NPR News 2012-11-22 加文本

NPR News 2012-11-22

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

A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza takes effect this hour. Egypt announced a deal had been reached in Cairo today to end more than a week of Israeli air strikes and Hamas rocket attacks that claimed five lives in Israel and killed more than 140 Palestinians in Gaza. NPR’s Michele Kelemen reports Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accompanied the Egyptian foreign minister during the announcement to underscore just how vital the deal is to the region.

Secretary Clinton calls this a critical moment for the region and praises Egypt for taking the lead to resolve the flare-up between Israel and Hamas.

“The United States welcomes the agreement today for a ceasefire in Gaza – for it to hold the rocket attacks must end, a broader calm return.”

The White House put out a statement commending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for agreeing to the truce. It says the US will use this time to step up efforts to help Israel address its security needs and crack down on the smuggling of weapons and explosives into Gaza. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

Just moments ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as heard through an interpreter, thanked the US for its role in the ceasefire talks.

“I would like especially to thank President Barack Obama for his unreserved support for Israel’s actions in the operation and for Israel’s right to defend itself as well as his support for the Iron Dome Systems.”

The Iron Dome systems that Israel credits for preventing more Hamas-fired rockets from reaching the Israeli soil. The truce was announced just hours after dozens of people were wounded in a bus explosion in Tel Aviv today.

In other news: still no bailout loans for Greece. The eurozone’s finance ministers emerged from nearly 12 hours of talks in Brussels without a deal on a series of emergency finance measures. Teri Schultz brings us the latest from Brussels.

Eurozone head Jean-Claude Juncker says he’s disappointed there’s no deal. Juncker says Greece has earned its next bailout payment by quickly passing a huge number of difficult reforms required for the rescue.

“So Greece has delivered. Now it’s up for us to deliver.”

Juncker says it hasn’t yet been possible to agree on how to bring Greek debt down to a sustainable level, around 120% of GDP, rather than the 190% it will be next year. The EU says Athens’ deadline to do that should be 2022, but IMF chief Christine Lagarde maintains it should be by 2020.

“We’re closing the gap, but we’re not quite there yet.”

So no money for Greece yet with another meeting Monday. For NPR News, I’m Teri Schultz in Brussels.

At last check on Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average up 53 points at 12,842, NASDAQ up nine at 2,126, S&P 500 gaining three at 1,391. Markets will be closed tomorrow for the holiday and open for an abbreviated session on Friday.

This is NPR News.

A gauge of US economic activity 3 to 6 months out is up slightly. The Conference Board says its index ticked up 0.2% in October, not an overwhelmingly encouraging sign for Board economist Ken Goldstein.

“This really hasn’t changed. I mean this is where we were in the spring, this is where we were in the summer. Here we are, you know, at the end of the year, and there’s not much difference.”

But consumer confidence of the job market will get better over 2013. It’s apparently higher than it's been in five years. Or so, states the University of Michigan, its consumer sentiment index rose slightly in the past month to 82.7.

President Obama presides over the annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon at the White House today. NPR’s Ari Shapiro reports that when it comes to human pardons, this president has been frugal.

Since taking office, President Obama has pardoned only 22 people. That’s almost a record low, says political scientist P. S. Ruckman of Rock Valley College.

“He’s on track to grant fewer pardons and commutations of sentence than any president since John Adams.”

Most clemency grants go to people who finish their prison time. Today there are more limits than ever on people with a criminal record. And a pardon lifts those restrictions on permits, licenses, travel and other things. George W. Bush granted one pardon out of every 55 applications he received. President Obama has granted one out of every 290. Still, half of all recent pardons have come in the month of December, so these figures could still change before President Obama’s first term is up. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, Washington.

US stocks trading higher with the Dow gaining 51 points, it’s at 12,839.

I’m Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, Washington.