Texas Boy, 7, Killed by Pit Bulls

6-year-old Texas boy survives attack in national park

(NEWSER) - A 6-year-old Texas boy survived an attack by a hungry mountain lion in Big Bend National Park. The boy was walking with his family when the animal pounced, leaving him with puncture wounds and scratches, AP reports. The mountain lion tried to attack another family, but was fended off with a backpack. The animal—described by both families as young, small, and malnourished—is being hunted with a team of dogs, and will be killed if found. Parts of the west Texas park were evacuated after the attack. More»

Four-day-old was briefly left alone in living room

(NEWSER) - A bizarre tragedy in Malaysia: A four-day-old baby girl died after being snatched from her family’s living room by a monkey. The newborn had been left alone for a few minutes and disappeared; her mother and grandmother saw blood stains on the floor and then found her outside with bite marks on her neck and face, the Telegraph reports, citing local newspapers. An official suspects the monkey was attracted to the home because a female monkey was kept there as a pet. More»

(NEWSER) - Diarrhea kills 1.6 million children under 5 every year—more than AIDS or malaria—and gets a fraction of the funding. But a deceptively simple new treatment may mark a breakthrough, Time reports. Zinc supplements appear to dramatically decrease diarrhea-related deaths—one afflicted village in Mali hasn’t had a single death since the pills arrived. Zinc “has totally taken off,” a researcher says. “It looks like real medicine and is not given out for free.” More»

(NEWSER) - Almost 250 children in Peru under the age of 5 have died during one of the coldest winters in years, reports the BBC. Scientists blame climate change for the early arrival of severe temperatures, which began as early as March. Kids exposed to the cold have contracted hypothermia and respiratory infections like pneumonia as the southern winter wears on. Peru has declared a state of emergency, but many have accused the government's lack of action for the deaths. More»

(NEWSER) - Michael Jackson’s reputation will forever be tainted by the numerous allegations of child molestation levied against him, the New York Daily News reports. Jackson was never convicted of any crime, but he did settle out of court on two occasions, once for $20 million. A Jackson attorney said the singer settled because he didn’t like “courtrooms and lawyers.” More»