Newser Story Index from February, 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.
What Should I Say Tonight? 5 Sure Bets
Time
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Feb 24, 2009 3:07 PM CST
(Newser) -
President Obama has had to change his tune a few times since he took office, but the content of his speech to Congress tonight will be no surprise, Michael Scherer writes in Time . Talking points have been consistent for long enough to predict 5 key features: I'm not Bush: In case Congress didn't notice, Obama will emphasize particularly...
Catholic Group Savages Dems Using Senator's Signature
Huffington Post
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Feb 24, 2009 2:49 PM CST
(Newser) -
A letter suggesting that top Democratic lawmakers aren’t “real Catholics” is attributed to Sen. Sam Brownback, the Huffington Post reports, but in fact came from a conservative Catholic group, Politico confirms. “Real Catholics need a new voice—not the likes of Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi who have campaigned as...
Economy Can't Spoil Mardi Gras
Associated Press
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Feb 24, 2009 2:34 PM CST
(AP) -
Partiers in New Orleans are taking one last chance to eat, drink, and be merry today before Lent. Tourism officials don't believe the economic downturn has dampened the mood at this year's Mardi Gras celebrations and say big crowds over the weekend and nearly full hotels bode well for the annual event.
De Beers to Halt Work at Diamond Mines
Telegraph (UK)
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Feb 24, 2009 2:19 PM CST
(Newser) -
De Beers has temporarily shut down its diamond mines in Botswana due to low demand for the precious stones, the Telegraph reports. The firm’s Botswana mines account for half of De Beers’ output, and about a fifth of diamond production worldwide. De Beers was not able to sell a single diamond from Botswana in November and sold only very...
Cut It Out, Mr. & Mrs. Smug
New York Post
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Feb 24, 2009 2:04 PM CST
(Newser) -
Reached the end of your rope with the Brangelina hype? Danica Lo of the New York Post is right there with you: “Just because you are a rabid adopter, zealous breeder, star as benighted mothers in movies no one watches, and live in France,” Lo fumes, “you are not a better person. Even if you are sleeping with Brad Pitt.”...
Schumer to GOP: Stimulus Is All or Nothing
Huffington Post
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Feb 24, 2009 1:46 PM CST
(Newser) -
Chuck Schumer thinks governors ought to have one choice when it comes to the stimulus: Take it or leave it. The New York senator is fed up with Republicans like Bobby Jindal and Mark Sanford, who want to grab some federal cash while refusing the rest on ideological grounds. “These governors should be given the choice as to whether to accept the...
Bono: Fans Wish I'd Die Young
Daily Mirror (UK)
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Feb 24, 2009 1:36 PM CST
(Newser) -
Sorry, U2 fans: Bono is sticking around for a while. The frontman discussed the mystique of rock stars dying young with a BBC TV show, claiming “people do want you to die on a cross age 33, with a Jack Daniels in your hand,” the Mirror reports. But Bono pledged to play shows until old age, saying, “Our job is to derail a mythology...
Kathy Griffin Lands $2M Memoir Deal
New York Observer
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Feb 24, 2009 1:28 PM CST
(Newser) -
Kathy Griffin’s upcoming memoir may propel her up from life on the D-list, after the work-in-progress fetched more than $2 million at auction, the New York Observer reports. The comic has earned devoted fans for her turns on Suddenly Susan and My Life on the D-List . Her literary agent, Dutton’s former editor-in-chief, sold the tome...
Sullenberger: Airline Cuts Invite Risks
Chicago Tribune
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Feb 24, 2009 1:15 PM CST
(Newser) -
Hero pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger told Congress today that cost-cutting by carriers is forcing experienced colleagues out of jobs, to the detriment of safety in the skies, the Chicago Tribune reports. “We will see negative consequences to the flying public,” the US Airways captain said. Sullenberger himself has seen...
Will Americans See Ledger's Last Film?
Hollywood Reporter
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Feb 24, 2009 1:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
Heath Ledger’s highly anticipated last film, the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, is having an inordinate amount of trouble landing a US distributor, reports Steven Zeitchik in the Hollywood Reporter. Over the summer, Lionsgate, Overture, and others were lining up for the rights, but since then things have hit a standstill. Rumors abound,...
