Newser Story Index from October, 2009
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.
Gentlemen Broncos Falls Flat
Rotten Tomatoes
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Oct 30, 2009 12:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Director Jared Hess became a critics' darling with Napoleon Dynamite . Safe to say he's a darling no more thanks to Gentlemen Broncos , a farce about a teen sci-fi writer. Sean O'Neal , AV Club: "Every frame of Hess’ new film—the wood-paneled walls coated with winking unicorn posters, its characters’ high-waisted-jean-shorts-and-turtlenecks...
King's Daughter to Head SCLC
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Oct 30, 2009 11:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Bernice King was elected to lead the Southern Christian Leadership Conference today, becoming the first woman to helm the civil rights organization her father, Martin Luther King Jr., co-founded. King wasn’t there for the board vote, which she won 23-15 over an Arkansas judge, so interim president Byron Clay called to give her the news. “In...
Time to Act Presidential on Afghanistan
Washington Post
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Oct 30, 2009 11:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama loves to blame things on George W. Bush, and on Monday he did it again, referring to the “long years of drift in Afghanistan.” He must be trying to “explain away his own, well, yearlong drift on Afghanistan,” writes Charles Krauthammer . In March, Obama solemnly announced a new strategy following what he called...
Lieberman: I'll Back Republicans in 2010
ABC News
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Oct 30, 2009 11:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Joe Lieberman says he “probably will support some Republicans in 2010” and may not seek the Democratic nomination in his own 2012 reelection campaign. “I’m going to call them as I see them,” he tells ABC News , saying he’s weary of “partisan, passionate, hardcore” legislators on both sides of the aisle....
Credit Stimulus for 650K Jobs: White House
CNN
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Oct 30, 2009 11:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The economic stimulus package has already created or saved at least 650,000 jobs, the White House said today, even though just $150 billion of the $787 billion has been spent. And the number of jobs is closer to 1 million if it includes positions added indirectly, according to the administration. The tricky numbers come from tens of thousands of reports...
How Skulls Took Over Fashion
Slate
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Oct 30, 2009 11:08 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Skulls, once seen as sinister symbols, are now used on everything from children's shirts to underwear. Sara Dickerman of Slate takes a look at how the trend developed: In the 16th century, artists like Albrecht Dürer were still using skulls to remind people of their mortality. French pirate Emanuel Wynn was the first to use the skull-and-crossbones...
Foul-Mouthed Ticket Scalper Talks Crime, Punishment
Gawker
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Oct 30, 2009 10:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Adrian Chen found the ticket scalper with possibly the dirtiest mouth on the New York circuit and convinced him to do an interview for Gawker . He expounds on would-be sex-trading ticket buyer Susan Finkelstein, New York sports fans, and more: On Finkelstein: "Every one of those cops should be fired on the spot. If they're such pussies...
Shine a Light on Sneaky TV Product Placement
Washington Post
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Oct 30, 2009 10:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
You can tell when you’re watching a commercial, right? Not at all, writes NE Marsden , and that’s a huge problem. A new FTC measure seeks to expose the practice of paid consideration—“stealth advertising” is a better phrase—online by requiring bloggers and marketers to disclose remuneration, but that hasn’t...
Ledger-Directed Rap Video Debuts
Associated Press
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Oct 30, 2009 10:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A music video, one of a few directed by Heath Ledger for little-known artists he liked, made its online debut yesterday. Australian rapper N'fa Forster-Jones, a childhood friend of the late actor's, posted the video along with a behind-the-scenes look at the project, the AP reports. "Every day I count my blessings that I got to have him direct...
Guru Twittered About Sweat Lodge Death
People
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Oct 30, 2009 10:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
James Arthur Ray, who yesterday canceled his upcoming appearances to devote all his "physical and emotional energies" to the fallout from the sweat lodge tragedy, talked a lot about death in the days leading up to the ceremony. His Twitter feed was full of posts that have since been deleted, but not before fans saved them and forwarded them...
