NPR 2009-06-08

Search crews have recovered four more bodies from the Atlantic Ocean in the area where an Air France jet is thought to have crashed last week and more bodies have been spotted 1 in the water. French military spokesman Christophe Prazuck says objects that may be debris 2 from the jetliner were floating near the bodies.

"Facts that the bodies have been found in this part of the ocean will conduct us to reorganize the operation; it concentrates on the area where the bodies have been found."

Prazuck says France has dispatched a nuclear-powered submarine to the area with advanced sonar gear to help locate the jetliner's black boxes and any sunken debris from the plane.

Chinese health authorities have quarantined New Orleans' Mayor Ray Nagin and his wife in Shanghai after another passenger on their airline flight showed signs of the flu. NPR's Anthony Kuhn has the story.

Mayor Nagin was headed to China on Friday for meetings on economic development when according to a spokesman with Nagin's press office, a passenger on the mayor's flight showed flu-like symptoms. Authorities responded by placing Nagin, his wife and the security guard under quarantine in Shanghai. The spokesman said the measure was taken simply as a precaution and none of the three were exhibiting any signs of illness. The spokesman said the Chinese officials were treating Nagin with utmost courtesy and that Nagin was well and in touch with his staff. Nagin was due to travel on to Australia to speak at a conference on climate change, but Nagin's spokesman said the mayor's travel plans might now need to be changed. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul.

Tens of millions of people cast ballots 3 in elections for members of the European Parliament, but still the turnout is estimated to be only about 43% which would be a record low. Early exit polling indicates that opposition 4 parties are defeating governing parties in a number of countries such as Greece. John Psaropoulos has more from Athens.

The big winners were two incongruous groups, the Eco Greens and the right. Both fringe parties made gains of about three percent relative to their showing five years ago. That squeezes the Greek environmentalists into Europe Parliament for the first time, but it makes the right-wing LAOS party a force in Greek politics. The party has been boosted largely by massive influxes 5 of illegal immigrants from Africa and South Asia, and by the deterioration 6 in public education and health. The big losers are the two main parties, the Socialists 7 and Conservatives. The combined taking of both parties has fallen ten points to 70% of the vote. That suggests voters' discontent with the political system in general. For NPR News, I'm John Psaropoulos in Athens.

Funerals were held in Hermosillo, Mexico today for some of the children killed when fire broke out in a day-care center there last week. The blaze killed 40 infants and toddlers.

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At least 16 people were killed in an intense gun battle between drug gangs and Mexican soldiers near the tourist hotels in the resort city of Acapulco. The gunmen were holed up in a drug cartel safe house. They hurled 8 grenades at the troops and fired automatic weapons at them. Turf wars between Mexico's drug gangs have left more than 2, 000 people dead this year. Mexico's President Felipe Calderon has deployed 9 some 45, 000 troops and federal police to try to quell 10 the drug violence.

Roger Federer has finally won the French Open tennis tournament, the one major event that had eluded 11 him. He defeated Robin 12 Soderling of Sweden to claim a record-tying 14th Grand Slam title today. NPR's Tom Goldman has more.

It's hard to think of a guy labeled "the greatest player ever" is having a monkey on his back, but Roger Federer felt the pressure of never winning a title on the red clay courts in Paris. Not any more, Sunday, Federer recalled his 6-1, 7-6, 6-4 win over Robin Soderling "maybe his greatest victory". In a statement that will probably send a big "Ah-oh" through the rest of men's tennis, Federer said "I think now and until the end of my career, I can really play with my mind at peace." This 14th Grand Slam title ties Federer at the top with Pete Sampras. Federer is just the sixth man to win all four Grand Slam events in his career. Notably 13 missing from Sunday's final was Spain's Rafael Nadal, who'd beaten Federer in the three previous French Open finals. Nadal lost in the tournament to Soderling and is dealing 14 with an injured knee. Tom Goldman, NPR News.

After a six-day overseas trip, President Obama returned to the White House this afternoon. First Lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters have remained in Paris for some more sightseeing.