| World News  | Suicide blast at MP's house kills 18
The Australian
A SUICIDE bomber killed 18 people and wounded a Pakistani opposition politician overnight, in the latest attack to underscore the threat posed by Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants. The attacker blew himself up in a crowd of people at the house of Rashid Akbar Nowani, a minority Shiite MP from the party of former premier Nawaz Sharif, in the town of Bhakkar in Punjab province, police said. Pakistan's new civilian government is fighting a wave of...
photo: AP / Naveed Sultan
|  | Citi weighs options for Wachovia, may bid for entire bank
The Times of India
Font Size: NEW YORK: Citigroup is eyeing options to bolster its bid for Wachovia Corp including an offer for the entire bank, a person close to the bank said on Monday. But the person also said Citi had no appetite to buy Wachovia assets without some sort of government guarantee, in sharp contrast with Wells Fargo, which made a $15 bn counter bid for the troubled bank on Friday. Citi...
photo: AP / Paul Sakuma, file
|  | Croat PM sacks ministers
The Australian
CROATIAN Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said today he would sack his interior and justice ministers after the daughter of a prominent lawyer was shot dead in broad daylight in Zagreb. "I shall propose to parliament to relieve of duty the justice minister, interior minister and the national police chief," Mr Sanader told an urgent news conference held at the government headquarters. Parliament, controlled by his...
photo: AP Photo / Filip Horvat
|  | Quarter of mammals risks extinction
TVNZ
Oct 7, 2008 10:46 AM A quarter of the world's mammals are threatened with extinction, an international survey showed, and the destruction of habitats and hunting are the major causes. The report, the most comprehensive to date by 1,700 researchers, showed populations of half of all 5,487 species of mammals were in decline. Mammals range in size from blue whales to Thailand's insect-sized bumblebee bat. ...
photo: Creative Commons / Kabir Bakie
|  | Assam toll reaches 40 as violence spreads
The Times of India
7 Oct 2008, 0050 hrs IST,TNN Text: GUWAHATI/UDALGURI: As the orgy of ethnic violence between Bodos and Muslim immigrants spread to newer areas of northern Assam and the death toll touched 40, shoot-at-sight was ordered in riot-ravaged Udalgiri and Darrang districts and more cops deployed in neighbouring Chirang. ( ) Fifteen people have died in police firing alone and nearly...
photo: AP / Anupam Nath
|  | Thai protesters besiege parliament
TVNZ
Oct 7, 2008 10:32 AM More than 5,000 anti-government protesters besieged Thailand's parliament, vowing to disrupt Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's maiden policy speech in a bid to revive their flagging street campaign. Hundreds of riot police watched as the protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) blocked roads in a bid to prevent the opening of parliament later on Tuesday. PAD protesters have occupied the...
photo: AP / Sakchai Lalit
|  | House looks into govts ability to ensure food safety
The Daily Tribune
10/07/2008 A panel in the House of Representatives will try to determine the effectiveness of the governments efforts to ensure that the countrys food imports are safe for consumption amidst the fears sparked by the reports of milk made from China being reportedly tainted with toxic chemical. The House committee on agriculture will begin a series of hearings today on toxic food imports and the governments ability to ensure food safety amid...
photo: AP / Bullit Marquez
| Business News  | Starbucks Wasting More Than 6 Million Gallons of Water a Day
ABC News
BY PHILIP VICTOR LONDON, Oct. 6, 2008 FONT SIZE American coffee giant Starbucks became the target of conservationists today after an investigation by the U.K. newspaper The Sun estimated that the company wasted up to 6 million gallons of water every day, enough to quell the thirst of a small African nation. Starbucks defended itself today against claims that it wastes water after The Sun revealed that at Starbucks coffee shops water taps run...
photo: WN / Sweet Radoc
|  | Pope says world financial system 'built on sand'
The Times
Pope Benedict XVI today said that the global credit crisis shows that the world's financial systems are "built on sand" and that only the works of God have "solid reality". Opening a Synod of Bishops in the Vatican the Pope referred to a passage from St Matthew's Gospel on false prophets, saying ''He who builds only on visible and tangible...
