NPR 2009-03-15

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Craig Windham.

Finance officials from the world's top industrialized nations are pledging to take whatever actions are necessary to revive global economic growth and to restore the flow of credit. They've also agreed to take steps to help developing nations. NPR's Carol Van Dam has more.

The group of 20 leading economies said all fiscal 1 and monetary 2 policies will be used to attack the global economic downturn. The International Monetary Fund estimates only Saudi Arabia, Australia, China, Spain and the U.S. will introduce budgets that will boost their gross domestic product this year. U.S. Treasury 3 Secretary Timothy Geithner says the U.S. economy will bounce back when the rest of the world's largest economies improve. "As President Obama said this week, a healthy U.S. economy requires a healthy and strong global economy. Our recovery will be stronger if the world is stronger." The World Bank warned this week the global economy will shrink this year for the first time since World War II and the U.S. said this week its trade deficit 4 fell in January to the lowest level in six years. This weekend's meetings are taking place ahead of a full G20 summit with heads of states on April 2nd. Carol Van Dam, NPR News, Washington.

President Obama says the Chinese government and other foreign investors 5 should have absolute confidence in the soundness of investments in the United States. The comment was a reference to concern expressed by China's prime minister about that country's holdings in U.S. government debt securities. Mr. Obama made his remarks after welcoming a visiting Latin American head of state to the White House as NPR's Allison Keyes reports.

As Mr. Obama took questions after meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the two leaders sparked what seemed to be nervous laughter from onlookers 6 as the Latin leader explained through an interpreter why he's been praying for the U.S. president. "With just 40 days in the office, to suffer and to face such a terrible crisis the U.S. is facing today, I don't want to be in his position." "I tell you what, er, you sound like you've been talking to my wife." But President Obama turned serious during reporters' questions, stressing that America has the most dynamic economy in the world. Allison Keyes, NPR News, Washington.

The president says the Food and Drug Administration was understaffed and underfunded during the Bush administration, creating what he called "a hazard to public health" that he said was unacceptable. Mr. Obama today announced the formation of a Food Safety Working Group. "We're also strengthening our food safety system and modernizing 7 our labs with a billion dollar investment, a portion of which will go towards significantly increasing the number of food inspectors 8, helping 9 ensure that the FDA has the staff and support they need to protect the food we eat."

Mr. Obama in his weekly address today announced that he will nominate former New York City Health Commissioner 10 Margaret Hamburg to head the Food and Drug Administration. She is a bio-terrorism expert who served as an assistant health secretary during the Clinton administration.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Searchers in Canada have found what they believe is the wreckage 11 of a helicopter that crashed in the frigid 12 waters of the North Atlantic this week. Authorities say their main goal now is to recover the bodies of any of the remaining 16 victims that might be inside. One body was already recovered and one survivor 13 rescued shortly after the crash. The aircraft was carrying workers to offshore 14 oil platforms when it went down.

A new wine war is brewing 15 in the south of France, this time not over lost subsidies 16 but over proposed new European Union rules that would relax the techniques for making rosé wine. Frank Browning reports from Paris.

Real rosé is as old a wine as the Sonnet 17 fields of Provence, where it has been historically produced. But the new market-driven rules proposed by the European Commission would permit any winemakers to produce the pink wine simply by mixing reds and whites. "A disastrous 18 calumny 19!" screamed the winemakers of Provence who say that such sloppy 20 tactic 21 would destroy the growing taste for real rosé, which is made exclusively from red grapes that are separated from their skins only a few hours after they have been crushed; normal red wine rests with the crushed skins for three days or more. The European Commission says opening the market to any red-white blend would meet growing global demand for rosé, especially in China. But the Provençals say it would ruin the bright, sometimes ritzy, quality of the wine and destroy its hard-won reputation. For NPR News, I'm Frank Browning in Paris.

Good weather is forecast for tomorrow's scheduled launch of the space shuttle Discovery. NASA is still hoping that the repairs made will solve the hydrogen gas leak that force postponement 22 of a launch attempt earlier this week.