Looted Iraq Museum Partially Reopens
New York Times
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Feb 24, 2009 12:50 PM CST
(Newser) -
Iraq’s National Museum reopened yesterday for the first time since its 2003 looting made it a symbol of post-invasion bedlam, the New York Times reports. But with only eight of 26 rooms functional, its reopening symbolizes as much the long road ahead as it does Iraqi reconstruction thus far, Steven Lee Myers writes. Years after thousands of...
Runaway Mass. Teacher, Student Found in W. Va. Hotel
WWLP-TV
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Feb 24, 2009 12:45 PM CST
(Newser) -
Police today found the 8th-grade teacher who ran off with a 15-year-old student, WWLP-TV reports. Massachusetts police tracked a financial trail to find the pair at a hotel in West Virginia. They alerted the local cops, who arrested 24-year-old Lisa Lavoie this morning on charges of enticing a minor. She faces a hearing this afternoon.
Politicos' Loose Lips Sink Stocks
Politico
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Feb 24, 2009 12:37 PM CST
(Newser) -
DC and New York usually keep a healthy distance. These days, though, Wall Street has no choice but to hang on every word of key politicians. For the pols themselves, Politico reports, that takes some getting used to. When Sen. Chris Dodd publicly toyed Friday with the idea of bank nationalization he prompted a flood of selloffs.
UK Cops Nab Pot Farmer Who Posted Crop on YouTube
Metro (UK)
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Feb 24, 2009 12:29 PM CST
(Newser) -
Police taught aspiring drug lords everywhere a valuable lesson yesterday: If you’re going to grow pot, don’t put a video of yourself doing it on YouTube—and definitely don’t sign that video with your real name. But one 25-year-old Somerset man did just that, and was treated to a visit by police for his troubles. Officers seized...
Hilton Sis 'Arrests' Homeless Guy at IHOP
E! Online
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Feb 24, 2009 12:07 PM CST
(Newser) -
Those Hilton sisters are tougher than they look. Nicky was at a West Hollywood IHOP at 5am Saturday when she was shoved by a homeless man—whom the socialite promptly placed under citizen’s arrest, Us reports. A deputy who happened to be at IHOP helped out, and the man was booked on a misdemeanor battery charge. He is due in court April...
Burris Won't Quit, but Vows Not to Run in '10
Chicago Sun-Times
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Feb 24, 2009 11:57 AM CST
(Newser) -
Roland Burris won’t resign as senator in the wake of allegations he traded campaign donations for his appointment by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich—or at least that’s what Burris will tell fellow Illinois Dem Dick Durbin today, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. But sources say Burris will pledge not to seek re-election next year, which...
Fox Newsman Posed in How-to Sex Book
Gawker
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Feb 24, 2009 11:39 AM CST
(Newser) -
If you ever wanted Aaron Bruns, the Fox News producer busted earlier this month on child porn charges, to demonstrate sexual positions for you, you’re in luck. It seems Bruns posed naked for The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Supercharged Kama Sutra Illustrated . “Someone had to pay Bruns, in other words, to get naked with an adult woman,”...
Safer Down Syndrome Tests Give Birth to Ethics Fears
Washington Post
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Feb 24, 2009 11:23 AM CST
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New tests to detect Down syndrome early in pregnancy look highly promising to some experts—but they’re prompting new ethical and medical questions, the Washington Post reports. The procedures, to be publicly available in June, appear safer and more accurate than current options. But Down syndrome and anti-abortion activists fear they...
Slumdog 's Pinto Joins Woody Flick
Variety
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Feb 24, 2009 10:59 AM CST
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Slumdog Millionaire ’s leading lady is set to be Woody Allen’s next muse in his next project, Variety reports. Oscar sweetheart Freida Pinto will play an ingénue in the untitled picture, which will also feature Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, and Anthony Hopkins; it will be the first post- Slumdog role for the Indian model-turned-actress.
Crash Ends Mission to Track Global Warming
Associated Press
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Feb 24, 2009 10:50 AM CST
(AP) -
A rocket carrying a NASA satellite crashed near Antarctica after a failed launch early yesterday, ending a $280 million mission to track global warming from space. The rocket carrying the Orbiting Carbon Observatory blasted off just before 2am from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. But minutes later a cover protecting the satellite during launch...
