UPI NewsTrack articles from May 2008

UPI NewsTrack archives from May 2008

Report: U.S. food safety obsolete.
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- Obsolete laws, misallocation of resources and fragmented efforts by 15 federal food agencies result in gaps in U.S. food safety, a non-profit group maintains. The report by the Trust for America's Health said the...

Man breaks postal rules by reusing old box.
May 1, 2008... CASTLE ROCK, Colo., May 1 (UPI) -- A Colorado man says the U.S. Postal Service accused him of breaking its rules when he tried reusing a priority cardboard box to ship an item. The Postal Service said Gary Adler went against regulations...

U.S. Senate looks at ban on bisphenol A.
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- Democrats in the U.S. Senate are proposing a bill to ban the chemical bisphenol A from plastic products made for infants and young children. The measure, introduced by Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., would also...

Boy Scout gets pizza for turning in $800.
May 1, 2008... ALLEGAN, Mich., May 1 (UPI) -- The mother of a Michigan Boy Scout says she is proud of her son, whose honesty in turning in $800 won him a pizza party from state police. John Robert Bouterse, 11, was honored this week for handing over a...

MLB: Chicago Cubs 19, Milwaukee 5.
May 1, 2008... CHICAGO, May 1 (UPI) -- A pair of three-run homers by Geovany Soto highlighted a 17-hit attack Wednesday fueled the Chicago Cubs' 19-5 whipping of Milwaukee. One night after the Brewers had produced 17 hits of their own, they surrendered a...

Cloned horse gives birth.
May 1, 2008... ROME , May 1 (UPI) -- Italian scientist Cesare Galli says the world's first cloned horse, Prometea, has given birth to a healthy foal. Galli, a pioneer in animal cloning, said the foal was conceived using artificial insemination but is not...

Arsenic found in infant rice cereal.
May 1, 2008... LONDON, May 1 (UPI) -- Researchers say one-third of infant rice cereal in Britain contains unsafe levels of arsenic. Environmental chemist Andrew Meharg of Aberdeen University in Scotland and colleagues tested 17 samples of baby rice from...

Olympic flame to get high-tech protection.
May 1, 2008... BEIJING, May 1 (UPI) -- China says high-tech technology will protect the Beijing Olympic flame from high winds and the oxygen-thin air as it is taken to the summit of Mount Everest. The flame is to be carried atop the world's tallest peak...

MLB: LA Angels 6, Oakland 1.
May 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, May 1 (UPI) -- Ervin Santana continued his strong start to the year Wednesday by giving up a run over 6 1/3 innings in leading the Los Angeles Angels past Oakland 6-1. Santana gave up four hits and struck out three while...

Reno scientists warn of further quake risk.
May 1, 2008... RENO, Nev., May 1 (UPI) -- Scientists in Nevada say the region needs to prepare for the possibility of more -- and potentially more serious -- earthquakes. "The earthquake sequence in west Reno is not a scientific surprise, and a large...

Store gives out carpets walked on by pope.
May 1, 2008... FLEMINGTON , N.J., May 1 (UPI) -- A New Jersey store owner says he is giving away sections of carpet walked on by Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to New York's Yankee Stadium. Ted Resnick, Flemington Department Store owner, supplied...

Wild Sky Wilderness bill approved in House.
May 1, 2008... SEATTLE, May 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. House approved a bill creating the Wild Sky Wilderness in Washington state, officials said Wednesday. The legislation, which will preserve more than 106,000 acres of wilderness in Snohomish County in the...

MLB: San Diego 4, Philadelphia 2.
May 1, 2008... PHILADELPHIA, May 1 (UPI) -- San Diego starter Chris Young gave up two runs over six innings and the Padres' bullpen mopped up in a 4-2 victory Wednesday over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Padres' Tadahito Iguchi went 4-for-5, scored once...

Pakistani judges talks continue.
May 1, 2008... ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 1 (UPI) -- Pakistani coalition leaders were to meet again on reinstating dismissed judges, an issue whose resolution may decide the future of the month-old government. At their meeting Wednesday in Dubai, Asif Ali...

Historic Italian cave may collapse.
May 1, 2008... RIGNANO GARGANICO, Italy, May 1 (UPI) -- Archaeologists are warning a signature Stone Age cavern in southern Italy, called the Paglicci Cave, is in imminent danger of collapse. A section of the cave's exterior wall collapsed Tuesday, ANSA...

People's Daily attacks Dalai Lama.
May 1, 2008... BEIJING, May 1 (UPI) -- As China prepared to meet the Dalai Lama's envoy, the Communist party mouthpiece People's Daily attacked the Tibetan leader's human rights stand. In a commentary written by He Zhenhua, the newspaper said the Dalai...

