NPR 2012-02-25

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The large demonstrations³ were in solidarity⁴ for Homs, where the Baba Amr neighborhood has been under a few shelling for three weeks. But violence continued elsewhere too. This YouTube video appeared to show demonstrators in Hara in the southern Daraa province running down an alley⁵ as they came under fire. There was little reaction to the calls for a ceasefire emerging from the Friends of Syrian meeting in Tunisia. One activist⁶ in Homs said such small measures simply showed the weakness of the international community in the face of the murderous regime. Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Beirut.

 

Outrage⁷ over the burning of the Koran at the US base in Afghanistan continues to stir protests across the country, and there’re fueling worries Afghan police will not be able to oversee⁸ security once foreign troops leave. But German Brigadier General Carsten Jacobson says local police can handle on ruly crowds.

 

“Years ago, Afghan forces would probably have had no alternative but turning to bullets. They have now really learned to master the skills of crowd control, and they did very well over the last hours.”

 

President Obama has formally apologized to the Afghan people for the burning of the Koran at the Bagram Air Base, saying it was not intentional⁹. Violence today claimed 11 more lives.

 

There’s a new twist in Britain’s phone-hacking scandal. Officials say they’re investigating the conduct of a senior police officer. NPR’s Philip Reeves says the inquiry¹⁰ is focusing on whether the officer inappropriately passed information to one of Rupert Murdoch’s executives.

 

The phone-hacking scandal has already greatly damaged Scotland Yard. Two top officers resigned. A major investigation’s underway into allegations of police accepting bribes¹¹, and an ethics¹² inquiry is about to shine a light on the cozy¹³ relationship between the Yard and Murdoch’s tabloids¹⁴. Now the Independent Police Complaints Commission is looking into whether a senior police officer, in its words, inappropriately disclosed information to an executive from Murdoch’s News International. It’s allegedly happened during the original 2006 police inquiry into phone-hacking about the News of the World. That inquiry was later discredited¹⁵ after wrongly concluding there was little evidence of widespread illegality. Officials say there’s no indication the senior officer was paid for information. Philip Reeves, NPR News, London.

 

At last check on Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average up six points at 12,990; NASDAQ gaining 11; it’s at 2,968; and the S&P 500 up four points at 1,367. 

 

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National League MVP Ryan Braun says he’s working to restore his name now that the positive result of a drug test is overturned. The Milwaukee Brewers outfielder no longer faces a 50-game suspension along with the first Major League baseball player to successfully challenge the penalty in a grievance¹⁶. Today he described himself as a victim of a failed process.

 

“We’re a part of a process where you’re 100% guilty until proven innocent. With what’s at stake, this is everything I’ve ever worked for in my life being called into question. We need to make sure that we get it right. You're gonna be in a position where you’re 100% guilty until proven innocent you can’t mess up, and today’s about making sure that this never happens to anybody else who plays this game.”

 

The New York City Department of the Education has released individual ratings on 18,000 teachers. NPR’s Margot Adler reports the release comes after unions lost a legal battle with the city and with news organizations that requested the information under the freedom of information law.

 

Originally the city said the ratings would only be used internally. The court ruled the public has a right to know. The United Federation¹⁷ of Teachers took out newspaper ads, arguing that the teacher data reports are filled with errors. Independent experts say there are sizable errors and omissions¹⁸. The ratings involve fourth- to eighth-grade English and math teachers, and they compare standardized¹⁹ test results to what students are predicted to do. They also factor in poverty and special ed. The ratings are more than two years old, and the School Chancellor²⁰ Dennis Walcott says they should not be used to judge individual teachers. A new rating system with more attention to classroom observation has already been agreed to by state, city and union officials. Margot Adler, NPR News, New York.

 

I’m Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, Washington.

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