photo: White House / Shealah Craighead
|  | Pillows help American Textile to grow despite down economy
The Business Review
A Duquesne bedding manufacturer is bucking the trend of cutbacks and restructuring with the addition of 82 new jobs this year, a 30-percent boost in year-over-year sales and plans to expand its Pittsburgh footprint. A year ago, CFO John Riccio projected the family-owned company’s revenue would hit $100 million by the end of 2008, and it looks like his estimate will come true, he said this week. “We are aggressively pursuing our growth...
photo: PD File
|  | Democrats should fear the 'boogie man'
Seattle Post-Intelligence
If you want to understand why U.S. presidential politics can be such a dirty business, and how John McCain could yet turn around a White House race in which he is now the clear underdog, I have a suggestion. Go and see a documentary that opened here last weekend, called "Boogie Man: the Lee Atwater Story." It's the best part of 20 years now since Atwater died of a brain tumor at the age of 40. But during his few years as a top White House...
photo: Creative Commons / Dan Bennett from Seattle, USA
|  | Allianz investing $2.5B in Hartford Financial
Kansas City Star
Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. said Monday it will receive a $2.5 billion investment from Allianz SE. The Hartford, Conn.-based insurer also predicted a steep third-quarter loss, and said it is cutting its dividend in conjunction with the investment by Allianz. The news sent Hartford Financial shares up 3.30, or 12 percent, to $30.70 in early morning trading. The company lost nearly $9 billion of market value last week as investors cut...
photo: WN/Theresa Poongan
| Entertainment News  | Clint Eastwood Thinks Angelina Jolie Could Be TOO Beautiful
The Examiner
Splash News - 19 mins ago Hollywood legend and "Changeling" director Clint Eastwood believes Angelina Jolie's looks could actually hinder her acting career rather than enhance it. The "Dirty Harry" star thinks too many people focus on the way she looks and forget that she is actually quite a talented actress. The 78 year old film maker, who directed "Unforgiven" and "Mystic River" had this to say about Jolie: "I've always admired her talent....
photo: AP
|  | Stephen Colbert enjoys playing a jerk
Newsday
Stephen Colbert, on 'The Colbert Report' "I, for one, cannot think of anything more presidential than suspending your presidential campaign! Being president demands suspending all kinds of things! Habeas corpus. Gitmo prisoners." (Adam Rountree / Associated Press) was raised in South Carolina to be a Southern gentleman. But he spends his days being a jerk. It must be tough....
photo: Creative Commons / lickr upload bot
|  | Jude Law Really Knows How To Entertain Exotic Dancers
The Examiner
Splash News - 0 mins ago It seems British actor Jude Law, pictured here out and about in New York, spent three days holed up with an exotic dancer recently. According to rumors reported by the New York Post, the 35 year old "AI" star went to The Box nightclub in New York and got on so well with one particular burlesque dancer that he invited her back to the Gramercy Park Hotel. A source said: "She stayed holed up in there for three...
photo: Sony Pictures Classics
|  | NASA and The Adler Planetarium Host NASA Future Forum In Chicago
The Examiner
Distributed by Press Release EMAIL ARTICLE PRINT ARTICLE CHICAGO (Map) - CHICAGO, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale will deliver a keynote address on Friday, Oct. 10, at the Adler Planetarium to kick off NASA's Future Forum in Chicago. The 8:45 a.m. CDT event marks the final Future Forum and is part of a year-long series celebrating the agency's 50th anniversary. The forum will focus on how space exploration...
photo: (AP Photo / Mark J. Terrill, Pool)
|  | Back to the future: Bill Murray drawn to dark 'City of Ember' role
Boston Herald
For some reason, Bill Murray spoke in a whisper for his interview at Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Maybe it's a nod to his shady character in "City of Ember," which opens Friday. Or maybe he was just having some fun. But he did address, however softly, the role that's an unlikely detour for the actor-comedian ("Ghostbusters," "Lost in...