Fiat investing in Serbian automaker.
May 1, 2008... TURIN, Italy, May 1 (UPI) -- Italian automaker Fiat is buying a 70-percent stake in Zastava, the Serbian car maker, for $1.09 billion. Serbia, which will control the other 30 percent, will plow another $156 million over the next two years,...

Fire destroys Philadelphia church.
May 1, 2008... PHILADELPHIA, May 1 (UPI) -- A raging fire gutted Philadelphia's Prince of Peace Baptist Church and damaged or destroyed at least four nearby homes Wednesday, authorities said. Fire officials had not yet determined what caused the six-alarm...

Taliban retake control of region.
May 1, 2008... ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 1 (UPI) -- The Taliban reportedly has regained control of Pakistan's Darra Adamkhel region and resumed its activities despite the presence of security forces. The region is in the North-West Frontier province near...

Hawaiian palace site of protest.
May 1, 2008... HONOLULU, May 1 (UPI) -- Protesters advocating native Hawaiian sovereignty Wednesday blocked access to the Iolani Palace grounds to tourists for several hours, officials said. Members of the group Hawaiian Kingdom Government posted no...

Married death row inmate to wed.
May 1, 2008... JAKARTA, May 1 (UPI) -- A married man on death row in Indonesia for the 2002 Bali bombings has been cleared to remarry his ex-wife, authorities say. The convicted terrorist bomber, who goes by the single name Amrozi, is facing a death...

Jockstrip: The world as we know it.
May 1, 2008... Boy Scout gets pizza for turning in $800 ALLEGAN, Mich., May 1 (UPI) -- The mother of a Michigan Boy Scout says she is proud of her son, whose honesty in turning in $800 won him a pizza party from state police. John Robert Bouterse,...

Watercooler Stories.
May 1, 2008... Fast-food eatery kept buns in bathroom SANFORD, Fla., April 30 (UPI) -- Health inspectors say a Sanford, Fla., fast-food restaurant was found to have been storing hamburger buns on the floor of the men's room. The inspectors said the...

Poll: 4 in 10 call gas prices a crisis.
May 1, 2008... PRINCETON, N.J., May 1 (UPI) -- A vast majority of U.S. residents surveyed in a Gallup poll indicated gas prices are a major problem with 42 percent indicating prices represent a crisis. In a survey released Thursday, Gallup said 42 percent...

Obama moving past pastor issue, wife says.
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- Sen. Barack Obama's decision to break from his controversial ex-pastor was hard but necessary, the wife of the Democratic U.S. presidential hopeful says. The campaign should be about issues, not remarks by the...

Morocco tightens prison security.
May 1, 2008... RABAT, Morocco, May 1 (UPI) -- Morocco's King Mohammed has named three officials in Rabat to spearhead an effort to tighten prison security and fight alleged corruption. The move came in response to the April escape of nine al-Qaida...

Crude oil prices return to gains Thursday.
May 1, 2008... NEW YORK, May 1 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices rose slightly to more than $113 a barrel in overnight trading after a fall Wednesday when the the U.S. Federal Reserve cut a key lending rate. After the rate-cut announcement, crude oil prices fell...

Massive Toronto meth lab probe widens.
May 1, 2008... TORONTO, May 1 (UPI) -- The Toronto police investigation into the city's largest-ever discovery of a methamphetamines lab uncovered an adjacent ecstasy lab, officials said. The Tuesday afternoon raid on an industrial complex in Mississauga,...

Somali al-Qaida leader dies in air strike.
May 1, 2008... MOGADISHU, Somalia, May 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. air strike in Somalia Thursday killed an al-Qaida leader in East Africa who also was a leader in the Islamist revival in Somalia, Somali officials said. The air strike targeted Aden Hashi Ayro, a...

Mandela still on U.S. terrorist lists.
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- Nelson Mandela, South Africa's Nobel Prize-winning symbol of hope for leading the fight against apartheid, is reported still on U.S. terrorist watch lists. His inclusion means Mandela must have special permission...

Legislators considering ethanol rollback.
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- Washington legislators are reconsidering federal mandates on ethanol production that has been linked to rising food costs, various lawmakers said. The Renewable Fuel Standard, passed four months ago, is under fire...

Floodwaters rise in New Brunswick capital.
May 1, 2008... ST. JOHN, New Brunswick, May 1 (UPI) -- Fredericton in the eastern Canadian province of New Brunswick was flooded Thursday as the St. John River rose 27 feet above sea level, officials said. More than 30 main roads were closed Thursday...

