Newser Story Index from August, 2012
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.
Obama Declares Emergency in Louisiana
BBC
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Aug 28, 2012 7:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama declared a state of emergency in Louisiana as Tropical Storm Isaac neared the Gulf Coast, where it's expected to make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane as early as tonight. The declaration makes federal funding available for storm-related emergency activities, reports AP . The storm is following Hurricane Katrina's path...
Penn State: No More 'Sweet Caroline' at Games
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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Aug 28, 2012 7:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
When Penn State announced yesterday that Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" would no longer be played at its football games, speculation immediately centered around the song's lyrics, specifically the "touching me, touching you" bit. In light of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal, that must be why the song was dumped, right?...
US Activist's Death in Israel Ruled 'Accidental'
CNN
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Aug 28, 2012 7:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Craig and Cindy Corrie were in Israel today to hear the verdict in the death of their daughter, Rachel, and a civil court ruled that it was accidental. Cindy Corrie called it "a bad day for human rights, for humanity, for the rule of law, and also for the country of Israel," CNN reports. Rachel, a 23-year-old activist, was crushed by an...
2nd Yosemite Camper Dies of Hantavirus
San Francisco Chronicle
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Aug 28, 2012 6:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A second person has died from the rare hantavirus infection after staying at a Yosemite campsite in California. Both victims and two others who may have contracted the virus all spent time in tent cabins at the popular Curry Village campground, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . "This is being taken very seriously," said a park spokesman....
Man Killed While Posing as Bigfoot
Associated Press
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Aug 28, 2012 5:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Montana man dressed up as what he hoped would be taken for Bigfoot was struck by two cars and killed. Randy Lee Tenley, 44, was wearing a hard-to-see military-type "Ghille" camouflage suit and was standing along a highway near Kalispell as the light was fading when he was struck. He was hit a second time by another car as he lay in the...
12 Mexican Cops Held in Ambush on US Embassy Car
CNN
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Aug 28, 2012 4:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A dozen Mexican federal police officers who riddled a US Embassy car with bullets on Friday are being held while they are investigated on charges including attempted murder, CNN reports. Two American citizens employed by the embassy were injured in the shooting south of Mexico City, as was a member of the Mexican Navy who was with them in the vehicle....
Ryan: 'Forcible' Rape Was Stock Language
Huffington Post
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Aug 28, 2012 4:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
After a week of deflections, Paul Ryan has finally explained the use of the term "forcible rape" in a bill he co-sponsored with controversial Missouri Rep. Todd Akin, reports the Huffington Post . Ryan told Fox that he wasn't trying to redefine rape, but it was "language that was stock language used for lots of different bills,...
Will.i.am Debuting New Song on Mars
The Raw Story
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Aug 28, 2012 3:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The biggest musical event in Martian history is set to take place today when rapper Will.i.am premieres his new song on the red planet. "Reach For The Stars," described as a composition about the Black Eyed Peas co-founder's "passion for science, technology, and space exploration," will be broadcast live on Mars via the Curiosity...
'Pop-Up' Firms Skirt Ethics Rules, Party With Pols
NBC
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Aug 28, 2012 3:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Where there's a pesky ethics rule, there's usually a way around it, and lobbyists have found a simple way to sidestep restrictions against throwing parties for lawmakers at the Republican and Democratic conventions, NBC finds. "Consulting firms" have been set up to throw parties for members of Congress, and the firms in turn sell...
Gabby Douglas: I Almost Quit Over Racist Digs
New York Daily News
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Aug 28, 2012 3:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
America's darling gold medalist Gabby Douglas was so distraught by fellow athletes' bullying and racist taunts during early training that she often cried herself to sleep, she confides to Oprah Winfrey . Gabby, 16, nearly gave up her dream to be an Olympic gymnast because she was tormented at a gym where she trained in Virginia Beach. “I...
