NPR 2011-12-02

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Clinton has been consulting closely with Aung San Suu Kyi as the US looks for ways to support reforms in the country. Though they’ve spoken on phone, their dinner in Yangon was the first time the two women met face to face. The secretary and her entourage also visited for the first time the new president's massive palace in the surreal looking capital Naypyidaw. Clinton says President Thein Sein outlined a detailed² reform plan that includes efforts to resolve the country's long-standing ethnic³ conflicts and assurances that Myanmar won't buy illicit⁴ weapons from North Korea. The US is also encouraging the country to release more political prisoners. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Yangon.

 

Vice⁵ President Joe Biden says the US is not claiming victory in Iraq, but he says the Iraqi government can't take care of itself. Biden is in Iraq as American troops prepare to leave the country by the end of the month. Speaking on NBC this morning, Biden said that the Obama administration has done what it said it would do, mainly to end a war that it did not start and to do so in a responsible way. Biden acknowledges that security concerns remain, but he says that violence is at an all-time low.

 

The new president of the European Central Bank warns the risks to the eurozone economies have grown, and constraints⁶ on the banking⁷ sector⁸ means the crisis is not about to fade. Larry Miller⁹ reports there’s a similar warning from the head of Bank of England.

 

European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi says time is running out for eurozone political leaders to resolve the sovereign debt crisis and to restore confidence.

 

“A credible¹⁰ signal is needed to give ultimate assurance over the short term.”

 

Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, warns banks to prepare for a potential eurozone collapse¹¹.

 

“No one who looks at the current position could surely deny that it is extraordinarily¹² serious and threatening, and therefore those with responsibilities to deal with it really do need to take action.”

 

King says he wants banks to build up reserves to protect themselves from a financial storm. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

 

Ford¹³, Chrysler, GM and Volkswagen are all reporting increases in US vehicle sales from this time last year. Sales of Chrysler are up 45% from a year ago. Volkswagen's reporting a 41% gain. Ford says its sales have risen by 13%, and GM says the sales of new vehicles is up by 7% in 2011. Meanwhile, more Americans applied¹⁴ for unemployment benefits for the second week in a row. The Labor¹⁵ Department says that number is up by 6,000 weekly applications to a seasonally¹⁶ adjusted average of 402,000.

 

On Wall Street, trading is mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 10 points at 12,035. The NASDAQ Composite Index is up eight points to 2,628.

 

This is NPR News.

 

Just one day before the UN is set to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis in Syria, the High Commissioner¹⁷ for Human Rights Navi Pillay says evidence of abuse coming out of Syria shows that the country's leader should be tried on charges of crimes against humanity. She also says her office now estimates that well more than 4,000 people are dead in the nine-month-long uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. 

 

Egyptians will not learn until at least tomorrow the results of two days with the voting in parliamentary elections. The head of Egypt's election commission says the announcement of the results will be delayed by a day. A report in the state news agency says high voter turnout has slowed the counting process. 

 

Kanye West tops the list of Grammy nominations¹⁸ announced last night with seven. NPR's Trina Williams reports none of those nominations were for Album or Record of The Year.

 

“All of the lights.”

 

West is nominated for Song of the Year for “All Of The Lights.” The rap artist has passed up for the other two top awards. Adele, on the other hand, gets six nods, including Best Album for 2011 as well as Record and Song Of The Year for “Rolling in the Deep.”

 

“Baby I have no story to be told.”

 

Adele's album already is the best-selling of the year with 4.7 million copies purchased. Bruno Mars also got six nominations. He will compete with Adele on the top three categories.

 

“Yes I would die for ya, baby. But you won't do the same.”

 

Foo Fighters are being considered for half a dozen nominations as well. Other multiple nominees¹⁹ are Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and Radiohead. The awards air live in February. Trina Williams, NPR News.

 

In Switzerland, the traditional start of the ski season this weekend is being threatened by unusually warm, dry conditions.

 

I'm Jim Howard, NPR News in Washington.

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