Poll: Wright, Pa. loss affecting Obama.
May 1, 2008... NEW YORK, May 1 (UPI) -- A loss in Pennsylvania and a flap over a pastor have bogged down Sen. Barack Obama's quest to be the Democratic U.S. presidential nominee, a poll indicates. The New York Times/CBS News Poll released Thursday found...

Brooke White voted off 'Idol'.
May 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, May 1 (UPI) -- Brooke White, a 24-year-old nanny from Arizona, was the latest contestant voted off of the U.S. singing competition series "American Idol." "I just want to say thank you. It's going to be terrible for me, I...

UPI NewsTrack TopNews.
May 1, 2008... Somali al-Qaida leader dies in air strike MOGADISHU, Somalia, May 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. air strike in Somalia Thursday killed an al-Qaida leader in East Africa who also was a leader in the Islamist revival in Somalia, Somali officials said. ...

100-year flood prompts evacuations.
May 1, 2008... FORT KENT, Maine, May 1 (UPI) -- Hundreds of people have been evacuated in the Fort Kent, Maine, area, where officials say the worst flooding in 100 years is occurring. Rain and melting snow raised the St. John River to more than 30 feet,...

Bardem quits movie musical 'Nine'.
May 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, May 1 (UPI) -- Javier Bardem's representatives say the Spanish actor has dropped out of the upcoming movie musical "Nine" being directed by "Chicago" filmmaker Rob Marshall. Bardem, who is best-known for his Oscar-winning...

Man dies on Aeroflot flight to Toronto.
May 1, 2008... TORONTO, May 1 (UPI) -- An autopsy was scheduled Thursday in Toronto for a Russian man who died while reportedly heavily intoxicated on an Aeroflot flight from Moscow. The flight arrived around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, and Peel Regional Police...

Decree decrying Iraqi violence in works.
May 1, 2008... BAGHDAD, May 1 (UPI) -- A religious decree condemning Iraqi suicide bombings is being developed jointly by Shiite and Sunni leaders, an Anglican minister involved in the project said. The decree, called a fatwa, cites the Koran and says the...

Wages and inflation kept apace in March.
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. personal income and prices rose in tandem in March, the U.S. Commerce Department said Thursday. Personal income increased by $38.8 billion, the Commerce Department said Thursday. But, prices rose at the same...

Democrats zero in on gas tax.
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- With the Indiana and North Carolina primaries around the corner, the two Democratic presidential candidates disagreed on getting rid of the U.S. gas tax. Sen. Hillary Clinton's proposal for suspending the federal...

Slow spending drags on U.S. economy.
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- Economists looking at consumer spending say the powerful economic indicator points to a slow recovery for the U.S. economy. The Commerce Department said Wednesday the economy grew by 0.6 percent for the second...

Sadr City fighting claims 17 lives.
May 1, 2008... BAGHDAD, May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. military leaders say 17 people were killed in Baghdad's Sadr City area, where battles between coalition and militant forces have raged for weeks. Sadr City, a stronghold for Shiite militias -- particularly...

Abdul explains review confusion.
May 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, May 1 (UPI) -- "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul admitted on a U.S. radio program that she mistakenly reviewed a rehearsal, not a live performance on the TV talent show. Abdul made headlines after she offered critiques of an...

Globular clusters: Not as old as thought?
May 1, 2008... EVANSTON, Ill., May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. space agency astronomers say they've found some of the oldest objects in the universe might be younger in their development than previously thought. The finding came in a new study using the National...

U.S. markets up slightly Thursday morning.
May 1, 2008... NEW YORK, May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. investors weighed mixed reports on consumers Thursday, with spending up marginally but jobless claims up sharply on the month. The U.S. Commerce Department said spending increased 0.4 percent in March, while...

Canadian banker frets over long mortgages.
May 1, 2008... OTTAWA, May 1 (UPI) -- The Bank of Canada's governor told Parliament he's concerned about the long-term economic effect of newly popular 40-year mortgages. Mark Carney told the House Finance Committee Wednesday he had concerns about "very...

Jobless claims jump during week.
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- First-time claims for unemployment insurance jumped by 35,000 in the week ending April 26, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday. The department said the 380,000 initial claims on the week was an...

Comedians shoot for Guinness record.
May 1, 2008... NEW YORK, May 1 (UPI) -- More than 100 professional stand-up comedians plan to set the Guinness World Record for longest stand-up comedy show in New York next month, organizers said. The show at the World Famous Comic Strip Live club is to...

