Newser Story Index from September, 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.
Balky Collider Offline Into '09
Times (UK)
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Sep 23, 2008 3:52 PM CDT
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A serious malfunction, and the necessarily slow progress of repairs, will keep the Large Hadron Collider from starting its first experiments until spring, the Times reports. A major problem Friday shut down the European atom-smasher, and officials said the heating, repair and recooling of the giant magnets would take 2 months. But scheduled winter...
Feds Dig Into Price-Fixing by Egg, Tomato Processors
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 23, 2008 3:35 PM CDT
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The Justice Department is investigating allegations of price-fixing by tomato and egg processors, the Wall Street Journal reports today. California processor SK Foods is facing allegations it bribed buyers at six companies to pay inflated prices for tomato paste and chili peppers. Tomato prices have surged 16% over the past year, while overall food...
Street Watches Hill; Stocks Fall
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 23, 2008 3:23 PM CDT
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Stocks traded sharply lower at the end of today’s roller-coaster session as investors watched lawmakers balk at quickly enacting the financial bailout plan, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow fell 161.52 to close at 10,854.17. The Nasdaq lost 25.64, closing at 2,153.34, and the S&P 500 shed 18.87, settling at 1,188.22.
Livni Nods to Peace Amid Political Talks
Associated Press
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Sep 23, 2008 3:12 PM CDT
(AP) -
Israel's prime minister-designate took a break from her efforts to form a new government today to meet with the chief Palestinian peace negotiator, signaling she will keep negotiations going despite the country's political uncertainty. Tzipi Livni and the Palestinian negotiator, Ahmed Qureia, have met regularly since peace talks formally relaunched...
McCain Dodges Keating Bullet, For Now
Raw Story
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Sep 23, 2008 3:00 PM CDT
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John McCain is getting a free ride amid the current US financial storm, Newsweek ’s Jonathan Alter told MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann last night, citing the Republican’s involvement in the Keating Five savings-and-loan debacle of the late 1980s. “McCain thinks he's getting a hard time, he's really getting a free ride on the fact...
Without Bailout, Recession Likely: Bernanke
Associated Press
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Sep 23, 2008 2:47 PM CDT
(AP) -
Ben Bernanke bluntly warned Congress today that they risk a recession if they fail to pass the Bush administration's $700 billion plan to bail out the financial industry. "The financial markets are in quite fragile condition and I think absent a plan they will get worse," Bernanke said, warning that failed credit markets would lead to more...
Schwarzenegger Signs Calif. Budget, Finally
Sacramento Bee
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Sep 23, 2008 2:36 PM CDT
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Arnold Schwarzenegger signed California’s budget into law today, ending a record 85-day delay, the Sacramento Bee reports. The state has been waiting for the governor’s signature on the $103.4 billion plan to restart payments to nursing homes, community colleges and other service providers. California is expanding the state’s lottery...
Scientists, Artists Dominate MacArthur 'Genius' Grants
New York Times
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Sep 23, 2008 2:29 PM CDT
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Of the 25 recipients of this year's MacArthur Foundation "genius award," 13 are scientists and eight are artists, the New York Times reports. This year, they are “people working on the very edge of discovery and people at the edge of a new synthesis,” says the foundation’s president. Among the winners: Tara...
Palin Reconsiders, Lets Press Tag Along at UN Meetings
Associated Press
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Sep 23, 2008 2:17 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sarah Palin gave in to protests from reporters today and allowed them to observe meetings with world leaders at the United Nations, the AP reports; her staff had earlier said only photographers and a TV crew would be invited to sessions with Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai and Columbia's Alvaro Uribe. A campaign spokeswoman, after earlier saying the restrictions...
The Debates: Tough, Biting McCain...
New York Times
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Sep 23, 2008 2:02 PM CDT
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John McCain has triumphed in a fair share of debates with a comfortably combative style, biting rhetoric, and a willingness to distort his opponents' views, writes Katharine Q. Seelye in the New York Times . He does best on matters of foreign policy—the topic of Friday's debate—and often brings in his captivity in Vietnam while answering...
