NPR News 2010-07-06 加文本

NPR News 2010-07-06

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

Much of the East Coast has steeped in a prolonged heatwave that could reach historic levels in some areas. Forecasters are predicting triple-digit temperatures that, they say, could cause a dangerous situation. In New York, Emergency Management Commissioner Joe Bruno says the city is trying to reach vulnerable groups.

"The two groups most at risk are the very young, under five and those above 64. Heat exhaustion is a dangerous condition."

Like many other cities, New York is setting up cooling centers.

BP's weekly status update on the Gulf oil spill indicates steadily rising costs but also increased collection of oil. Larry Miller has more from London.

BP says it's paid around half of the 95,000 compensation claims so far submitted, totaling $147 million. That's a relatively small part of the $3.1 billion now spent since the explosion at its oil well in April. The company reports that around 25,000 barrels of oil a day are being collected. And today, its containment efforts have collected or flared around 585,000 barrels, taking part in the containment and response, nearly 45,000 people, 6,500 boats and 113 aircraft. BP says the drilling of the two relief wells is on schedule, and they are due to be in place in August. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

Across India, workers are on strike against a hike in fuel prices that the government says it needs to help cut the deficit. Organizers say the 12-hour stoppage is bringing transportation to a halt and forcing businesses to shut down.

Chrysler will set up a new dealer network to sell Fiat brand cars. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram dealers, who want to sell Fiats, will have to set up a separate showroom with a separate sales team. Michigan Radio's Tracy Samilton has more.

The tiny Fiat 500 goes on sale in the US late this year. The European-bred subcompact car is unlike anything Chrysler has sold in the States before. Spokesman Ralph Kisiel says that's why Fiats need their own space.

"You can't put a Fiat 500 next to a Ram and have the same salesman talking about both vehicles obviously."

Kisiel says the Fiat 500 is also unlikely to attract the same customers who currently shop Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep or Ram vehicles. Chrysler expects to award about 200 Fiat franchises nationwide mostly to metro area dealers where small cars are more popular. For NPR News, I'm Tracy Samilton in Ann Arbor.

Toyota's issuing another recall. This time it affects more than 90,000 luxury Lexus and Crown vehicles in Japan that may have defective engines.

This is NPR News.

President Obama reportedly is inviting Poland's new president to the White House. Reuters news service cites the White House, saying that the president phoned Bronislaw Komorowski today to congratulate him. Poland's interim president defeated Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the identical twin brother of the late President Lech Kaczynski who died in a plane crash three months ago.

A new study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine confirms that high school students would benefit from a later start to the school day. NPR's Alix Spiegel has the story.

Researchers have known for a long time that teenage sleep patterns are different from the sleep patterns of younger children. Teens actually go to bed about two hours later and also wake up later, but since school starts early in the morning, this often means that they don't get enough sleep. To test how a later start time would affect the mental of being of teenagers. Researchers from Hasbro's Children's Hospital in Rhode Island convinced a high school to push back its start time by half an hour—from 8 to 8:30, then required the students to complete a series of surveys. They found the reports of depressed moods fell from 64% to 45%, class attendance improved and visits to the health center dropped. The authors write that these results are in line with a growing body of evidence. That suggest later start times have benefits for adolescents. Alix Spiegel, NPR News, Washington.

Forensic testing is underway on the remains of American chess legend Bobby Fischer. Authorities in Iceland exhumed his body today two years after his death to get DNA sample that could decide a paternity suit. A woman from the Philippines argues that her daughter is Fischer's child.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.