Teens Busted for Rapping Fast-Food Order
Salt Lake Tribune
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Oct 30, 2009 10:21 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Four Utah teens are in trouble with the law for attempting to place their McDonald's order in the form of a rap song. The four teens, rolled into the drive-through this week and, finding themselves the only customers, attempted to re-create a 2006 YouTube video by rapping their order. The worker asked them to repeat themselves, and they performed the...
Feds Missed Galleon Warning Signs
New York Times
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Oct 30, 2009 10:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The government says its star witness, Roomy Khan, was the first person to pass inside info to Galleon Group honcho Raj Rajaratnam, and went on to become a central part in his operation. Which is awkward, because Khan was prosecuted in 2000 for passing insider information to someone at Galleon—and sources tell the New York Times that that...
Skin Has 'Poignant Power'
Rotten Tomatoes
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Oct 30, 2009 9:59 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A true-life tale of the struggles of a dark-skinned girl born to white Afrikaners in '50s South Africa, Skin scored with critics, though some found it a bit too black-and-white. Skin "serves as a stirring allegory for birthright and the assertion of one's identity in the face of oppression," writes Michael Rechtshaffen at the Hollywood...
Spade Got $200K for Farley Ad
New York Post
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Oct 30, 2009 9:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Why did David Spade agree to the recent DirecTV ad that uses a scene from Tommy Boy, starring his departed costar Chris Farley? "To honor Chris's memory," his publicist tells the New York Post — but the $200,000 sources say Spade was paid probably didn't hurt. The commercial stirred up quite the controversy, but a DirecTV rep...
Lieberman, Bayh Wives in Bed with Health Biz
Salon
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Oct 30, 2009 9:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The threats from Sens. Joe Lieberman and Evan Bayh to help filibuster any health reform bill with a public option should come as no surprise to anybody familiar with their family finances, writes Joe Conason. Lieberman's wife Hadassah spent 30 years working in the corporate health sector for pharmaceutical firms and the lobbying firms that represent...
At Trump Wedding, a Missed Connection
Gawker
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Oct 30, 2009 9:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The best tidbit to come out of Ivanka Trump's wedding to Jared Kushner: A male-for-male post in the Craigslist missed connections section, which Brian Moylan at Gawker uncovered. The post, addressed to the bartender, ends with, "You're stunning. If you remember me, what color was my tie?"—and represents possibly the best opportunity...
Chirac Must Stand Trial on Corruption Charges
Associated Press
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Oct 30, 2009 9:15 AM CDT
(AP) -
Former French President Jacques Chirac has been ordered to stand trial in an alleged corruption scandal dating back to his time as Paris mayor—a case that caught up with him in retirement once he lost the judicial immunity of France's highest office. A magistrate ordered Chirac, whose 12-year presidency ended in 2007, to stand trial on charges...
Pelosi to Liberals: Cheer Up, Shut Up
Politico
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Oct 30, 2009 9:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The health care bill Nancy Pelosi unveiled yesterday may not be as liberal as some of her colleagues would like, but she says they’d better get over it. The speaker intends to keep debate to a minimum, and squash any attempt to add an amendment that would strengthen the public option, but lose votes, she tells Politico. “I’m not big...
Jon Threatens Suicide Over Hailey
Radar
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Oct 30, 2009 8:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hailey Glassman's two-part Insider interview began last night, and she cried about putting "her entire life on hold" (including college) for Jon Gosselin. "I can't do this anymore, I can't take it," she said, adding that she's told Jon "If you really loved me, you would let me go," but he has begged her to stay. He's...
Quaids Skip Court, Face Arrest, Extradition
Radar
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Oct 30, 2009 8:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
After allegedly skipping out on their hotel bill, then skipping out on their court date three times, Randy and Evi Quaid are facing arrest. Yesterday's court appearance was their last shot, prosecutors tell E! , and extradition proceedings are underway. Their outstanding arrest warrants also remain effective, and "if extradition is approved,...
