NPR News 2015-03-17 加文本

NPR News 2015-03-17

From NPR News in Washington, I’m Jeanine Herbst.

Secretary of State John Kerry says he would be willing to talk with Syria’s president to help broker a political resolution to the country’s civil war. Kerry telling CBS News the US is pushing for Bashar al-Assad to seriously discuss options to help end the four-year-old war.

“We are gonna have to make it clear to him that there is a determination by everybody to seek that political outcome and change his calculation about negotiating. That’s underway right now.”

Kerry says he expects international pressure to increase on al-Assad to end the violence in Syria. That fighting has killed more than 220,000 people.

At least ten Americans who were volunteering in Sierra Leone with the aid group Partners in Health have been flown back to the US. From member station WABE in Atlanta, Michelle Alloy reports the individuals may have been exposed to the Ebola virus.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials say four people are being housed and monitored near the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Three more are near the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Another three are scheduled to arrive in Atlanta tomorrow, joining an individual who was flown back Friday. None has shown signs of the disease, but likely came in contact with an American aid worker who was diagnosed with Ebola last week. That individual arrived at the NIH for treatment Friday in serious condition. CDC officials say they are continuing to trace this patient’s contacts and that more could be discovered. For NPR News, I’m Michelle Alloy in Atlanta.

In cities across Brazil, more than a million demonstrators are in the streets protesting against the country’s president. From Rio de Janeiro, NPR’s Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports thousands of people have shown up on the famed Copacabana beach, calling for the president’s ouster.

The placards are calling for Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment and the chants say they not only want her, but the whole of the ruling party out of office. It’s been 13 years since The Workers' Party came to power, but only four months since Rousseff was re-elected with the slimmest margins in recent Brazilian history. Joao Luz is a teacher.

“The worst government we’ve ever had today, the president lies all the time.”

The economy here is in deep trouble. The real is the fastest depreciating currency in the world right now. But it’s a corruption scandal involving the state oil company Petrobras that has gotten people out on to the streets. Analysts say if these protests gain traction, her government could be in real trouble. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he won’t hold a vote on attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch this week. He says the Senate has to complete work first on a bill curbing human trafficking. McConnell had said he would schedule the nomination vote but then changed his mind, that after last week’s debate on human trafficking broke down over dispute with Democrats about abortion funding. This is NPR News.

Officials in the small South Pacific island of Vanuatu are assessing the damage from Cyclone Pam. The storm packed winds of 168 miles an hour. At least eight people died. But officials are expecting that number to rise as rescue crews get to the outer islands and as communications are restored.

Three British teens who were picked up in Turkey allegedly trying to get to Syria joined the so-called Islamic State. Larry Miller reports they have been returned to London, where they’d been arrested.

Scotland Yard says it was informed Friday two 17-year-old London boys and a 19-year-old man were missing. Counter-terrorism police then notified Turkish officials who arrested them at Istanbul Airport before they could travel overland to Syria. There were returned to the UK Saturday night and are being held at a London police station on suspicion of preparing for acts of terrorism. Police say their families have been informed. At least 700 British have joined militants in Syria and Iraq. Last month three girls flew from London to Turkey and were driven across the border. That led to criticism from Turkish officials who say there weren’t notified until it was too late to stop them. For NPR News, I’m Larry Miller in London.

In college basketball, Kentucky is continuing its run toward a national championship with the win over Arkansas today – 78 to 63 – and the SEC Tournament title game. The undefeated team is the No.1 overall seed going into the NCAA Tournament. And Duke, Villanova and Wisconsin all received No.1 seeds that in their respective regions.

I’m Jeanine Herbst, NPR News in Washington.