Israelis honor Holocaust victims.
May 1, 2008... JERUSALEM, May 1 (UPI) -- Holocaust Remembrance Day began Thursday in Israel with a moment of silence and a 2-minute siren wail as Israelis honored victims of the World War II atrocity. The siren, set off at 10 a.m., could be heard...

State doesn't laugh at funny stop signs.
May 1, 2008... OAK LAWN, Ill., May 1 (UPI) -- The mayor of Oak Lawn, Ill., said he wishes the state hadn't made him take down comical messages he posted under stop signs around town. The Illinois Department of Transportation made Mayor Dave Heilmann...

Glen Campbell to release new studio album.
May 1, 2008... HOLLYWOOD, May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. crooner Glen Campbell is set to release a new studio album called "Meet Glen Campbell" this summer, Capitol/EMI said. The famed singer, who has been making records for five decades, is to premiere select...

Fuel costs change air travel's flight path.
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- Leisure travel and extra business trips on U.S. commercial flights could be substantially reduced in the next year, industry analysts report. With surging jet fuel prices "some leisure travelers are going to be...

Increasingly intense storms threaten coral.
May 1, 2008... BEDFORD, England, May 1 (UPI) -- A British scientist suggests hurricanes and other storms are increasing in intensity and are limiting the growth of some corals. The Earthwatch Institute-supported study focused on the ability of corals in...

Jones to moderate 'Bad Girls' reunion.
May 1, 2008... NEW YORK, May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. television personality Star Jones is set to preside over a Season 2 "Bad Girls Club" cast reunion show, Oxygen announced. The one-hour special, which was filmed in front of a live audience in Los Angeles, is...

FDA finishes 'Total Body' products study.
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says its testing of Total Body Formula and Total Body Mega Formula has detected hazardous amounts of chromium. The FDA reported April 9 that the dietary supplement products...

Barnes is PBA player of the year.
May 1, 2008... SEATTLE, May 1 (UPI) -- Chris Barnes, who won two U.S. tournaments and appeared in nine championship rounds this season, has won the PBA's Player of the Year honors. It is the first player of the year award won by Barnes in 10 years on the...

Peterson offers missing wife reward.
May 1, 2008... CHICAGO, May 1 (UPI) -- Drew Peterson is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to a safe return of his missing Chicago-area wife who has been missing for six months. Peterson, 54, a former Bolingbrook, Ill., police officer, has...

Red Bull sues bar for using impostor drink.
May 1, 2008... CHICAGO, May 1 (UPI) -- A Chicago bar was fined $500,000 after undercover Red Bull employees said they were served misleading impostor energy drinks. The energy drink Red Bull is widely used as a mixer in alcoholic beverages. Wet...

Mortgage rates mixed on week.
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- Interest rates for 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages increased in the United States for the second consecutive week, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. The average 30-year fixed interest rate averaged 6.06 percent with...

Justice OKs lawmakers' access to memos.
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Justice Department said it agreed to give congressional members limited access to secret memos authorizing CIA interrogation strategies. U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., said the decision permitting the...

Government probes language disagreement.
May 1, 2008... TULSA, Okla., May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. federal officials are probing the case of an Oklahoma driver's license examiner who said he got in trouble for speaking Spanish to Hispanics. Henry Stanco said he launched a complaint to the U.S. Equal...

U.S. to support some solar power research.
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Energy says it will fund up to $60 million to support development of low-cost concentrating solar power, or CSP, technology. Under Secretary of Energy Clarence Albright said the five-year...

Nia Vardalos to appear on 'My Boys'.
May 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. actress Nia Vardalos is set to appear in an upcoming three-episode arc on the television comedy series "My Boys," TBS announced. Vardalos, who is best known for her starring role in the big-screen...

Fugitive lion cub caught and jailed.
May 1, 2008... MANIWAKI, Quebec, May 1 (UPI) -- A 2-year-old male lion that escaped from a Canadian Indian reservation in Quebec was captured and put in a jail cell early Thursday. The 35-pound feline named Boomer was reported missing Tuesday from the...

Manufacturing in third month of declines.
May 1, 2008... TEMPE, Ariz., May 1 (UPI) -- The Institute for Supply Management said Thursday U.S. manufacturing in April slid for the third consecutive month. New orders and production "are slowly declining," the report said. "But prices continue to...

Hepatitis E breaks out on cruise ship.
May 1, 2008... LONDON, May 1 (UPI) -- Seven British people on the P&O cruise ship Aurora caught the hepatitis E virus while on a 12-week international cruise, officials said. The vacationers, aged roughly between 50 and 80, are suspected of contracting...