Wonder Delivers Classical Opus
Washington Post
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Feb 24, 2009 10:48 AM CST
(Newser) -
Stevie Wonder performed an original classical piece last night at the Library of Congress, where he is due to receive the second Gershwin Prize for Popular Song tomorrow, the Washington Post reports. He played piano, keyboard, and harmonica along with a 21-piece ensemble performing “Sketches of a Life,” an autobiographical composition...
Calif. Legislator Wants to Tax, Legalize Pot
Los Angeles Times
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Feb 24, 2009 10:36 AM CST
(Newser) -
A California lawmaker thinks he has a solution for the state’s fiscal woes: Tax marijuana. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano has introduced a bill that would legalize, regulate, and tax pot, treating the drug like alcohol or tobacco, the Los Angeles Times reports. “I know the jokes are going to be coming,” Ammiano says, “but this is...
Fiscal Summit Not Exactly a Hot Ticket
Washington Post
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Feb 24, 2009 10:20 AM CST
(Newser) -
When President Obama announced his fiscal responsibility summit, it sounded like a momentous occasion. Turns out it was so momentous no one bothered to show up, Dana Milbank writes in the Washington Post. Administration big-wigs like Paul Volcker and Leon Panetta skipped out on the panels they were supposed to moderate; Nancy Pelosi wandered in late;...
Consumer Confidence Hits New Low
Associated Press
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Feb 24, 2009 10:16 AM CST
(AP) -
Americans' already-battered confidence in the economy went into freefall this month, reaching new lows as consumers grow more fearful over huge job cuts and shrinking retirement accounts. New York's Conference Board said its Consumer Confidence Index, which was down slightly in January, plummeted more than 12 points in February to 25, from the revised...
Bernanke: Recession Should End This Year
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 24, 2009 10:09 AM CST
(Newser) -
If the government’s plans work, the recession will be over by the end of this year, Ben Bernanke told senators today, making 2010 a “year of recovery.” But, the Wall Street Journal reports, the Federal Reserve chief pointed to continuing storm clouds, saying the US is undergoing a “severe contraction,” and that “the...
Citi CEO Drops by White House, Sparking Chatter
Politico
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Feb 24, 2009 10:00 AM CST
(Newser) -
Citigroup’s new chief, Richard Parsons, dropped by the White House last night, Politico reports, visiting Valerie Jarrett, an adviser and longtime confidante to President Obama. “He was here to meet with Valerie—something she often does with business leaders,” explained an official. Still, the visit fueled more speculation about...
Penn Pokes Fun at Madonna's Boy Toy
Sun (UK)
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Feb 24, 2009 9:42 AM CST
(Newser) -
Madonna’s Oscar-winning ex-hubby couldn’t resist a dig at her 22-year-old current fling, the Sun reports: When the two met at a post-Oscars bash and the Material Girl congratulated Best Actor Sean Penn, he gestured at model Jesus Luz and said, “Another kid already?” And it wasn’t the party celebrating Milk , for which...
Japan May Buy Stocks to Rescue Tanking Market
Financial Times (UK)
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Feb 24, 2009 9:36 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Japanese government said today that it might intervene to prop up the stock market, as the country's two main indexes approached their lowest levels in 26 years. The continued decline of the Nikkei and Topix—down 18% this year alone—has endangered Japan's banks, which hold a substantial amount of stock as capital, reports the Financial...
Clooney Talks Darfur With Obama
Associated Press
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Feb 24, 2009 9:32 AM CST
(AP) -
George Clooney had a pretty good reason for skipping the Oscars: He had a meeting yesterday with President Obama. Clooney told the president about his visit with Darfur refugees, and delivered 250,000 postcards gathered by the Save Darfur organization to the president. "I think somehow we should all know that these people are hanging on by the...
Tough Job Selling Mortgage Bailout to Bill-Paying Public
Politico
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Feb 24, 2009 9:29 AM CST
(Newser) -
President Obama may be facing a mutiny on his mortgage bailout plan. After CNBC reporter Rick Santelli’s on-air rant about the bailout "promoting bad behavior" by rewarding losers, Obama’s spokesman swatted the criticism away. But, Politico reports, public opinion is leaning in Santelli's direction—even 49% of Democrats...