Obama Needs to Decide if He's in It to Win It
New York Times
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Oct 30, 2009 8:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
These White House strategy sessions on Afghanistan are all well and good and full of questions, writes David Brooks , but they sidestep the big one: Is he committed to the effort? We know President Obama is a smart guy. What we don't know is whether he has the "tenacity" and single-minded focus to be a good war president. Obama's "most...
Slumping Wii Surprises Nintendo
Wall Street Journal
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Oct 30, 2009 8:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With hit games few and far between, consumers aren’t exactly fighting in the aisles to get their hands on a Wii anymore. Nintendo slashed its full year sales forecast for Wii hardware 23% yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reports, and offered little hope of a swift turnaround. “Right now, the mood is not one where people feel like they...
Stylish Horror Revived in House of the Devil
Rotten Tomatoes
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Oct 30, 2009 7:59 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Babysitter-in-danger flick House of the Devil does a delicious job of reproducing the atmosphere of classic horror flicks from the '80s, say critics, and its slow-burn tension is a refreshing change from splatter-fests like Saw . Director Ti West has "crafted a film that beautifully reproduces the look and texture of a straight-to-video...
Time to Pick a Side on Health Care Reform
New York Times
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Oct 30, 2009 7:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
No more fence-sitting or holding out for a better bill. “It’s the defining moment for health care reform,” declares Paul Krugman. “Everyone has to decide which side they’re on.” By everyone he means not only politicians but people in the media and other influencers. For conservatives, it’s easy: "They...
Honduras' Ousted Prez Returning to Office
Associated Press
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Oct 30, 2009 7:54 AM CDT
(AP) -
Honduras' 4-month political standoff appears to be over. After intense lobbying from US diplomats, the coup-installed interim president, Roberto Micheletti, has agreed to allow ousted President Manuel Zelaya to return to office to serve his remaining 3 months. Congress, which backed the June coup that sent Zelaya packing, is expected to approve the...
Singer Wouldn't Have Wanted Coyotes Killed: Mom
CNN
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Oct 30, 2009 7:03 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Taylor Mitchell, the 19-year-old Canadian singer killed by coyotes on a hike Tuesday, was such a nature lover that she would have wanted to spare the coyotes, her mom says. “When the decision had been made to kill the pack of coyotes, I clearly heard Taylor's voice say, 'Please don't, this is their space,’” Emily Mitchell told CNN....
Abused Wife Wins Political Asylum in US
New York Times
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Oct 30, 2009 6:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Obama administration has recommended that a Guatemalan woman who came to America fleeing horrific domestic abuse be granted political asylum. Rody Alvarado Peña's case has been in the courts since 1995 and lawyers say the decision will finally clarify the rules on whether abused women in foreign countries can seek asylum in the US. The ruling...
Hitler's Last Aide Dies
Telegraph (UK)
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Oct 30, 2009 6:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The last surviving member of Adolf Hitler's inner circle died this week, at 96, and historians hope his soon-to-be released memoirs will silence once and for all claims from revisionists that Hitler wasn't aware of the Holocaust. Fritz Darges was present at most of Hitler's conferences until 1944, when he was ordered to fight on the eastern front after...
Spam King Ordered to Pay Facebook $711M
CNET
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Oct 30, 2009 4:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
"Spam king" Sanford Wallace has been slapped with a $711 million judgment for spamming Facebook users. A California judge found that Wallace, who used phishing techniques to access Facebook accounts, violated a law against sending "false and misleading" marketing emails. The judge permanently banned Wallace from accessing Facebook...
House Eyes Ethics Probes on 30 Members
Politico
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Oct 30, 2009 4:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As the House ethics committee yesterday was voting to go forward with full investigations of Democratic Reps. Maxine Waters and Laura Richardson, it was putting out a bigger fire started when an internal document revealed more than 30 lawmakers were under scrutiny was leaked on the Internet. “No inference should be made as to any member,”...
