Baby Alive in Morgue, Fox Mole, North Korea Rocket: What’s Spiking (Thursday)

Becky Uline

The weekday report for the topics and people that are trending on
Yahoo! and across the Web for Thursday April 12, 2012.

Research by Search editor Liz Streng

A baby is found miraculously alive after 12 hours in the morgue. A Fox News mole's secret status is short-lived. North Korea flexes its muscles again on the world stage. See what else is revealed in today's top searches across the Web.

STANDOUT SPIKES

  • Baby Alive in Morgue: A baby was found alive in a coffin in an Argentine hospital morgue nearly 12 hours after the girl had been declared stillborn. The baby is improving, but questions remain for the hospital responsible for the near-fatal mistake. Related searches: miracle morgue baby, miracle morgue baby improving, baby in morgue

  • Joe Muto: A little more than 24 hours after Gawker published the first anonymous post written by a Fox News employee, the cable channel caught and fired the "mole." Fox News said it had identified Gawker's "Fox News mole" as Joe Muto. -- Yahoo! News Related searches: gawker, joe muto fox mole

  • North Korea Rocket: North Korea is poised to launch a rocket by April 16 on a mission that the international community considers a provocative missile test in disguise. Related searches: north korea rocket launch

NEWS & POLITICS

  • George Zimmerman: The Florida man accused of shooting and killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin has been charged with second-degree murder and is now being held in custody. He will be represented by defense attorney Marc O'Mara.

  • Bo Xilai: In light of Bo Xilai's ousting from his post as the Communist Party chief in Chongqing, the Chinese government has shut down 42 websites and arrested 1,065 suspects for "fabricating or disseminating online rumors," according to state news agency Xinhua. Even the keyword searches mentioning the names and titles of people or terms related to the scandal have been blocked.

  • Bear in backyards: The 400-pound bear that was roaming around Glendale, Calif., startling a man who was walking and texting at the same, has been tranquilized and returned to the forest.

  • Hilary Rosen: The Democratic strategist has criticized Mitt Romney for taking advice from his wife on women's issues, since Ann Romney "has never actually worked a day in her life." Within minutes of Rosen's comments, Ann Romney joined Twitter and as of late Wednesday night had tweeted one post: "I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work." -- National Journal

  • Cathy Samford: The volleyball coach and science teacher at a private Baptist school in Texas was fired for being pregnant and not married, violating the "Christian role model" clause in her contract.

  • Pepper Spray Report: A University of California task force said Wednesday that UC Davis police should not have used pepper spray on student demonstrators in an incident that prompted national outrage and calls for the chancellor's resignation after online videos of the confrontation went viral.

  • Korean Air Jet: A Korean Air passenger jet made an emergency landing at a Canadian military airbase after one of the airline's U.S. call centers received a telephone threat late Tuesday, the airline said.

BUSINESS & MONEY

  • Johnson & Johnson Fined: A judge in Arkansas ordered Johnson & Johnson and a subsidiary to pay more than $1.2 billion in fines on Wednesday, a day after a jury found that the companies had minimized or concealed the dangers associated with the antipsychotic drug Risperdal. -- The New York Times

  • Jon Huntsman: Caterpillar named Jon Huntsman Jr., a former contender for the Republican presidential nomination, to its board of directors Wednesday.

  • Elon Musk: The CEO of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), appeared Tuesday on Jon Stewart's "Daily Show" to discuss the company's upcoming test flight of an unmanned capsule to the International Space Station.

ENTERTAINMENT

  • Battleship Game: The film "Battleship," based on the old-school board game, opens in theaters internationally this week.

  • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose wrote an open letter refusing his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Hall responded by saying that it is disappointed he will not be able to make the ceremony but that the group will still be inducted. Rose has cut all ties to the other original band members.

  • Maccabee Movie: Warner Bros. shelved a Mel Gibson movie about the Jewish Maccabee revolt in the second century B.C. after the script by Joe Eszterhas was reviewed. -- Reuters

CELEBRITIES

  • Britney Spears: The star is reportedly closing a $15 million deal to join "The X Factor." On another note, Spears is now the new face of Hasbro's Twister Dance game.

  • Crystal Renn: Former brunette plus-sized model has shed some pounds and dyed her hair blond, making her virtually unrecognizable from her former self.

  • Jessica Sanchez Stuttering: The "American Idol" contestant gave a soulful rendition of Jazmine Sullivan's "Stuttering," prompting judge Randy Jackson to call her a "fish slayer."

  • Joshua Ledet: The 20-year-old "American Idol" contestant from Louisiana earned a standing ovation for his version of Bruno Mars's "Runaway Baby" on Wednesday night.

  • Julio Aleman: Mexican television and movie actor Julio Aleman, who starred in the first telenovela ever produced in that country, died Wednesday. He was 78.

  • Brian Urlacher and Jenny McCarthy: A video by TMZ of Brian Urlacher and Jenny McCarthy leaving an L.A. restaurant has prompted speculation that the two are dating.

SPORTS

  • Batman Banned by Orioles: Baltimore fan Mark Harvey streaked across the field at Camden Yards on Opening Day wearing just Batman underwear, a cape, and a hat. While the organization did not press charges, he has been banned for life from the stadium. Related searches: batman streaker, batman arrested, orioles ban batman

  • Ralph Barbieri: A 28-year veteran of KNBR in San Francisco has been fired from his position effectively immediately. In response, Barbieri said, "I've heard it said that this was an amicable parting. That is not exactly the case. I came to work (Tuesday) morning and I was told that I was being terminated. The whole process took about 7 minutes. Let's see: Four years for every minute. You got to admit that's pretty darn time efficient -- not to mention incredibly classy." -- The San Francisco Chronicle

  • Nerlens Noel: A top-ranked college basketball recruit has announced he will go to the University of Kentucky.

  • Shabazz Muhammad: One of the nation's other top high school players signed with the UCLA Bruins on Wednesday.

  • Urban Meyer: In a Wednesday conference with his Big Ten coaching peers, the new coach of Ohio State defended himself against media accusations of favoritism, standing by his performance as the Florida Gators coach.

HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE WEB

What's popular on Yahoo!, Twitter, Google Trends, CNN, BBC, Hollywood Reporter, and other sources.

Yahoo! News Most Popular

Twitter Trends (USA)

Washington Post Headlines

BBC Headlines

NPR Most Viewed

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