Slumdog Kids Hit Disneyland
Huffington Post
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Feb 24, 2009 9:22 AM CST
(Newser) -
What better way to celebrate your Oscar win than by going to the Happiest Place on Earth? That’s where the child actors from Slumdog Millionaire headed the day after their film won Best Picture. For some, the whirlwind trip to California marked their first time on a plane—or even leaving Mumbai, the Huffington Post reports. For more pictures,...
Bailed-Out Bank Drops Millions on LA Golf Bash
TMZ
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Feb 24, 2009 9:16 AM CST
(Newser) -
A bank that got $1.6 billion in federal bailout cash lived it up last week in Los Angeles with luxe parties and concerts as it sponsored a PGA golf tournament, TMZ reports. Northern Trust flew hundreds of workers and clients to LA to stay in swanky hotels, eat classy meals, and groove to the likes of Sheryl Crow and Chicago—in addition to paying...
Octu-Mom, Grandma Face Off in New Vid
Radar
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Feb 24, 2009 9:09 AM CST
(Newser) -
Octuplet mom Nadya Suleman and her own mother, Angela, have been sniping at each other in interviews—and now a video from Radar captures their first face-off. The bizarre sit-down includes an argument over how Nadya could have dealt with her frozen embryos and Angela’s apparent suggestion that she give them up for adoption, and ends with...
Home Prices Post Record 4th-Quarter Decline
Associated Press
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Feb 24, 2009 8:56 AM CST
(AP) -
Home prices tumbled by the sharpest year-over-year rate on record in the fourth quarter and in December, a widely-watched index shows. The S&P/Case-Shiller US home price index plunged 18.2% from the fourth quarter a year ago, the largest drop in its 21-year history. Prices are now at the lowest levels since the third quarter of 2003.
Stocks Limp Higher
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 24, 2009 8:46 AM CST
(Newser) -
Stocks inched higher at the open today, after a punishing session yesterday that left them at their lowest closing level since 1997. The Dow rose 40 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P each gained 0.7%. Financials are still the focus, with AIG shares tumbling 23% on reports it would need more help. JPMorgan, meanwhile, rose 2.3% premarket, despite...
Is Obama Trying to Fix Too Much at Once?
New York Times
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Feb 24, 2009 8:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
David Brooks is not a liberal, but the New York Times columnist doesn't hesitate to call himself "a great admirer of Barack Obama and those around him." Yet as the new administration has thrown itself at a dozen staggering problems, from fixing health care and the auto industry to creating jobs and reviving banks, Brooks' conservative "alarm...
Murdoch Sorry for Cartoon
New York Post
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Feb 24, 2009 8:22 AM CST
(Newser) -
Rupert Murdoch eats some crow today, with a short statement in the New York Post apologizing for the now-infamous chimpanzee cartoon. “I have spoken to a number of people and I now better understand the hurt this cartoon has caused,” Murdoch writes. “The only intent of that cartoon was to mock a badly written piece of legislation....
Obama Shoots Down New Helicopter Fleet
ABC News
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Feb 24, 2009 8:20 AM CST
(Newser) -
John McCain should know by now that Barack Obama is not an easy target. Yesterday, at the White House fiscal summit, Obama gave the floor to McCain, who tried to put some heat on his host by criticizing a plan to procure a new presidential helicopter fleet, ABC reports. Obama said he's already on it, and he finds the current chopper more than adequate....
Cash-Poor Collectors Turn to Haute Pawnshops
New York Times
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Feb 24, 2009 8:12 AM CST
(Newser) -
With loans hard to come by, some rich Americans are turning to their art collections for quick cash. Rather than sell in a depressed market, collectors turn to a lightly regulated corner of the marketplace that provides capital in exchange for temporary ownership of artwork. While they may look like galleries, reports the New York Times , high-end...
Would-Be 'Car Czar' to Head Auto Task Force
Reuters
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Feb 24, 2009 7:58 AM CST
(Newser) -
Steven Rattner has been named chief adviser to the panel tasked with restructuring GM and Chrysler, Reuters reports. The financier was considered the frontrunner to be "car czar" before President Obama opted for a panel rather than a single chief. Rattner, who will leave the private equity firm he co-founded to take the position,...
