in Anthrax Case
Associated Press
|
Jun 27, 2008 7:44 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Justice Department will pay nearly $6 million to an ex-Army scientist for naming him in an anthrax probe 7 years ago, the AP reports. The feds settled out of court today for calling Steven Hatfill a "person of interest" in the still-unsolved case, but continued to "deny all liability in connection with Dr. Hatfill's claims,”...
Metal Gear Solid 4 Is a Winner
USA Today
|
Jun 27, 2008 7:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
If you’re a fan of Metal Gear Solid , you’ll love the fourth and final chapter, Marc Saltzman writes in USA Today ; if you’re not, you might be bored stiff by the “cinematic sequences, confusing storylines and campy dialogue” of Guns of the Patriots . But don’t let that dissuade you: MGS4 is “probably...
Obama's Race a Gift . . . for Comedians
San Jose Mercury News
|
Jun 27, 2008 6:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In this election, at least one group is unafraid to play the race card: comedians. Entertainers may be the only ones who can talk candidly about the subject, the San Jose Mercury News reports. And boy, are they. “I'm voting for Barack Obama," said one comedian. "I did it because he's black. Not because he's intelligent, or well...
Aussie Minister Ditches Economy for Wombats
Australia's News Network
|
Jun 27, 2008 6:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Australian economy might be wobbly, but the treasury secretary would rather be off romping with northern hairy-nosed wombats, the Brisbane Courier-Mail reports. Ken Henry is unapologetically using the legislature's 5-week winter recess to tend to a small population of endangered critters—to the baying of opposition politicians worried over...
Star Lawyer Gets 5 Years in Bribery Rap
Clarion-Ledger
|
Jun 27, 2008 5:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Disgraced Mississippi lawyer Dickie Scruggs was sentenced to the maximum 5 years in prison today in a judicial bribery scheme; at the hearing, the class-action pioneer said, “I could not be more ashamed than I am today.” The judge hinted he might shave some time off if Scruggs cooperates with authorities in other bribery probes, the Jackson...
Gunnin' Sure to Score With Hoop Fans
Rotten Tomatoes
|
Jun 27, 2008 5:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot, the second documentary from Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, is no Hoop Dreams , but critics predict a slam-dunk with roundball and hip-hop aficionados. The film follows eight high school phenoms through a high-profile Harlem pick-up game and “offers a snapshot of the kind of top players who one day hope to have a shoe...
Croatia Fans' Nazi Taunting of Turks Under Scrutiny
Associated Press
|
Jun 27, 2008 5:01 PM CDT
(Newser) -
European soccer authorities are looking into allegations Croatian fans held Nazi banners and made racist comments during a June 20 match with Turkey, the AP reports. The Croatian Football Federation denounced the bad conduct, saying it “is not a characteristic behavior of true Croatian fans, who showed good behavior and friendly relation to other...
Stars Turn Out to Fete Mandela
BBC
|
Jun 27, 2008 4:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A benefit concert for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday drew a constellation of music stars to London today, the BBC reports. Will Smith kicked off the festivities, and Leona Lewis was a hit with the crowd, but the star of the show, as expected, was Mandela. "Even as we celebrate, let us remind ourselves that our work is far from complete,"...
Tomatoes May Not Be Behind Salmonella Outbreak
Associated Press
|
Jun 27, 2008 4:30 PM CDT
(AP) -
As salmonella cases continue to climb, the government is checking to see whether tainted tomatoes are in fact to blame for the record outbreak, the AP reports. Federal officials say the problem may be with another ingredient or with a warehouse contaminating newly harvested tomatoes.The widening outbreak, with 810 people confirmed ill, means whatever...
Teary Farewell for Gates
Seattle Times
|
Jun 27, 2008 4:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Microsoft celebrated Bill Gates’ last day as a full-time employee today, the Seattle Times reports. More than 800 employees, family members and friends shared memories at the company’s corporate conference center in Redmond, Wash. CEO Steve Ballmer bid a tearful farewell to his longtime friend: "We've been given a enormous opportunity,...
Stay-At-Home Mom, Indeed
Babble
|
Jun 27, 2008 4:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Home-birthing isn’t only strange and magical—it requires some covert-operation skills, Madeline Holler writes in Babble. After finding she preferred an attending midwife in the birth of her first child, Holler found using one for her second to be illegal in Missouri, where she'd moved. As such, she found, "there were trade-offs in...
Lobbyist on Obama: 'Kerry With a Tan'
Associated Press
|
Jun 27, 2008 3:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Anti-tax lobbyist Grover Norquist visited the LA Times Washington bureau today and left behind more than a few raised eyebrows, if not dropped jaws. In evaluating Barack Obama's economic policies, the head of Americans for Tax Reform referred to the senator as "John Kerry with a tan." Don Frederick blogs: "Since Norquist isn't running...
Order in Court Will Be Task for Next President
Boston Globe
|
Jun 27, 2008 3:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Recent Supreme Court decisions that broke 5-4 underlined the impact the next president could have on top US judicial body, the Boston Globe notes. The liberal bloc—including John Paul Stevens (age 88) and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (75)—is more likely to lose members during the next administration, so a President McCain could greatly change...
$142 Oil Drives Stocks Down
MarketWatch
|
Jun 27, 2008 3:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The markets fell today, continuing the slide that marked yesterday’s session. Investors continued to mull the tidal wave of bad news that hit the financial, tech and consumer discretionary sectors Thursday, MarketWatch reports. The Dow fell 104.46 to 11,348.96, the Nasdaq lost 5.74 to close at 2,315.63, and the S&P 500 dropped 4.68, closing...
Facebook to Ask Users to Specify Gender
CNET
|
Jun 27, 2008 3:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Facebook announced a seemingly minor change today: Users will soon be prompted to specify a gender for their “mini-feed” updates. The site has been using the awkward “themself” to avoid gender specificity, but Facebook managers say that doesn’t work so well when the site is translated into languages that ingrain gender...
At Home With Woozy Winehouse
Rolling Stone
|
Jun 27, 2008 3:01 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In the wake of another scandal—singing racist ditties on video—Amy Winehouse invites Claire Hoffman of Rolling Stone into her trashed home in London to witness the train wreck firsthand. Over tea and beer, a groggy Winehouse talks drugs, her next album, and her jailed husband, flitting outside now and then to toy with the paparazzi.
Obama Just Wants Evangelicals Not to Fear Him
Slate
|
Jun 27, 2008 2:47 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama’s plan to cut the Democrats' evangelical deficit (68%-30% in 2000, 78-21% in '04)? Convince the religious right he’s not the devil. That’s a “radically different” course from the one taken by John Kerry and Al Gore, what Jeff Greenfield, on Slate, calls a “reassurance strategy”—“in...
