NPR美国国家公共电台 2013-03-12

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　　From NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.

 

　　The cardinals¹ who will decide who will succeed Pope Benedict have wrapped up their pre-conclave² discussions. Vatican's spokesman Thomas Rosica says the session focused on the qualities next pontiff will need.

 

　　One of the themes that went through almost all of the presentations was that of the expectations and hopes for the new pope a profile that has been addressed over the past presentations, but this morning was addressed particularly.

 

　　The conclave gets underway tomorrow, Sean O'Malley of Boston and Timothy Dolan of New York are among the U.S. cardinals voting on the successor.

 

　　A federal jury has found former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick guilty of racketeering. As WDET's Quinn Klinefelter reports the verdict comes after a nearly six-month trial.

 

　　Prosecutors³ argued that Kilpatrick-ran Detroit's government like an organized crime syndicates, stealing millions of taxpayers⁴' dollars to his friend contractor⁵ Bobby Ferguson, taking kickbacks⁶ and using his own father Bernard as a go-between. All three were on trial and the jury found the former mayor guilty of 24 of the 30 counts against him, convicted Ferguson of racketeering, extortion and bribery⁷, but found Bernard Kilpatrick guilty of only one tax charge. Jurors said they reached their verdict late last Friday but wanted the weekend to sleep on their decision before rendering⁸ it publicly. The racketeering conspiracy⁹ carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. For NPR News, I'm Quinn Klinefelter, in Detroit.

 

　　Harvard University has offered a qualified¹⁰ apology for the way it handled an investigation¹¹ into who leak news of the student cheating scandal last year. As NPR's Tovia Smith reports many on campus remain outraged¹² that the university searched employee emails.

 

　　After news broke there are more than 100 students may have traded answers or plagiarized¹³ during finals last year, Harvard began investigating who leaked the story. Officials secretly searched the email of 16 resident deans only the subject-lines and only in accounts used for official university business. They ultimately discovered who leaked it but concluded it was an accident and let it go. Harvard officials say it's a "fair question" why they didn't tell the deans their accounts were searched when faculty¹⁴ policy requires disclosure. And they apologized to those who feel their communication was "insufficient¹⁵". But to some on campus that apology is insufficient for what they call an unconscionable intrusion of privacy. Tovia Smith, NPR News, Boston.

 

　　The White House says it's concerned by North Korea's threats of war. North Korean state media say Pyongyang wants to cancel the 60-year old agreement that ended the Korean War.The Obama Administration is warning the North that it'll achieve nothing by its threats. The Treasury¹⁶ Department meanwhile is imposing¹⁷ new sanctions against a North Korean bank and an official there.

 

　　At last check on Wall Street for the Dow was up 50 points at 14,447; the NASDAQ was up seven; the S&P up four.

 

　　This is NPR.

 

　　Five people are dead and 36 are wounded after a suicide attacker drove an explosive-laden car into a police station in northern Iraq. Officials say two policemen and three civilians¹⁸ were killed, and students from nearby school were among the wounded. So far no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

 

　　Animal rights activists¹⁹ are praising the European Union for banning animal testing in all phases of cosmetic²⁰ production. But as Teri Schultz reports from Brussels, some producers say the so called cruelty-free measure will end up hurting businesses.

 

　　The website of the Humane²¹ Society International hails the EU move with fluffy²² bunnies expressing their happiness. The organization urges governments around the world to join Europe in prohibiting animal testing at every stage and with every ingredient in cosmetics²³ and other personal care products. EU official Susan ** acknowledges while substitutes aren't available yet for 100% of testing practices. She believes producers should welcome the alternatives. They're not necessarily more expensive. In some cases, they could even be cheaper. But the trade group of Cosmetics Europe says there is a big gap between what's available and what's needed to ensure human safety without this testing. The group says the ban won't do much for animal welfare worldwide but will be painful for the European cosmetics industry. For NPR News, I'm Teri Schultz, in Brussels.

 

　　One of the five men on trial for the rape²⁴ and murder of a young woman in New Delhi has committed suicide behind bars. Police say Ram²⁵ Singh who allegedly drove the bus during the December attack had been under suicide watch. Officials say his family suspects foul²⁶ play. The 23-year-old victim was travelling with a friend when she was gang-raped and beaten by six men.

 

　　I'am Windsor Johnston, NPR News, in Washington.

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