NPR News 2011-11-25 加文本

NPR News 2011-11-25

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

President Obama's sending a special thanks to troops who are spending this holiday thousands of miles away from their families. Today he phoned ten service members from every branch of the military deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. In a reminder of the dangers confronting US troops in the war zones, Iraqi authorities are reporting dozens of deaths and injuries in triple bombings in the southern city of Basra. They say explosions went off in a popular open-air market.

Back in the US, many families are getting Thanksgiving dinner ready, not Daniel Torres. He says he chose to indulge a much bigger feast for him - Black Friday sales.

"We're gonna miss turkey[s] or whatever, but I mean it's all worth for the deals we're about to get right now."

Lined tourist crowds have already camped outside big-box stores across the nation to get a jump on holiday shopping discounts that begin at midnight.

Many people are giving out food this Thanksgiving, and one place that plans to distribute more than 3,000 meals is Occupy Wall Street in Zuccotti Park. NPR's Margot Adler reports that it's not an easy task when you can no longer prepare food in the park.

Megan Hayes is the organizer of the Occupy Wall Street Kitchen working group, and she says that since they can't prepare meals in the park, a number of people in the community have stepped up and opened their kitchens. A cafe in East New York has donated its space for food preparation, and one New Jersey resident is preparing 250 meals. But the largest number of meals, 2000, is being provided by Texas Barbecue. The meals have been purchased with donated funds. Some supporters are also bringing food down to the Wall Street area. To adhere to the New York State health code, all meals have to be individually wrapped. OWS is also holding a food drive and asking for cans to go to local food banks. Margot Adler, NPR News, New York.

A prominent Egyptian-born US columnist says she was groped, beaten and blindfolded by Egyptian police who have detained her during protests. We have more on this from NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson.

Mona Eltahawy, who is a prominent critic at Egypt's ruling military council, posted on Twitter that she was detained for 12 hours and suffered broken bones in her arm and hand from police beatings. The 44-year-old said she was also sexually assaulted by a half dozen uniformed policemen who groped her breasts, grabbed her genital area and tried to put their hands in her pants. Eltahawy says she was then handed over to military police officers who kept her blindfolded for two hours. She was later released with an apology and a promise of an investigation. Three American students in a study abroad program and an Egyptian-American documentary filmmaker were also arrested this week near the Interior Ministry, where protesters and security forces have clashed. Egyptian officials say they've signed a release order for the three students. Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, NPR News, Cairo.

This is NPR.

Many nations have a long-term goal of reducing global emissions of greenhouse gases by 80% over the next four decades. A study in Science magazine shows that will require a technology revolution. We have details on this from NPR's Richard Harris.

The study focuses on California, which is the most progressive state in the nation when it comes to clean energy. Even there, reducing emissions by 80% will require technologies that aren't currently available at commercial scale. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley Lab found that electricity generation would have to be essentially carbon-free, using nuclear, hydropower, wind and solar and likely capturing carbon dioxide gas from fossil fuel plants before it gets into the air. Electricity supply would need to grow because most cars would have to be electric by mid-century. Improvements in energy efficiency would also have to be substantial and sustained. The total cost to Californians would be 1,200 dollars per person in the year 2050, assuming people are unwilling to change their life style. Richard Harris, NPR News.

In Portugal, a general strike has caused significant disruption to travel. Airline passengers saw a dozens of international flights canceled today. Also morning commuters were forced to find alternate ways to get to work after buses and trains stopped running on schedule. Trade unions are protesting Portugal's austerity measures that the government says are required in exchange for a eurozone bailout to avoid default. Greece and Italy have seen similar protests from financially battered workers who were fighting deeper cuts in pay, benefits and retirement.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, Washington.