...Takes On Cool, Lecturing Obama
New York Times
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Sep 23, 2008 2:01 PM CDT
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Barack Obama is famous for his soaring set-piece speeches, but his facility with oratory hasn't translated into success in debates, writes John M. Broder in the New York Times . At last month's Saddleback Church forum he sounded every bit the law professor, offering complex, humorless analysis to the sound bites that John McCain deployed. While Obama...
New Wall Street: Less Risk, Less Innovation, Lower Pay
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 23, 2008 1:49 PM CDT
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When Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley ditched the investment banking model, it didn’t just mark the end of an era, it marked the end of Wall Street as we know it, the Wall Street Journal declares in an editorial today. And with investment banks gone, the US financial system will become sturdier, but a lot less innovative.
Judge: Stevens Can Skip Court, But Jury Won't Know Why
Anchorage Daily News
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Sep 23, 2008 1:42 PM CDT
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If Ted Stevens leaves court to attend to the current financial crisis, a federal judge warns he won't relay details to the jury, reports the Anchorage Daily News. Jurors in the corruption trial would simply be notified of the senator's absence and told that there is nothing wrong with it, the judge said today, adding, "I think it's possible...
Heart Attack Killed Knut-Keeper
Associated Press
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Sep 23, 2008 1:34 PM CDT
(AP) -
Berlin prosecutors said an autopsy today showed that Thomas Doerflein, the zookeeper who gained fame for hand-rearing the polar bear cub Knut, died of a heart attack. The city's mayor paid tribute to him for writing Berlin history. "Other causes of death, in particular involvement by another party, are ruled out from a medical point of view,"...
Finnish Cops Questioned Shooter Yesterday
Telegraph (UK)
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Sep 23, 2008 1:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Finnish police yesterday arrested—and subsequently released—the 20-year-old they say killed 11 people, including himself, during a school shooting spree this morning, reports the Daily Telegraph. Authorities acted after finding a YouTube video of Matti Juhani Saari firing a handgun at a shooting range, and this posted message: "Whole...
Sectarian Arrests Threaten Iraq Security
USA Today
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Sep 23, 2008 1:21 PM CDT
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Sunnis of the Awakening Council, which helped the US fight al-Qaeda in Iraq, are in hiding to avoid arrest by the Shia-led government, USA Today reports. Such political harassment could allow al-Qaeda to regain footing in volatile Diyala province and elsewhere, US officials say. Iraqi government members insist their actions are motivated by security,...
'Hari Pattar' Beats Some Wizard Kid in Legal Battle
Associated Press
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Sep 23, 2008 1:18 PM CDT
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No one is going to confuse Hari Puttar for Harry Potter, an Indian court ruled today, dismissing a Warner Bros. lawsuit against the upcoming Bollywood flick Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors. The court said Potter fans wouldn’t confuse Puttar , a Home Alone- like tale devoid of wizards, with their beloved franchise.
At $231M, Kerry Is Congress' Richest
Roll Call
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Sep 23, 2008 1:09 PM CDT
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John Kerry leads Roll Call's annual list of the 50 richest members of Congress, with a fortune estimated at $231 million. But financial-disclosure rules make it impossible to get a complete picture of lawmakers' assets, so Kerry, John McCain (No. 13, with $20 million), and the rest of the top 50 are likely much richer. Following the Massachusetts...
Hedge Funds Poised to Profit as Banks Shun Risk
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 23, 2008 1:05 PM CDT
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With the last two large US investment banks going commercial in an effort to stay afloat, private-equity and hedge funds are stepping into the void, the Wall Street Journal reports. Taking on roles previously filled by the likes of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, hedge funds like Citadel and private-equity groups like Blackstone are "stepping...