Protests Return to Bangkok
Bloomberg
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Feb 24, 2009 7:42 AM CST
(Newser) -
Protests returned to the streets of Bangkok today, Bloomberg reports, as thousands of supporters of the exiled former PM Thaksin Shinawatra demanded fresh elections. The "red shirt" demonstrators assembled outside the new government's offices but vowed not to occupy it, as the yellow-wearing People's Alliance for Democracy did last...
Public Trusts Obama, Blames GOP for Stimulus Row
New York Times
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Feb 24, 2009 7:30 AM CST
(Newser) -
GOP attempts to attack Barack Obama on the stimulus don’t appear to be working. According to a New York Times/CBS poll, three quarters of Americans, including 6 in 10 Republicans, believe the president is trying to act in a bipartisan manner, and most blame Republicans for objecting to the stimulus for political reasons. Most said Obama should...
Scorn Bubbles Over Venice-Coke Deal
ANSA (Italy)
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Feb 24, 2009 7:17 AM CST
(Newser) -
The mayor of Venice has cut a $2.1 million deal with Coca-Cola to install dozens of vending machines, leading to angry charges that the company was "buying" the historic lagoon city. The city council has spent years passing ordinances to keep tourists from disrupting Venice's heritage, but in recent years it has faced dramatic budget shortfalls,...
8th-Grade Boy, Female Teacher Go Missing
Republican (Springfield, Mass.)
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Feb 24, 2009 7:09 AM CST
(Newser) -
A male 8th-grader and a 22-year-old female teacher at his Holyoke, Mass., school have both been reported missing and are suspected of running off together, the Republican reports. Federal and local authorities are searching for them after the 15-year-old’s parents raised concerns about a relationship earlier this month, and they both disappeared...
AIG Negotiating Yet Another Bailout
Financial Times (UK)
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Feb 24, 2009 6:51 AM CST
(Newser) -
AIG is seeking yet another bailout from the federal government, the Financial Times reports, as the troubled insurer prepares to post a quarterly loss the Wall Street Journal expects to exceed $60 billion. The new package would see the government swap its previous $60 billion loan for equity and acquire of some of its Asian businesses. A new bailout...
A Year In, Raúl's Cuba In Midst of New Revolution
Miami Herald
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Feb 24, 2009 6:27 AM CST
(Newser) -
Today marks the first anniversary of Raúl Castro's rise to the top of Cuban politics, and as the Miami Herald reports, he has lots to celebrate. Latin America's continuing leftward shift has seen regional leaders cozy up to Fidel's brother, and Russia has used Cuba to expand its presence in the western hemisphere. Castro might be in for even...
Jazz Great Ellington Will Grace DC Quarter
CNN
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Feb 24, 2009 6:07 AM CST
(Newser) -
Late jazz legend Duke Ellington has been chosen to appear on the District of Columbia's commemorative quarter, CNN reports. The composer and performer, a DC native who died in 1975, beat out abolitionist Frederick Douglass and surveyor and astronomer Benjamin Banneker in a vote of the capital's residents. Ellington becomes one of very few African...
Visa, Mastercard Warn of New Data Breach
Wired
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Feb 24, 2009 5:36 AM CST
(Newser) -
Mastercard and Visa have alerted financial institutions about another serious data breach at a payment processor, Wired reports. The breach, like the massive fraud unveiled at Heartland Payment Systems last month, is believed to have occurred through malicious software. The credit card issuers are refusing to name the processor involved because it...
Oscar Ratings Rebound From Record Low
Broadcasting & Cable
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Feb 24, 2009 5:03 AM CST
(Newser) -
The ratings from this year's Academy Awards were up nearly 4 million from last year's record low, Broadcasting & Cable reports. At 36.3 million, however, the viewing audience was still the third-smallest recorded in the last 40 years. Audience numbers peaked around 10 pm, when Heath Ledger was awarded his posthumous Oscar.
Pakistan, Taliban Call Indefinite Truce
Reuters
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Feb 24, 2009 4:37 AM CST
(Newser) -
Taliban militants and Pakistani officials have agreed to an indefinite ceasefire in the country's troubled Swat valley, Reuters reports. The agreement extends an earlier 10-day truce in which the Taliban agreed to lay down their arms in return for Islamic sharia law being enforced in the area. Militants in the neighboring Bajaur region have also announced...
