NPR News 2013-05-12 加文本

NPR News 2013-05-12

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Raum.

Turkish officials say two car bombs exploded today near the border with Syria. At least 40 people were killed and dozens more were injured. Turkish officials often blame the Syrian army for violence along the border. Turkey supports the rebels seeking to bring down the Assad government and it's allowed its territory to be used as a staging ground for Syrian insurgents. The attacks occurred in a town that shelters Syrian refugees.

At least 17 people were killed in militant attacks in Pakistan today as that country holds a general election. Despite the violence, millions turned out to vote. This is the first transition from one civilian elected government to another.

Egypt foiled an alleged plan to blow up vital infrastructure in Egypt and target a western embassy. NPR's Leila Fadel reports the suspects are believed to be linked to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, an extremist group in North Africa.

In a press conference, the Minister of Interior Mohammed Ibrahim named three men arrested for alleged involvement in the terror plot in Egypt. Police also found more than 20 pounds of explosive material and a computer that had instructions on how to make bombs. The minister said the arrest was a successful blow against terrorists who are plotting suicide bombs and the group was in touch with a leader in al-Qaeda outside the country. He said the men had received training in Pakistan and Iran. But he did not identify which foreign embassy was the planned target. This isn't the first time alleged al-Qaeda linked militants have been arrested in Egypt. A group of men said to be linked to al-Qaeda is currently on trial. Leila Fadel, NPR News, Cairo.

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak pleaded not guilty today in a Cairo court. He's been retried on charges he had a role in the deaths of hundreds protesters during the uprising that drove him from power. And the appeals court had overturned his conviction last summer.

Finance ministers and central bankers from seven major economic powers completed two days of closed door meetings today in an English country house about 40 miles from London. Larry Miller has more on the story.

British Treasury Chief  George Osborne says the G7 reaffirmed its commitment not to engage in an exchange rate currency war to boost exports but to create domestic economic policies for growth. Osborne says the discussions also centered on new initiatives for an automatic exchange of information between governments to crack down on tax avoidance.

It's incredibly important that companies and individuals pay the tax that is due.

Osborne says there was an agreement on the creation of international banking regimes so that no bank is considered too big to fail and that when banks do fail, taxpayers aren't left covering the losses. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

You are listening to NPR News from Washington.

Chrysler is recalling 469,000 Jeep SUVs because of cracks in a circuit board. U.S. Safety regulators say the problem could cause the vehicles upon startup to shift into neutral without warning. The recall affects Grand Cherokee models, from 2005 to 2010 and Commanders built from 2006 to 2010. A Chrysler spokesman says the company has received reports of 26 accidents and two injuries.

Some air traffic control towers that had been said to close, will now stay open at least through the end of September. NPR's Tamara Keith reports the towers were targeted because of the sequester.

The towers are staffed by contract air traffic controllers at smaller airports that's specialize in general aviation. When the Federal Aviation Administration said it would have to close about 150 towers to cut costs, the airports protested, some even threatened to sue. Now they won't have to. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced in a written statement that the towers can stay open, thanks to the Reducing Flight Delays Act of 2013, passed by Congress last month. That measure gave the FAA more flexibility in implementing the automatic spending cuts of the sequester. Planned employee furloughs have also been called off. Tamara Keith, NPR News.

Two astronauts left the International Space Station today on a mission to find and end ammonia leak. This is a last minute space walk by NASA standards, normally they planned far in advance. But on Thursday, the crew spotted frozen  flakes of ammonia suggesting a leak. The astronauts replaced a pump. NASA officials say it appears the repair job was successful, they'll observe for a while before they say that for sure.

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News, in Washington.