Saudi Crown Prince Takes Charge for First Time
Associated Press
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Aug 28, 2012 3:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Saudi Arabia's defense minister is getting his first shot at wielding absolute power. Crown Prince Salman, who became next in line to the throne in June , will be running the country while King Abdullah is on "special leave" in Morocco, reports AP . Saudi officials didn't say how long the 88-year-old monarch will be out of the country,...
Troops Punished for Burning Korans, Urinating on Dead
Reuters
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Aug 28, 2012 2:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Six soldiers and three Marines who infuriated Afghans and sparked riots in a pair of high-profile incidents will not face criminal charges, the military says. The soldiers who accidentally burned some 100 Korans have received administrative punishments instead, including potentially career-ending letters of reprimand, Stripes reports. The Marines...
Bachmann: 'Political Hurricane' Is Coming
Huffington Post
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Aug 28, 2012 2:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As forecasters saw Tropical Storm Isaac menacing the Gulf Coast, Michele Bachmann saw an easy analogy. "We're quite literally looking at a hurricane here in Florida," she told a Tampa rally ahead of the Republican National Convention. "We're looking at a political hurricane in this country. We are looking at a spiritual hurricane...
GOP Turncoat Charlie Crist to Speak at DNC
USA Today
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Aug 28, 2012 1:03 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Looks like Charlie Crist has become the Joe Lieberman of this election cycle. The former Republican governor of Florida, who turned independent for a failed 2010 Senate bid, will be speaking at the Democratic National Convention next week, reports USA Today . Crist, who declared his support for President Obama over the weekend, was seen as a potential...
Mitt: Abortion OK After Incest, Rape
Associated Press
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Aug 28, 2012 12:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
On the eve of his nomination, Mitt Romney restated his position on abortion—and it's not the same as that of his party or his running mate. "My position has been clear throughout this campaign," he told CBS . "I'm in favor of abortion being legal in the case of rape and incest, and the health and life of the mother."...
Teens Charged in Death of NY Girl, 5
Associated Press
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Aug 28, 2012 12:03 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Two teenage boys have been arrested in the death of a 5-year-old Niagara Falls girl whose body was found in a garbage can. Isabella Tenant disappeared from her great-grandmother's home, where she was staying overnight. She was last seen alive with a 16-year-old neighbor and family friend, John Freeman, according to authorities. Freeman's pal...
Lohan Eyed in Jewelry Heist
TMZ
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Aug 28, 2012 12:01 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sticky-fingered Lindsay Lohan is a suspect in the theft of $100,000 worth of watches and pricey sunglasses from a private home, law enforcement sources tell TMZ . The goods vanished from the Hollywood Hills mansion of investor Sam Magid during a time both Lohan and her assistant Gavin Doyle—who's also a suspect—were visiting, say the...
Obama Assassination Plot: Troops Called Selves FEAR
Associated Press
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Aug 27, 2012 6:56 PM CDT
(Newser) -
On the heels of today's revelation that four US soldiers allegedly planned to overthrow the federal government and kill President Obama (and killed two people in order to keep its plans secret), more revelations. The AP relays more details shared today by prosecutors, who were in court as one of the Fort Stewart soldiers charged in the case,...
Arctic Sea Ice Shrinks to New Low
Washington Post
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Aug 27, 2012 6:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
It's a record that won't likely last very long: The Arctic sea ice cover today hit a record low, announced the National Snow and Ice Data Center, but the shrinking isn't about to stop. The ice cover had reduced to 1.58 million square miles as of yesterday, and the Washington Post explains that the summer sea ice usually dips to its...
Photos Shed Light on Fatal Grizzly Mauling
Anchorage Daily News
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Aug 27, 2012 5:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
More details are emerging in the sad and somewhat reckless case of the backpacker who was killed by a grizzly bear in Alaska's Denali National Park on Friday—compliments of his own photographs. National Park Service officials have examined the 26 shots, taken on a digital camera over about 7.5 minutes, and say that the grizzly was unaware...