9 Missing in Coast Guard Plane Crash
Associated Press
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Oct 30, 2009 4:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Nine people are missing after a Coast Guard plane collided with a military helicopter last night off the coast of southern California. A pilot flying in the area reported seeing a huge fireball. Seven people were traveling aboard the plane, and two were in the chopper. A search-and-rescue mission is underway near the island of San Clemente, AP reports....
Shots Fired At Oregon Rep's Office
The Register Guard
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Oct 30, 2009 4:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Oregon police are on high alert after shots were fired at the US district courthouse in Eugene over Wednesday night. Three of the four shots hit the windows of Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio's office, although FBI investigators say they're not sure if his office was the intended target. No one was injured. "Right now, our biggest concern is determining...
Catholics Rip Larry for Whizzing on Jesus
Telegraph (UK)
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Oct 30, 2009 4:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The US Catholic League has complained about an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm that shows Larry David accidentally urinating on a painting of Jesus hanging in a bathroom. Other characters then think the painting is miraculously crying. "Was Larry David always this crude?" asked angry league president Bill Donahue. "Would he think it...
Somali Man, 112, Marries Teen Bride
BBC
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Oct 30, 2009 3:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A 95-year age gap is no barrier to love, according to a 112-year-old Somali man who married a 17-year-old bride this week. Ahmed Muhamed Dhore—who told the BBC he still has his 1897 birth certificate written on goat skin—says he realized a dream by marrying his sixth wife. Dhore has 13 children, the oldest of them 80, and wants more....
NY Anchor Yanked Amid Wife-Beating Charges
New York Daily News
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Oct 30, 2009 3:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A New York local news station's political anchor, Dominic Carter, was pulled off the air and placed on indefinite leave as his trial for domestic violence began yesterday. The NY1 anchor is charged with assault for allegedly beating his wife while calling her a "dumb, stupid, project bitch" at their home last year. His wife—who told...
Radio Station Fined $16M For Fatal Contest
BBC
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Oct 30, 2009 3:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Sacramento radio station has been ordered to pay $16 million to the family of a woman who died during its "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest. The woman, who was trying to win the game console for her three children, died of water intoxication after taking part in the contest to see who could drink the most water without urinating or vomiting,...
'Stupid' Leadership Has Sapped America's Hope
Wall Street Journal
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Oct 30, 2009 3:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The economy's growing again but the people Peggy Noonan talks to—"the American leadership class who are not in Washington, most especially those in business"—have lost their confidence that a turnaround is coming. That's because they don't think the government has any solutions to America's problems other than tax-and-spend,...
Blind Actors Blast Breslin Pick for Keller
New York Times
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Oct 30, 2009 2:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Advocates for blind and deaf actors complain that they were never given a chance to audition for the role of Helen Keller in an upcoming revival of The Miracle Worker . The part has instead been given to Abigail Breslin, best known for playing Olive in Little Miss Sunshine . The Broadway show's producer says it would have been naïve and "financially...
Rape Victim's Pals Rip Cops, Guards
CNN
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Oct 30, 2009 2:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Angry friends of a gang-rape victim yesterday blasted useless security guards and cops at their Bay Area high school who failed to prevent the two-hour attack amid a horde of curious onlookers. Some 15 young men were hanging outside the Richmond school the night of homecoming before the attack. Neither police officers nor guards employed for the dance...
Wal-Mart Enters Coffin Biz
BBC
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Oct 30, 2009 2:08 AM CDT
(Newser) -
America's leading big-box store is now also a pine box store. Wal-Mart has started selling a range of discount coffins on its website and plans to expand its death products to include pet urns and memorial jewelry. Prices start at just $895 for a steel coffin. Funeral home owners say they're not too worried about the competition. Wal-Mart will never...