photo: AP Marcio Jose Sanchez
|  | Nicole Kidman Opens Up (And Uses Mariah's Retoucher)
The Examiner
Perezhilton.com - 1 hr 1 min ago A very Photoshopped Nicole Kidman gets the two cover treatment for the new issue of Elle magazine.The red dress cover is quite exquisite!In the interview, the new mom to Sunday Roast opens up about life and her loves - including ex Tom Cruise.Here are some HIGHlights:On whether or not she felt...
photo: AP /
| Health News  | Tobacco case divides US court
TVNZ
Oct 7, 2008 8:49 AM The US Supreme Court seemed closely divided as it heard arguments over whether tobacco firms can be sued under state law for deceptive advertising of light cigarettes, a case that could affect some 40 suits around the country seeking billions of dollars. A lawyer for Altria Group Inc and its Philip Morris USA unit argued that the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act bars such lawsuits, as the...
photo: WN / Sweet Radoc
|  | High tea helps beat the afternoon slump
The Daily Mail
Every Tuesday, Britain's leading nutritionist explains how to eat your way to health. This week Jane explains why afternoon tea is a great idea... Afternoon tea - just the words you'd have thought would set off a nutritional rant about the dangers of saturated fat (all that cream and butter!), excess sugar (all that jam, cake and biscuits!) and calorie overload. But the fact is, I think afternoon tea is a great idea. Sure, turning it into a...
photo: WN / Rubielyn Bunag
|  | Consumers should be careful when microwaving because bacteria can hide in cold spots
Newsday
1 OMAHA, Neb. (AP) _ Zapping frozen meals in the microwave may be fast and easy, but it also can make you sick if it's not done properly. That message has been slow to catch on, despite a spate of illnesses last year from improperly microwaved frozen foods. On Sunday, the government issued a new warning urging consumers to thoroughly cook frozen chicken dinners after 32 people in 12 states were sickened with salmonella poisoning. "Given how...
photo: WN / james
|  | ADHD drugs cut risk of drug abuse, smoking: study
Scientific American
By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - Girls who take stimulants to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are less likely than others with the condition to start smoking or to abuse alcohol or drugs, U.S. researchers said on Monday. They said girls with ADHD who took stimulant drugs had half the risk of substance abuse and nearly half the risk of smoking cigarettes as those who were not treated with drugs. "It shows a...
photo: WN / Yolanda Leyba
|  | Include China beauty products in tests
Inquirer
MANILA, PhilippinesRepresentatives Luis Villafuerte, Martin Romualdez and Aurelio Gonzales are on the right track when they filed a joint resolution directing the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) to widen the tests it has been conducting on food items such as milk and canned goods from China, to find out which have been contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine. The congressmen want to include beauty products from China following studies...
photo: WN / Rubielyn Bunag
|  | Obesity triples prostate cancer death risk
Canada Dot Com
Obese men are nearly three times as likely to die from a diagnosis of prostate cancer than normal weight men. And the prognosis is even worse if they have high insulin levels as well. Harvard and McGill universities' researchers who analyzed data from more than 2,500 men have not only confirmed what smaller studies have found -- namely, prostate cancer death rates get higher as men get heavier -- they may have also discovered why: overweight men...
photo: WN
| Politics News  | Obama: McCain tries to turn attention from economy
Houston Chronicle
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Barack Obama said Monday that John McCain is trying to shift attention from the troubled economy because the issue is bad for the Republican presidential nominee's campaign. The Democratic presidential candidate also implored federal officials to take swift action as Wall Street recorded another record one-day decline amid a global sell-off of stocks. Obama told reporters in Asheville, N.C., that he was surprised his Republican...
photo: AP / Rick Bowmer
|  | Speaker nixes budget slash, prefers DPWH infra realigns
The Daily Tribune
10/07/2008 Speaker Prospero Nograles yesterday made clear his objection to the opposition blocs proposal to slash the budget, saying that precisely, during a crisis period, the budget must be flexible rather than tight, even as he also said that the House leadership would probably consider realigning some infrastructure appropriations for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to social services. In ruling out a budget cut,...
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
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