FDA OKs 4-in-1 HIV Pill
Associated Press
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Aug 27, 2012 5:29 PM CDT
(AP) -
The FDA today gave the green light to a new anti-HIV pill that combines four medicines to combat the virus that causes AIDS. The agency approved Gilead Sciences' Stribild as a once-a-day treatment to control HIV in adults who have not previously been treated for infection. The pill contains two already approved antiviral drugs (currently sold as...
Americans on Hard-working Rich: Admirable, Greedy
pewsocialtrends.org
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Aug 27, 2012 5:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Good news for the 1%: A little more than 40% of Americans think you are more intelligent and more hardworking than the average Joe, according to a new Pew Research Center poll . And if you worked hard to get your money, then 92% of middle-class Americans would describe you as admirable. But don't pat yourself on the back just yet: 55% of Americans...
Pregnancy From Rape Like Illegitimate Kid: GOP Hopeful
Huffington Post
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Aug 27, 2012 4:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Well, it turns out that if legitimate rape could result in pregnancy, it's basically the same thing as an unmarried woman being pregnant, at least according to the latest ill-advised Republican to touch the subject with a 10-foot pole. The Republican in question is Tom Smith, who is running for the Pennsylvania Senate seat currently held by...
Hollande to Syria Rebels: Form a Gov't
Associated Press
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Aug 27, 2012 3:52 PM CDT
(AP) -
French President Francois Hollande urged Syria's divided opposition today to form an "inclusive and representative" provisional government, promising that France would recognize it in hope of accelerating the departure of President Bashar Assad's regime as violence escalates. "We are including our Arab partners to accelerate...
Teens: Smoke Pot Now, See IQ Take Hit Later
Associated Press
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Aug 27, 2012 3:26 PM CDT
(Newser) -
If you're going to smoke pot frequently, you might want to hold off until you're at least 18. A new study finds that teens who are regular marijuana users may end up with a long-term drop in their IQ—but the trend was only spotted in those who toked often before age 18. The implication, per the AP : Pot takes a bigger toll on the developing...
Apple Demands Ban on US Sales of Galaxy
Bloomberg
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Aug 27, 2012 3:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
As Samsung's stock plummeted crazily today, Apple was busy kicking its rival while it's down a billion dollars or so: The Cupertino tech giant today filed papers asking a court to extend a ban on US sales of Samsung's cell version of the Galaxy, reports Bloomberg , in response to Samsung's request yesterday that the ban be lifted....
GOP Opens Convention, Immediately Adjourns
Associated Press
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Aug 27, 2012 2:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Republicans officially kicked off their convention today, but only officially. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus gaveled the convention to order before dozens of delegates in a mostly-empty hall today, the AP reports, but 10 minutes and a giant debt clock later he'd adjourned the proceedings thanks to Tropical Storm Isaac . Still, Republicans did...
US Arms Sales Hog 75% of Global Market
New York Times
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Aug 27, 2012 2:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
America's weapon sales abroad last year skyrocketed to $66.3 billion, triple the 2010 figure of $21.4 billion, according to a nonpartisan report. US sales accounted for more than three-quarters of the $85.3 billion market and marked a record high for sales in a year, blowing away 2009's $31 billion. The US windfall stemmed largely from hefty...
How I Reluctantly Learned to Like Mitt Romney
Weekly Standard
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Aug 27, 2012 1:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
What with Mitt Romney's "Ken doll mannerisms" and "wanton use of the word 'gosh,'" Andrew Ferguson spent a lot of this campaign disliking the guy. But since Romney is now officially the GOP presidential nominee and has an "excellent chance" of winning, Ferguson figured he must be missing something that his...
US Trade Pact With Vietnam Is a Travesty
Washington Post
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Aug 27, 2012 1:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The US plans to enter into a trade pact with Vietnam by the end of the year—and in the process "sell out human rights" in the country, professor Allen Weiner writes in the Washington Post . Indeed, Hillary Clinton announced the pact last month just ahead of the one-year anniversary of the nation's latest crackdown on dissent....
