NPR 2011-09-15

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Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou assured German Chancellor¹ Angela Merkle and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the eurozone's strongest nations, that his country would do what was necessary to reduce its deficit². And all three leaders confirmed that Greece was an integral part of the eurozone. Eurozone nations approved a second massive bailout for Greece in July upon condition that Greece would meet its austerity commitments. But despite attempts by European officials to stem the debt crisis, it only seems to worsen. In France Wednesday, two banks were downgraded for holding two much Greek debt. And despite protests in the streets, the Italian parliament gave final approval to a national austerity package. Meanwhile, top EU officials have warned that the failure of the euro could wreck³ the European Union. For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley in Paris.

 

An energized⁴ college crack greets President Obama at North Carolina State University, where he played up the benefits of a jobs creation package he's hoping the public will persuade Congress to pass right away.

 

"Pass this bill, and right here in North Carolina, about 19,000 construction workers will have a job again."

 

President Obama spoke⁵ the same day the government reported that retail⁶ sales and wholesale⁷ prices were flat in August as consumers were more cautious amid volatility⁸ in the stock market.

 

A new report blames BP, Transocean and others for a series of failures that led to the oil rig explosion that triggered the massive oil spill in the Gulf⁹ of Mexico last year. We have details from NPR's Debbie Elliott.

 

Investigators¹⁰ found that the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon could have been prevented if not for system deficiencies and crew mistakes leading up to the April 2010 explosion. They cite poor maintenance of equipment, the bypassing of alarm systems and a culture that did not emphasize safety. The report also finds BP made critical management and operational mistakes that led to the failure of the well's blowout preventer, resulting in nearly five million barrels of oil flowing  into the Gulf of Mexico. Investigators say the government also shares some of the blame for a lack of proper oversight¹¹ and regulation of deepwater drilling. Debbie Elliott, NPR News.

 

Housing Republicans are probing a more than half-billion-dollar federal loan to a now-bankrupt solar company. Those investigating say the Obama administration may have rushed a federal review of the loan to Solyndra which President Obama had cited as an example of how his economic stimulus¹² bill would grow jobs through investments in renewable energy.

 

This is NPR.

 

Three of the six men crew aboard the International Space Station is scheduled to return to Earth later this week. Their replacements¹³ were supposed to fly up to the station next week. But as NPR's Joe Palca reports, that's not gonna happen.

 

The two cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut replacing the departing crew members were supposed to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on September 22nd. Russian space agency officials have delayed the launch while they investigate why an unmanned cargo¹⁴ vehicle carrying supplies to the space station crashed into the Altai Mountains. According to the ITAR-Tass news agency, the new launch date is November 12th. If there's a further delay, it's possible that the station will have to be abandoned at least temporarily since the crew members remaining on the station will have to come home by early next year at the latest. Joe Palca, NPR News.

 

US diplomats¹⁵ arrive in the Middle East today in an effort to persuade the Palestinians not to ask the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had announced plans to do so because peace talks with Israel are again stalled. Israel's foreign minister warns of "dire¹⁶ consequences" if the Palestinians seek UN endorsement¹⁷ when the General Assembly convenes¹⁸ in New York September 20th.

 

It's back home to Australia for an investment banker accused of placing a fake bomb around a student's neck while attempting to extort¹⁹ money from her millionaire father. Today Paul Douglas Peters appeared in US District Court in Louisville, Kentucky where he waived²⁰ extradition²¹.

 

Before the close on Wall Street, the Dow was up more than 1% at 11,247; NASDAQ was up 1.5%.

 

This is NPR News.

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