British PM Adds Obama Clip in Bid to Boost Popularity
Associated Press
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Sep 23, 2008 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Gordon Brown sought to capture some of Barack Obama’s political celebrity today, the AP reports, with the embattled British prime minister showing a gathering of his Labour Party old footage of the Illinois senator praising him. Brown faces a slumping economy, and elements within Labour would like to see him replaced by foreign secretary David...
Bailout Needs Bigger Taxpayer Upside
Washington Post
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Sep 23, 2008 1:00 PM CDT
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The impending bailout of beleaguered Wall Street behemoths should give the taxpaying public some protection and accountability, writes EJ Dionne Jr. in the Washington Post . The deal should allow the government to claim a stake in financial firms that make money from the bailout, giving taxpayers the chance to reap some rewards in exchange for taking...
Teen Abortion Rate Drops; Not So With Adults
Newsweek
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Sep 23, 2008 12:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
US teenagers are having fewer abortions than ever before, but their adult counterparts can’t say the same, Newsweek reports. According to a new, nonpartisan study, teen abortions have fallen almost 30% over the past 30 years, as millions of dollars were pumped into sex-education programs. But women aged 20-29 have seen much smaller declines,...
In Final Visit, Bush Touts UN
Associated Press
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Sep 23, 2008 12:43 PM CDT
(AP) -
President Bush, who once expressed disdain for the United Nations, said today that multinational organizations are now "needed more urgently than ever" to combat extremists threatening world order. In his eighth and final speech to the General Assembly, Bush said the international community must stand firm against North Korea and Iran’s...
Cheney Hits Hill to Rally GOP Support for Bailout
Fox News
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Sep 23, 2008 12:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Dick Cheney met with House Republicans today to try to shore up support for the administration’s financial bailout plan, Fox News reports. The plan faces considerable opposition from conservatives who are wary of what they see as a “socialist” solution and its huge price tag. "Cheney is going to walk into a firing squad,"...
Chrysler Goes Electric
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 23, 2008 12:20 PM CDT
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Chrysler is hopping on Detroit's belated eco-friendly bandwagon, a source tells the Wall Street Journal, with a full stable of electric cars and trucks that it plans to market starting in late 2010. While most of the planned models are hybrids, at least one will be a fully electric car which will go 150-200 miles on a charge.
Candidates Decry Crisis, but Don't Change Plans
Washington Post
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Sep 23, 2008 12:11 PM CDT
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Though John McCain and Barack Obama are both on board with the White House's $700-billion scheme to bail out Wall Street, they're both still pushing economic plans crafted before the crisis, and likely to be scuttled by it, the Washington Post reports. Although the fiscal situation is, in the words of a former Clinton adviser, “dramatically...
Baldwin Rails on Family Court
Associated Press
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Sep 23, 2008 12:00 PM CDT
(AP) -
Fresh off his Emmy win Sunday, Alec Baldwin took his bitter custody battle public yesterday, promoting a new book, A Promise to Ourselves, about his experience divorcing Kim Basinger. He told a crowd of 120 people in San Francisco that it was his anger and frustration over the process that led to the mortifying phone message in which he called his...
Google's Debut 'Not Just Another iPhone Clone'
Time
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Sep 23, 2008 11:42 AM CDT
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The long-anticipated Google phone debuts today, and it’s “not just another iPhone clone,” Anita Hamilton writes in Time . The $179 HTC Dream from T-Mobile is the first handheld to run Android, Google’s mobile platform offering 3G connectivity and a similar application-driven interface. But the Dream offers both a touch-screen...
'Maverick' Aides Are Veteran Bushies
Washington Post
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Sep 23, 2008 11:39 AM CDT
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Sarah Palin may be a newcomer to national politics, but her army of aides has ace operatives who chiseled their craft working for George Bush's campaigns and administration, reports the Washington Post . They won the White House —twice —but some Republican loyalists question if the former Bush communications experts and...
