NPR News 2012-11-04 加文本

NPR News 2012-11-04

From NPR News in Washington. I am Korva Coleman. 

President Obama met with some of his top aides and governors and mayors from areas affected by Superstorm Sandy. He got an update at FEMA headquarters today. The federal government is giving storm victims new aid. It will help people who lost their houses, move out of shelters and into temporary homes. And it is sending badly-needed gasoline to the Northeast. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says there will be five mobile fuel stations set up around New York City.

Fuel is on its way. You don't have to panic. We don’t need the anxiety. We don’t need the lines. Be prudent, but fuel is on the way. 

Federal government is asking people to let emergency responders fill up their gas tanks first. The gas will help New Jersey where Governor Chris Christie has ordered gas rationing to ease fuel shortages, NPR’s Joel Rose reports. 

Drivers in 12 New Jersey counties will be allowed to buy gasoline just every other day. Governor Chris Christie ordered the rationing late Friday to relieve fuel shortages in the state hard hit by Sandy. Drivers with license plates ending in an even number can buy gas on even number days, and those of plates ending in an odd number can fuel their tanks on odd number days. Many gas station across the region were forced to close because of lack of electricity or gasoline. Those that are open are dealing with long lines and angry customers. Governor Christie says he is hoping the new restrictions will lead to shorter wait times at the pump. Joel Rose, NPR News, New York.  President Obama holds re-election rallies in four states today, as the presidential campaign speeds up in its final weekend. NPR’s Scott Horsley reports Mr. Obama is urging voters to stay the course.  On the heels of the Labor Department report showing better-than-expected job growth last month, Mr. Obama says now it is not the time to change course. He told supporters in Mentor, Ohio, that slowly but surely, the U.S. economy is on the mend. 

Today our businesses have created nearly 5.5 million new jobs. The auto industry is back on top. All four of the states where Mr. Obama campaigns today: Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa and Virginia have unemployment rates below than national average. Scott Horsley, NPR News traveling with the President. 

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is barnstorming across several states too. He also gave the GOP weekly media address today with this campaign promise. 'On my first day in office, I will also send five bills to Congress and sign five executive orders, every one of them will help us create jobs, and that is just the start of my plan to create 12 million jobs in my first term alone.' Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. 

Daylight saving time ends this weekend. Standard time returns at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. That means you need to set your clocks back by one hour before going to bed.  

You are listening to NPR News, from Washington.

  Several news reports say Syrian troops have entered the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights. This is the area between Syria and Israel captured by Israel during the 1967 Mideast war. The Associated Press reports Israel has complained to the U.N. peacekeeping force about the incursion. Reuters is reporting the Syrian tanks were pursuing Syrian rebels. 

A new report claims Japanese officials tasked with setting safety standards for nuclear reactors apparently got funding from utilities or other industry supporters. John Matthews in Tokyo reports the newly-discovered conflicts of interest could shut down Japan’s two operating reactors.

In July, the two reactors of the Ohi nuclear plant in West Japan were the first to come back online amid concerns of power shortages. Now the nuclear regulatory agency says some of the experts setting safety standards for the nuclear plants were accepting funds from companies reliant on the industry. Professors Akio Yamamoto and Akira Yamaguchi received 125,000 and 339,000 dollars respectively from organizations such as Utility Tokyo Electric. The commission’s membership willingly disclosed these figures, but their role in pushing for the Ohi restart is now calling into question their neutrality and whether or not the plant itself is safe. Government officials say the two reactors could be put offline again even with what they call a gray zone  of uncertainty. For NPR News, I am John Matthews, in Tokyo.

Representatives from the government of Mali and some from Islamist militant groups are now in the capital Burkina Faso. They are discussing a possible truce or solution to the warfare in Mali.   I am Korva Coleman. NPR News, in Washington.