NPR 2011-12-09

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University spokesman Mark Owczarski is heard on WDBJ Television.

 

“As right now, the status of the shooter is unknown. We’re asking the campus community to stay, to shelter in place, to stay indoors, to secure themselves. And we’re asking for no visitors, for no one to come on the campus.”

 

Virginia Tech was the site of an unprecedented¹ mass shooting in 2007 in which 33 people lost their lives. NPR’s Cheryl Corley reports that as a result of that tragedy and intense public scrutiny², Virginia Tech swiftly implemented³ new emergency procedures.

 

When authorities get word of trouble on Virginia Tech’s campus, the emergency response kicks in the place of needed. Sirens began to wail⁴, and students, faculty⁵ and staffs start receiving warnings by phone, email and text messages telling them to lock themselves indoors. Alerts are also post on the university’s website and Twitter accounts. Virginia Tech was fined more than $50,000 by the US Department of Education for its response to the 2007 shooting, which left 33 dead and several others wounded on campus. Following that rampage, the school revamped its emergency alert system to include other ways to warn students besides email. The school was appealing the fine related to the 2007 incident today. Cheryl Corley, NPR News.

 

Jerry Sandusky is now at a jail. He posted bail⁶ on new child sexual abuse charges and all. He now faces more than 50 charges. Two more alleged⁷ victims accused the former Penn State coach of molesting⁸ them as boys whom he met through a charity he founded for troubled youth. Sandusky maintains he did nothing wrong.

 

The European Central Bank today announced greater lending capability⁹ to European banks. They also said they would not help out the governments in trouble, as NPR’s Zoe Chace reports.

 

Central Bank President Mario Draghi was at his Draghiest — acerbic¹⁰, skeptical¹¹, reserved. This is the MO of the ECB. You think we’re gonna jump into the bridge and save European economy. Think again. It’s on you governments.

 

“We have a treaty which says no monetary¹² financing to governments.”

 

The European Union treaty forbids direct central bank lending to governments. There have been hope that in light of negotiations¹³ over a new EU treaty. The ECB today would commit to financing the indebted governments anyway as they did to the banks. Zoe Chace, NPR News, New York.

 

At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was down 166 points at 12,030; NASDAQ off 42 at 2,607; the S&P 500 down 23 points; it’s at 1,238. All the major indexes down more than 1%. 

 

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Senate Republicans apparently¹⁴ holding to their threat to block any nominee¹⁵ to the relatively¹⁶ new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau until it’s been restructured. Today, they rejected the nomination¹⁷ of former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray.

 

In a report released today, the committee to protect journalists says Iran jails more journalists than any other country. NPR’s Peter Kenyon reports from Istanbul that China, Syria and Turkey also have large numbers of journalists in jail.

 

The annual CPJ survey finds that worldwide the number of jailed journalists is up 20% to its highest level since the mid-1990s. For the first time in a decade, China is not at the head of the list. Iran is with 42 imprisoned¹⁸ journalists. The report says since the controversial Iranian elections of 2009, there’s been a revolving¹⁹ door of journalists passing through the judicial²⁰ system. An exiled Iranian journalist is quoted as describing the chilling effect the policy has on the media. The New York-based CPJ also found what it called an alarming number of journalists being held without charge or due process around the world. Peter Kenyon, NPR News.

 

NATO fuel tankers²¹ have been attacked near Quetta, southwestern Pakistan. So far no word of casualties. Local police say assailants fired rockets at the tankers, saying at least 10 of them on fire. This was the first such a attack since Pakistan closed a NATO supply route to troops in neighboring Afghanistan to protest a NATO air strike last month. Twenty-four Pakistani soldiers were killed.

 

The Dow is down 163 points; it’s 12,033.

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