As US Firms Stumble, Japanese Banks Step Up
Reuters
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Sep 23, 2008 11:27 AM CDT
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Japan's big banks, themselves near collapse a few years ago, are reemerging as global powerhouses, Reuters reports, just in time to snap up stakes in foundering US banks.They've largely escaped Wall Street's credit meltdown by shying away from riskier investments since their own "near death," when they were rescued by massive injections of...
Paltrow Starts Lifestyle Website
Huffington Post
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Sep 23, 2008 11:18 AM CDT
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On top of co-hosting a PBS travel and cooking show, Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow has launched a lifestyle website called Goop.com, the Huffington Post reports. In an essay, Paltrow says she’ll share what she’s learned and the advice of her “sages” in the still-empty sections such as "Make," "Go,"...
Cancer Docs Shy Away from Empathy: Study
HealthDay News
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Sep 23, 2008 11:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
When it comes to cancer, a doctor’s ability to empathize with a patient is paramount, experts say —but a new study finds that physicians aren't feeling patients' pain, HealthDay reports. “Physicians only responded to 10% of empathic opportunities, and when patients raised existential concerns, physicians tended to shift more...
Judge Won't Toss Rather's $70M CBS Suit
Associated Press
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Sep 23, 2008 11:00 AM CDT
(AP) -
A New York judge yesterday allowed news anchor Dan Rather to proceed with his $70 million lawsuit accusing CBS of breach of contract over his dismissal. The judge also let Rather's breach of fiduciary duty complaint against CBS continue. But he threw out two other claims, a fraud complaint against CBS and a business interference complaint against CBS...
McCain Acting Like a 'Flustered Rookie': Will
Washington Post
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Sep 23, 2008 10:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The economic crisis has one presidential candidate acting like a “flustered rookie,” writes George F. Will of the Washington Post, but despite his limited resume, “It is not Barack Obama.” McCain’s response has been incoherent, including a Queen of Hearts-esque call for SEC Chairman Chris Cox’s head. That...
Retirees Hit Hard by Markets
New York Times
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Sep 23, 2008 10:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Among those hardest hit by the financial crisis are retirees, and they have less chance to recover than their younger counterparts, the New York Times reports. As companies have abandoned fixed pensions for 410(k)s, retirees can lose large percentages of their wealth in a short period. And low-risk investments, like bonds, simply don't offer enough...
Prickly Congress Greets Paulson, Bernanke
MSNBC
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Sep 23, 2008 10:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson implored Congress to swiftly pass a $700 billion bailout bill today, as they testified before the Senate Banking Committee. But there was an air of skepticism in the room. Chairman Chris Dodd’s introduction was noticeably prickly, and ranking Republican Richard Shelby was outright hostile, saying the plan rescued...
Letters That Reveal Teen Diana Up for Sale
Daily Mail (UK)
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Sep 23, 2008 10:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Four letters written by Princess Diana to her nanny could fetch $18,500 at auction later this month, reports the Daily Mail . In them, a teenage Diana confesses her insecurities—“watching me dance is like watching an elephant”—and talks of her upcoming nuptials to Prince Charles—“six months of being engaged is…definitely...
On Climate Change, Palin Bucks Science ... and McCain
Washington Post
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Sep 23, 2008 10:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sarah Palin disagrees with both John McCain and scientific consensus on the causes of global warming, acknowledging that while Alaska has warmed by 4 degrees during the past 50 years, she’s not among those who “attribute it to being man-made.” McCain, meanwhile, has made a signature issue of capping carbon emissions in an effort to...
Bush Is Right on Nuclear India
Financial Times (UK)
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Sep 23, 2008 10:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
President Bush has taken a lot of heat for the nuclear deal he’ll celebrate during this week’s visit by Indian PM Manmohan Singh, but it’s a wise move, Gideon Rachman writes in the Financial Times . “India is going to be one of the great powers of the 21st century,” he writes, so it’s time for the West “to...
