NPR 2012-12-17

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　　From NPR News in Washington, I’m Korva Coleman.

 

　　Police in Connecticut are saying there will be no quick answers as to what prompted Friday's shooting that killed 26 children and adults at their school. NPR's Quil Lawrence reports that Connecticut state police Lieutenant¹ Paul Vance says it could take weeks to get a complete picture of what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary.

 

　　"They are trying to look at all the evidence they may have gathered from computers. They are trying to interview all of the witnesses, track back all of the forensic² evidence and then they will complete a total picture which they will be able to tell to the public and answer all of the questions. Until that happens, he said he is not going to discuss it as it’s ongoing³ and that could be days, if not weeks."

 

　　NPR's Quil Lawrence in Newtown, Connecticut.

 

　　A Newtown church has evacuated⁴ all of its parishioners today after a telephoned-threat. St. Rose of Lima which held a memorial service Friday night after the Newtown shootings was holding noon Mass today when people were told to leave quickly. Police officers and SWAT gear arrived and the building remains⁵ closed. There will be another memorial service tonight in Newtown. This time President Obama will attend. He's also expected to talk with some of the relatives and friends of the victims.

 

　　Some lawmakers are beginning to call for new gun control laws. Among them is Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy. He says the children at Sandy Hook Elementary were killed with an assault weapon. There have been questions about the shooter's state of mind and Malloy says Americans should face another issue.

 

　　"I think that there's certain problems that we have in our society that have to be addressed. We don't treat the mentally ill well; we don't reach out to families that are in trouble."

 

　　Malloy spoke⁶ on NBC. Other lawmakers are calling for a national commission to investigate mass shootings.

 

　　Syrian activists⁷ say at least two rockets fired from government warplanes have hit a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus that killed more than 20 people. The BBC's Sebastian Usher⁸ reports.

 

　　Activists say this is the first time that government warplanes have hit the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, the biggest in Syria. They say a mosque⁹ was hit when many people were taking shelter after fleeing heavy fighting in the surrounding areas of Southern Damascus where the camp is located. A video posted online shows several dead bodies sprawled¹⁰ in the street and on the steps of the mosque. The attack comes as President Assad’s forces are mounting an all-out attempt to win back areas in the south and east of Damascus that had been captured by the rebels.

 

　　The BBC's Sebastian Usher.

 

　　There is a change in Japan's leadership. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has resigned following his party's loss in today's national elections. The main opposition¹¹ Liberal Democratic Party picked up the majority of seats in Japan's lower house of parliament. The opposition is seen as more nationalistic and its leader Shinzo Abe is viewed as very hawkish¹², especially toward China.

 

　　This is NPR.

 

　　Vatican officials quickly ended a protest action in St. Peter’s Square today by a group of demonstrators. They were critical of Pope Benedict's latest condemnation¹³ of same-sex marriage. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports.

 

　　Released on Friday by the Vatican, the message warns that abortions¹⁴ and gay marriage are threats to justice and peace. The Pope said that laws granting legal status for gay unions actually harm and destabilize marriage, obscuring its specific nature and its indispensable role in society. In previous remarks, the Pope had denounced gay marriage as insidious¹⁵ and dangerous and a threat to humanity. On Sunday at the end of the Pope's weekly address to pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square, protesters raised signs in various languages with the words “Gay unions don't harm peace, weapons do.” Only seconds later, Vatican security agents ripped down the signs and detained the protesters for about 40 minutes. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

 

　　Officials in the Philippines say the death toll¹⁶ from this month's Typhoon Bopha has soared to more than 1,000 people. Bopha roared over the Philippines on December 4th and stalled over the South China Sea. Most of the dead are from the main southern island of Mindanao. Some 850 people are still missing. Officials warn the number of dead will climb again.

 

　　Professional hockey players are starting to take a vote today on whether to dissolve their union. The union has been negotiating with NHL owners over a new contract they have been unable to reach agreement. If the union breaks up, individual players will be able to sue owners over their lockout of the players, using anti-trust laws. The National Hockey League has moved to try to prevent this by filing a lawsuit¹⁷ in federal court.

 

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