NPR 2008-03-16

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

A possible tornado 1 tore through downtown Atlanta last night, injuring at least 9 people. The storm took out windows, brought down power lines and shook a crowded sports arena 2. From Atlanta, NPR's Kathy Lohr reports.

The Men's Southeastern Conference Basketball Tournament was disrupted when severe tornado-like winds swept through downtown and hit the Georgia Dome 3. Witnesses say a large screen monitor began swaying and debris 4 fell from the roof. Some fans began running for the exits. Outside, tourists reported swirling 5 debris and windows shattering in hotels and apartment buildings. The storm also struck the CNN Center, Philips Arena and Centennial Olympic Park, where trees and decorative 6 lights came crashing down. Pieces of twisted metal are hanging off buildings. But amazingly, only minor 7 injuries have been reported. The National Weather Service has not yet determined 8 whether the storm was a tornado. A tornado warning was issued just minutes before the high winds hit the central part of the city. Police have blocked off streets downtown and are warning people to stay away. Kathy Lohr, NPR News, Atlanta.

The National Weather Service is forecasting another major storm today will bring heavy rains and high winds to the region.

In Beijing today, Chinese President Hu Jintao was re-elected to a second 5-year term, a formality that also kept him as head of China's Military Commission.

Iranian officials claim there was a large turnout for the country's parliamentary elections yesterday. Early results show that hard-line allies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are ahead. The BBC's John Lion reports from Tehran.

With many of the government's opponents disqualified before voting even started, the authorities' big concern has been to prove the legitimacy 9 of this election with a high turnout. One official has claimed it was as high as 65%, well up on the 51% of electors who voted last time. There was certainly no evidence of such a high turnout in Tehran where polling stations were not busy and many people said they felt there was nothing or no one to vote for. The suspicion will be that the government has either massaged 10 the figures or provided incentives 11 to persuade more sympathetic voters in the provinces and the villages to come out in force. The BBC's John Lion.

A US State Department official says the election was cooked since hundreds of potential candidates were not allowed to run.

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The military is searching a remote area of Arizona for an Air Force pilot, missing since a fighter jet crashed yesterday. An F-16 went down during a training exercise about 80 miles northwest of Phoenix 12. The pilot was part of the 62nd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona, the largest F-16 training base in the world.

Stocks plunged 13 yesterday to end another shaky week on Wall Street. Steve Beckner of Market News International reports.

The stock market got some good news in the form of a flat Consumer Price Index which should give the Federal Reserve greater leeway to cut interest rates next Tuesday to help the economy. But Wall Street was more focused on continued disruption in the credit market which forced the Fed to take the unusual step of opening its discount window to troubled investment bank Bear Stearns. As investors 14 became increasingly convinced the economy is in recession, prospects 15 for corporate 16 earnings 17 dimmed and with them share prices. The Dow Jones Industrials closed down 1.6% while the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite lost more than 2%. Thanks to a big rally Tuesday, the Dow rose half a percent for the week, but the S&P lost 4/10 of 1%. The NASDAQ was flat. For NPR News, I'm Steve Beckner.

It appears some people can't get enough of the Eliot Spitzer scandal. SIRIUS Satellite Radio has created a separate station just to talk about the New York governor's alleged 18 link to a prostitution ring. Guests are to include the former New York Governor Ed Koch and Dennis Hof, the owner of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch,a brothel in Nevada. The station is called "Client 9 Radio" for the code name investigators 19 used for Spitzer.

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News.