Rosie O'Donnell Quietly Got Hitched
Us Weekly
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Aug 27, 2012 1:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
First Rosie O'Donnell revealed her secret heart attack —now she's revealed her secret wedding. O'Donnell was set to wed Michelle Rounds, her girlfriend since September 2011, this month—but when Rounds was diagnosed with desmoid tumors, a very rare ailment, they were forced to postpone the wedding. Instead, they decided to privately...
Dems, GOP Rush to Steal Each Others' Convention Thunder
Reuters
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Aug 27, 2012 1:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In past years, Democrats and Republicans would lay low while the other team bathed in nearly uninterrupted media coverage for week. How quaint. This year, expect plenty of "counter-programming" from both sides, as each tries to steal as much of the other's convention coverage as possible, reports Reuters . "The old tradition of...
FCC Wants to Tax Broadband
The Hill
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Aug 27, 2012 12:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The FCC is considering imposing a tax on all broadband Internet services to help pay for expanded access to, well, broadband services. The move has gotten lots of attention from tech companies, but little from anyone else, the Hill reports. "If members of Congress understood that the FCC is contemplating a broadband tax, they'd sit up and...
US Soldiers Planned Obama Assassination: Prosecutors
Press Association
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Aug 27, 2012 12:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Four US soldiers planned to overthrow the federal government and kill President Obama, the Press Association reports. The alleged plot, whose details remain scarce, emerged during a murder case against the soldiers. One of the four, Pfc. Michael Burnett, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and gang charges today in the deaths of an ex-soldier and his...
Isaac Expected to Hit Gulf Coast as Hurricane
CNN
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Aug 27, 2012 12:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Tropical Storm Isaac is following Hurricane Katrina's path, and is expected to plow into the Gulf Coast as a hurricane tomorrow or Wednesday—Katrina's seventh anniversary. But unlike the 2005 storm, Isaac is predicted to be Category 1, quite a bit weaker, CNN reports. Still, thousands have been told to evacuate, including more than...
Lance Armstrong Is Still a Hero
Daily Beast
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Aug 27, 2012 12:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Lance Armstrong may have been stripped of his Tour de France titles , but he hasn't lost his legacy. This is a man who inspired us by overcoming life-threatening cancer to achieve the seemingly impossible. The cyclist "is a hero, one of the few we have left in a country virtually bereft of them. And he needs to remain one," writes Buzz...
Utah Affiliate Axes Gay-Themed NBC Sitcom
Gawker
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Aug 27, 2012 11:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Mormon Church-owned NBC affiliate won't be airing the network's new show about a gay couple because it's "excessively rude and crude," Gawker reports. The New Normal, which tells the story of the couple having a child through a surrogate, "feels inappropriate on several dimensions, especially during family viewing time,"...
Israel Busts 3 Kids in Attack on Palestinian Taxi
BBC
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Aug 27, 2012 11:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Israeli authorities yesterday arrested three children, all just 12 to 13 years old, who are suspected of fire-bombing a Palestinian taxi on Aug. 16. A Palestinian family was inside, including two children, and the taxi burst into flames and then flipped. Six people were injured, two of them seriously, the BBC reports, noting that just hours after...
GOP Doesn't 'Get' Women
Daily Beast
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Aug 27, 2012 11:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
From Sen. Susan Collins to Herbert Hoover's great-granddaughter, leading conservative women are stumped by the GOP's recent record on women's issues, writes one of their leading voices. Instead of treating women as equals, top Republican men see them as "totemic and unknowable," notes Kathleen Parker at Newsweek ; in short,...
Student Shot at Baltimore High School
Baltimore Sun
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Aug 27, 2012 11:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A 17-year-old Baltimore high school student was shot today on the first day of school. Police tell the Baltimore Sun that the male Perry Hall High School student, whose condition was not available, was taken to a hospital. The suspect is in custody and the rest of the students have been evacuated. "It's horrifying," says a Baltimore...