Report: Nanoimprint lithography works well.
May 1, 2008... GAITHERSBURG, Md., May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. government scientists say they have determined a new technology called nanoimprint lithography works well and doesn't damage advanced microchips. National Institute of Standards and Technology...

UPI NewsTrack Business.
May 1, 2008... U.S. markets up slightly Thursday morning NEW YORK, May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. investors weighed mixed reports on consumers Thursday, with spending up marginally but jobless claims up sharply on the month. The U.S. Commerce Department said...

Pellicano makes closing remarks.
May 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, May 1 (UPI) -- Anthony Pellicano, the Los Angeles private investigator on trial for wiretapping and racketeering, said Wednesday in closing remarks he was just doing his job. Pellicano, who is representing himself, and his four...

Poll: McCain holds own against Democrats.
May 1, 2008... NEW YORK, May 1 (UPI) -- Less than one-third of U.S. poll respondents indicated a favorable view of the Republican Party, the lowest level since Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll began. While 27 percent viewed the Republican Party...

Rural lawmakers irked by Arnold's quip.
May 1, 2008... SACRAMENTO, May 1 (UPI) -- Lawmakers representing California's rural areas are getting their own jabs in after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made a seeming crack about "little towns." The governor was speaking about high-speed rail at a...

Negev shelled; wanted terrorist killed.
May 1, 2008... JERUSALEM, May 1 (UPI) -- At least eight rockets, including two that fell in Negev during Holocaust remembrances, were fired Thursday from Gaza into Israel, officials said. Negev was hit by a total of 15 rockets Wednesday and Thursday,...

Student killed in Ky. school bus crash.
May 1, 2008... FALMOUTH, Ky., May 1 (UPI) -- A collision between a school bus and a dump truck in Kentucky Thursday morning left one student dead and 10 hurt, according to Pendleton County officials. The Sheriff's Department told WKRC-TV, Cincinnati, the...

United Online to buy FTD for $800 million.
May 1, 2008... WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., May 1 (UPI) -- United Online Inc. of Woodland Hills, Calif., announced Thursday it would purchase national florist delivery service FTD Group Inc. for about $800 million. The deal includes payment of approximately...

UPI NewsTrack TopNews.
May 1, 2008... 100-year flood prompts evacuations FORT KENT, Maine, May 1 (UPI) -- Hundreds of people have been evacuated in the Fort Kent, Maine, area, where officials say the worst flooding in 100 years is occurring. Rain and melting snow raised...

Florida 'bikini mate' loses teaching job.
May 1, 2008... FORT PIERCE, Fla., May 1 (UPI) -- A Florida science teacher contends she was fired because she was moonlighting as a "bikini mate" on a charter fishing boat. Tiffany Shepherd, 30, was bounced from Port St. Lucie High School staff...

Santoro to co-star with Carrey in 'Morris'.
May 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, May 1 (UPI) -- Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro is set to co-star with Jim Carrey in the new film "I Love You, Phillip Morris." Santoro is best known for his roles in "300" and "Love, Actually." In "Morris," he will play a...

U.S.-French satellite prepared for launch.
May 1, 2008... VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., May 1 (UPI) -- A U.S.-French spacecraft designed to continue a long-term survey of Earth's oceans has arrived in the United States for its final launch preparations. The spacecraft -- Jason-2 -- was flown...

UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News.
May 1, 2008... Pellicano makes closing remarks LOS ANGELES, May 1 (UPI) -- Anthony Pellicano, the Los Angeles private investigator on trial for wiretapping and racketeering, said Wednesday in closing remarks he was just doing his job. Pellicano, who...

Nine die in Egyptian bus crash.
May 1, 2008... SHARM-EL-SHEIK, Egypt, May 1 (UPI) -- At least nine people were killed Thursday when an Egyptian bus carrying European and North American tourists crashed on the Sinai peninsula, officials said. Another 27 people were reported injured. ...

Heart defibrillator company signs decree.
May 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Medtronic Inc. has agreed to comply with FDA rules in manufacturing its external heart defibrillators. The FDA said Medtronic, its Physio-Control Inc. subsidiary and two...

Caroline Kennedy backs, stumps for Obama.
May 1, 2008... HAMMOND, Ind., May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., can inspire the United States just as President John Kennedy did in the 1960s, the former president's daughter, Caroline, said. Kennedy reiterated her endorsement of Obama's bid...

Leona's 'Love' tops U.S. record chart.
May 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, May 1 (UPI) -- British singer Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" is No. 1 on the U.S. record chart, Billboard.com reported Thursday. Coming in at No. 2 on The Billboard Hot 100 is Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" featuring Static Major,...