Immigration Cut in Half in 2007, Census Shows
Washington Post
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Sep 23, 2008 9:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The number of immigrants to the US dropped by half in 2007, with 511,000 new arrivals, compared with about a million every year since 2000, new Census data reveal. Foreign-born numbers fell in 14 states, including longtime entry points like New Jersey and areas newly popular among immigrants, the Washington Pos t reports. “I think this shows...
Georgia: Russian Spy Plane Downed
Reuters
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Sep 23, 2008 9:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Georgia says it shot down a Russian military drone yesterday just south of South Ossetia, the Moscow-backed breakaway province. Moscow officials deny the charge and have called the episode "the latest media provocation" by Georgia to "destabilize the situation," Reuters reports.
Ga. Won't Stay Execution Despite Witness Reversals
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Sep 23, 2008 9:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A man sentenced to die tonight in Georgia is looking to the US Supreme Court after the state’s parole board and top court rejected clemency yesterday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Troy Anthony Davis was convicted in 1991 for murdering a police officer, but seven prosecution witnesses have since recanted testimony, leading to calls...
Stocks Creep Up at Open
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 23, 2008 9:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Stocks moved slightly upward at the opening bell today, as investors anxiously watched Washington for bailout signals, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow rose 75 points at the open, with the Nasdaq and S&P both up more than 0.8%. The positive open follows a big drop yesterday as traders worried the bailout would get caught up in Congress.
NY Lehman Crew Gets $2.5B Bonus Pool
Independent (UK)
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Sep 23, 2008 9:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Some 10,000 New York Lehman Brothers employees will share bonus pay of $2.5 billion, sparking anger among the investment bank’s European workers and critics of unfair compensation in the imploding finance arena, the Independent reports. The money was arranged before Lehman declared bankruptcy. Lehman’s British staff, who are bracing for...
'Regular Joe' Wades Into Fray
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 23, 2008 8:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
If VP candidates are a campaign’s attack dog, Joe Biden is “a big, thirsty St. Bernard,” who loves kissing babies and getting in the mix, reports the LA Times. Now that the media obsession with Sarah Palin is fading, reporters are remembering that Biden is still out on the hustings. And with his “folksy stories and plain speak,”...
Kidnappers Threaten to Kill Egypt Tourists
Reuters
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Sep 23, 2008 8:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The kidnappers of 19 people, including 11 foreign tourists, in the Egyptian desert have threatened to kill their hostages if officials launch a plane search, Reuters reports. A tour operator being held conveyed the threat by phone to his German wife, and she relayed the information to Egyptian officials, one said. By tracing calls to the wife's phone,...
Paulson's 'Amazing Power Grab'
New York Times
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Sep 23, 2008 8:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Henry Paulson's Troubled Asset Relief Program is the “most amazing power grab in the history of the American economy,” writes Andrew Ross Sorkin in the New York Times , “the financial equivalent of the Patriot Act.” The initial draft of the bill circulating yesterday is not only stunningly devoid of oversight or transparency,...
South Africa in Crisis as Cabinet Walks Out With Mbeki
Associated Press
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Sep 23, 2008 8:00 AM CDT
(AP) -
Most of South Africa's cabinet, including the powerful and respected finance minister, resigned today following the ouster of President Thabo Mbeki over the weekend. The walkout could be a devastating blow to the economic stability of Africa's most powerful nation, and to the new administration expected to take over on Thursday, reports the AP. The...
9 Dead In Finland School Shooting
BBC
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Sep 23, 2008 7:39 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A shooting spree at a vocational college in Finland has left nine people dead and several others wounded, reports the BBC. The gunman, who is believed to be a 20-year-old student, entered the college wearing a ski mask and carrying an automatic weapon. Police say he finally turned the gun on himself, although his condition remains unclear.
Mukasey Steps Into Genital Mutilation Case
CNN
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Sep 23, 2008 7:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In an extremely rare move, the US attorney general has stepped into a low-level immigration case and ordered that a victim of female genital mutilation be given another chance at asylum, CNN reports. AG Michael Mukasey slammed a previous decision that said the African woman had no reason to fear further persecution, citing an earlier case in which...
