NPR News 2013-04-17 加文本

NPR News 2013-04-17

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

Candle light vigils are being held tonight in Boston and across the nation for the victims of the twin bombings during the Boston Marathon yesterday. At least three people were killed, one is confirmed to be 8-year-old Martin Richard who is at the finish line of the race with his family, a second victim is identified as 29-year-old restaurant manager Krystle Campbell, according to the Associated Press which quotes Campbell's father. The identity of the third victim has yet to be confirmed. Several other people are still fighting for their lives this hour. Authorities are reporting at least 176 people were wounded, some of them critically. Doctor Geroge Velmahos, of Massachusetts general hospital, one of six sites treating patients says, some patients lost their legs but emerge from surgery saying they were just glad to be alive.

We were all like extremely moved then and I think shattered by the event, having said that our mission is to provide care, to not be stalled or hampered by our emotional reactions.

He says small metallic fragments were found, some were pellets, others were like nails without heads as he puts it. Authorities are now describing the bombs found inside duffel bags as crude devices of a pressure cooker design. Now declaring the bombings an act of  terrorism President Obama had a message for the perpetrators today, Americans won't be terrorized. Here is NPR's Scott Horsley.

President Obama says whoever set off the bombs in a crowd of civilians was clearly aiming to terrorize. But the president says the explosions were instead met with heroism and kindness.

So if we want to know who we are, what America is, how we respond to evil, that's it, selflessly, compassionately, unafraid.

Obama says the investigation of the bombing is just beginning. But he vowed authorities will find who's responsible and bring them to justice. Scott Horsley NPR News, Washington.

The bipartisan group of senators working on immigration reforms is out with a legislation summary. NPR's Ted Robbins, says it's the most sweeping reform in at least 26 years.

The long-awaited immigration bill includes a requirement that the Department of Homeland Security prove its catching 90% of the people crossing the border illegally. It provides a path to legalization and eventually citizenship for many of the estimated 11 million people now in the US illegally. It creates new VISA categories to make legal entry easier and it demands employers use photos to verify a worker's eligibility. The proposal suggested the new border security measures alone could cost an additional $7 billion. Ted Robbins NPR News.

Passengers aboard American airline's flights are going nowhere for at least another hour. Their planes have been grounded because of an outage the airline's main reservations system.

Before the closing bell, Dow was 158 at 14,757. This is NPR.

The International Monetary Fund paints a mixed picture of the global economy in its new world economic outlook released today ahead of its annual spring meetings. NPR's John Ydstie reports while risks to the global economy have eased in the past year, dangerous remain.

IMF economists trimmed their projection for global growth a bit, partly because of the drag in the US from the immediate budget cuts under sequestration. Still,  recent positive economic news has made the US a relatively bright spot among advanced economies. But the IMF's chief economist Olivier Blanchard says risks remain.

Recent good news about the US has come with renewed worries about the Euro area, given the strong interconnections between countries, and non-even recovery is also the dangerous warn.

On the plus side, the IMF says the emerging economies of China, India and Brazil are doing well with higher growth rates than in 2012. John Ydstie NPR NEws, Washington.

The Associated Press is reporting violent protest in the provincial capital of the home state of the late Venezuela president Hugo Chavez. It says police are firing tear gas and plastic bullets at protesters who were demanding a recount of Sunday's contested presidential vote.

President Obama says he expects more provocations from North Korea over the next several weeks, but does not believe Kim Jong-un's government has the capability to put a nuclear warhead on a missile. Obama noted that he came to this conclusion based on current intelligence data.

Before the close, Dow was up 158 points. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR news.