NPR 2010-05-05

An American has been formally charged with five criminal counts in connection with the failed car bombing last weekend in New York City. Attorney General Eric Holder 1 says charges involve terrorism and use of weapons of mass destruction. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston says the defendant 2, Faisal Shahzad, is apparently 3 cooperating with investigators 4.

Authorities have been really unclear about what he has admitted to exactly. They said that he has admitted to having a role in the plot, but it's really unclear what that role is. He said he worked alone in the plot, but authorities were careful not to say that they've certainly embraced that particular explanation on his part.

Shahzad, who became an American last year, was born in Pakistan. Pakistani authorities have detained eight people for questioning in connection with the plot. And in court documents today, Shahzad admits that he received explosives training in Pakistan.

Despite news of the attempted plot, Times Square is very busy today. NPR's Margot Adler reports.

In Bryant Park, two blocks from Times Square, every bench and chair was filled with lunch time crowds. Tina Doroodian, an optometric student at a college across the street, had this to say about the arrest of Shahzad.

"That's great that maybe they arrested someone who could have potentially hurt a lot of people. That's fantastic. But at the same time, there are a lot of people who can do the same thing. And like I said, you can't live based on fear, you have to just keep living your life."

Many tourists had the same view. Marlene Finger came with a group of friends from Germany to celebrate their 70th birthdays as for the failed attack.

"I forgot all about it. It could happen anytime, anywhere, so that's why we are not so afraid."

It was a lunch time as crowded as usual. Margot Adler, NPR News, New York.

Financial markets are upset today. Investors 5 are worried about the bailout package for Greece. Stock prices around the world are down sharply. From Berlin, NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

European officials had hoped that the announcement of a 140-billion-dollar rescue plan for Greece would stop the recent slide in the euro, but it fell today to a one-year low against the dollar. Meanwhile, the interest rate on Greek debt once again climbed and so did that of Portugal which has been swept under by the turmoil 6. Spain was forced to deny rumors 7 that it would soon ask for a bailout on its own. In the anxiety that gripped the markets, stocks tumbled across the continent. London was down 2.3% and Paris fell even more. As investors pulled their money out of stocks, the price of gold rose and so did US government debt which is traditionally seen as a safe haven 8 in difficult times. Jim Zarroli, NPR News, Berlin.

And Wall Street is troubled to odd. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 224 points just before the close at 10,927.

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Residents in the Greater Boston area can drink the tap water again. (rather是口误修正) Two million people had been instructed to boil water after a huge main broke on Saturday. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick lifted a state of emergency. He is now promising 9 an investigation 10 into what caused the rupture 11.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is responding to criticism that he's limiting press freedom. Putin has been included on a list of the 40 people or groups who have done the most to restrict journalists. Peter Van Dyk reports from Moscow.

The Russian prime minister's spokesman rejected the Annual Reporters Without Borders Report as absolutely wrong. Dmitry Peskov said the Russian government did not know the criteria 12 on which the international press freedom group based this list but suggested the mistake was due to deeply rooted stereotypes 13 about Russia or a lack of information. The list of 40 predators 14 of press freedom includes the leaders of China, Iran, North Korea and Libya. Reporters Without Borders says five journalists were murdered in Russia last year and 22 in the past decade. Accusing Putin of seeking to control the media along with political and economic life in Russia, it says that national TV channels speak with a single voice. Peskov, however, said Putin had made the Russian media freer and more economically independent. For NPR News, I'm Peter Van Dyk in Moscow.

Anti-government protestors in Thailand are considering an offer from the country's prime minister. He'd like to hold elections in November. It's an effort to end a political crisis that's left at least 27 people dead and cost the country hundreds of millions of dollars in tourism. It's not clear if the protest leaders will accept. They're just demanding the prime minister leave office.