NY Declares Swine Flu Emergency
CNN
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Oct 30, 2009 2:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A surge in swine flu cases in New York state prompted Gov. David Paterson to declare a state of emergency yesterday. The move expands the categories of health care professionals who can administer the H1N1 vaccine, once a lot of it is available, to include dentists, pharmacists, podiatrists. While the state has seen 75 swine flu deaths since April,...
FBI Let Blacklisted Russian Tycoon Visit US
Wall Street Journal
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Oct 30, 2009 1:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Russian billionaire barred from the US for years because authorities suspected him of involvement in organized crime was allowed into the country twice this year under a secret deal with the FBI. Despite the objections of other government agencies, metals tycoon Oleg Deripaska was allowed to bypass the visa system for visits that included meetings...
No Clear Way for US to Prosecute Gitmo Prisoners
NPR
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Oct 29, 2009 11:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama is edging closer to his goal of closing the Guantanamo Bay prison: Congress has approved detainee trials on US soil and the National Defense Authorization Act, passed yesterday, attempts to repair the damaged legality of President Bush’s military-commissions system. But hurdles remain, with legal scholars split on using the improved...
Yankees Win 3-1, Pull Even
MLB.com
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Oct 29, 2009 10:27 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hideki Matsui’s sixth-inning home run off old pal Pedro Martinez held up as the winning run as the New York Yankees pulled even in the World Series with a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Yankees overcame an early 1-0 deficit on solo shots by Mark Teixeira and Matsui, with Jorge Posada adding an RBI single in the seventh.
Hopper Has Prostate Cancer
Associated Press
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Oct 29, 2009 10:00 PM CDT
(AP) -
Dennis Hopper has been given a diagnosis of prostate cancer and is canceling all travel plans to focus on treatment. Manager Sam Maydew says the 73-year-old actor and artist is being treated through a "special program" at the University of Southern California. Asked about Hopper's prognosis, Maydew said, "We're hoping for the best."
Prof. Gates, Cop Crowley Have Another Round
WBZ 4
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Oct 29, 2009 9:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The black college professor and the white cop at the center of a racial firestorm this summer, and who later famously had beers on the White House, were spotted last night having a round at a bar in Cambridge, Mass. Henry Louis Gates and Sgt. James Crowley chatted over suds for about an hour in a booth at a pub not far from Harvard, WBZ-TV reports....
In Obama's Dover Trip, Echoes of Nixon
New Yorker
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Oct 29, 2009 9:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama’s predawn trip to welcome home fallen Americans today has echoes of Richard Nixon’s 4am stroll to the Lincoln Memorial in 1970, hours before a huge anti-war protest. “What both Obama and Nixon had in common was that a war kept them awake,” Amy Davidson writes, noting, “There’s something unsettling...
US GDP Jump Hollow if Unemployment Keeps Rising
Financial Times (UK)
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Oct 29, 2009 8:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
News that the US gross domestic product jumped 3.5% in the third quarter cheered investors and others, but the cheers will ring hollow if unemployment keeps rising, John Authers writes. Consumer spending rose even as disposable income fell—“ not a pattern that can be sustained for long, and it is inconsistent with the need for US families...
Iran Won't Let Uranium Go Abroad After All
New York Times
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Oct 29, 2009 7:27 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Iran looks to be backtracking on a key piece of the deal struck in multi-party talks last week over its nuclear program, deciding it doesn’t want most of its uranium sent abroad for reprocessing. “The key issue is that Iran does not agree to export its lightly enriched uranium,” a European officials tells the New York Times . “That’s...
UK Yacht Couple 'OK' With Somali Pirates
BBC
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Oct 29, 2009 7:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A British couple taken from their yacht by Somali pirates say they’re in good condition and are being held aboard a hijacked container ship. “We are well and being looked after OK,” Paul Chandler, 59, told the BBC by phone today; he also spoke to British channel ITN, saying the pirates had come aboard early last Friday morning as...