After Facebook Debacle, SEC May Pull IPO Gag
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 27, 2012 10:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The SEC is considering eliminating the rule forbidding company executives from hyping their stock before they go public, after a string of disastrous high-profile IPOs like Facebook's. SEC chair Mary Schapiro sent a letter to Darrell Issa letting him know that her team was reviewing the so-called "quiet period" rule, after complaints...
How Maude Apatow Became a Twitter Celebrity by 14
New York Times
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Aug 27, 2012 10:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Maude Apatow is just 14 years old, and though she's appeared in some of her dad Judd's movies, she's not exactly a child star. She's more focused on starting high school than starting a career—"It'll be OK," she predicts in a New York Times profile. "Hopefully." But Maude's observations on life...
Rihanna in Twitter Feud With ... Joan Rivers
E! Online
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Aug 27, 2012 10:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Joan Rivers likes to pick fights on Twitter , and this time she's engaged Rihanna. Rivers called Rihanna an "idiot" and said she wanted to "slap her" after the singer told Oprah Winfrey she still loves Chris Brown . Rihanna's first response, which she ultimately deleted: "wow u really do get slow when you're old...
James Holmes Warned Classmate: I'm 'Bad News'
New York Times
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Aug 27, 2012 9:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The University of Colorado has revealed little about James Holmes in the wake of the Aurora theater shooting spree, so the New York Times did some digging of its own. In a lengthy profile based on interviews with those who encountered him in the months before the massacre, the Times paints a picture of an obviously intelligent but painfully shy...
Catholics Question Bishop's RNC Role
Huffington Post
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Aug 27, 2012 9:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan is headed to the Republican National Convention to deliver a benediction, a rarity in modern times: Not since 1972 has an out-of-town bishop flown in to bless a party convention. While observers at first called it a win for Mitt Romney, now some Catholics are raising questions about the move, the Huffington Post reports....
UK Cops End Huge Search for 'Large Domestic Cat'
BBC
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Aug 27, 2012 9:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Today, in the Bigfoot-esque Department: A reported lion spotting in Essex, England, last night had police pulling out all the stops. Two helicopters equipped with thermal imaging were dispatched, and as many as 25 armed officers set out in search of the creature, reports the BBC . Residents' proof: One claimed to hear a "loud roar."...
Why Christie Nixed VP Job: Fear of Loss
New York Post
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Aug 27, 2012 9:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Had Chris Christie joined Mitt Romney's ticket, he would have had to quit as New Jersey governor—and he just didn't have the confidence in a GOP victory to justify that sacrifice, reports the New York Post in an exclusive. Christie "felt, at one point, that (President) Obama could lose this," an insider tells the Post ....
Rachel Zoe's Fashion Line and Show in Trouble
New York Post
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Aug 27, 2012 9:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Rachel Zoe is probably "dying" over this news, and not in a good way. The celebrity stylist's fashion line has apparently "peaked" and is no longer performing well at Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, and the like, sources tell the New York Post . Zoe's partner in the line, Li & Fung, "is panicked," a source...
Miners Barricade Themselves With Explosives
Reuters
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Aug 27, 2012 8:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A group of Italian miners has seized roughly 770 pounds of explosives and barricaded itself underground in an attempt to pressure the Italian government into protecting the mine, Reuters reports. The government is meeting later this week to discuss the Sardinian mine's future, and many workers fear officials will decide to close it. As many as...
Decade After Her Death, US Activist's Case Nears End
Associated Press
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Aug 27, 2012 8:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It's been almost ten years since a 23-year-old American activist was killed by an Israeli bulldozer—and after 15 hearings, her court case could finally end tomorrow. The family of Rachel Corrie has spent some $200,000 on a civil lawsuit against Israel's military that has dragged on since 2005. They're seeking just a symbolic $1...
