NPR 2010-08-04

Workers are grieving the deaths of eight colleagues killed in a mass shooting at a beer distribution company in Manchester, Connecticut this morning. Police say the gunman, also an employee of Hartford Distributors, opened fire before he killed himself. He attacked after he was called in for a disciplinary hearing.

This afternoon, BP pumped oil into its blown-out well in the Gulf 1 in a test. This effort was delayed for a day because of a minor 2 technical glitch 3. NPR's Richard Harris reports the company's preparing to fill it with heavy fluid and then plug it with cement.

In the oil industry, they call this procedure 'killing 4 the well'. Right now, oil inside the well is under pressure, so it's pressing hard on the cap on the top of the well. But once BP has filled the 2.5-mile-long well with heavy mud, the pressure inside it should subside 5. All that heavy material is supposed to push the oil and gas back into the rock from which it came. After that's been accomplished 6, BP will plug the well with cement. The head of the federal efforts says that will ultimately be accomplished through the main relief well, which has very nearly drilled into the bottom of the blown-out well. Cementing procedures could take a couple of weeks or longer if a major storm blows into the Gulf. Richard Harris, NPR News.

The State Department says it is extremely concerned about violence along the Israel-Lebanon border. NPR's Jackie Northam reports at least two Lebanese soldiers and a senior Israeli military officer were killed in a cross-border skirmish.

State Department spokesman PJ Crowley says that the US is in touch with both governments of Lebanon and Israel to try to determine what happened during Tuesday's skirmish. The two sides gave differing accounts of what was the most serious clash since the war in 2006. Crowley said the US is urging both sides to exercise 'maximum restraint', and that the greatest concern is that whatever did happen not be repeated.

"The region has enough tension as it is. The last thing that we want to see is, you know, this incident expand into something more significant."

Crowley says there might be a formal meeting supervised by the United Nations on Wednesday in the region in an effort to keep the situation calm. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Washington.

Floodwaters rushing against the top of a bridge in northwest Pakistan, site of some of the deadliest flooding the country's ever seen. The Red Cross estimates some 1,400 people have been killed since a monsoon 7 hit about a week ago.

From deadly rains to deadly fires, out of control fires, as broadcast by Russian broadcaster RTR, still burning across western Russia, and authorities are worried they may not have enough firefighters to battle the flames. Tens of thousands of troops and volunteers are on the scene.

US stocks continue to slide today amid mixed economic reports out today. Last check, Dow was down 38 points at 10,636, NASDAQ down 12 at 2,284.

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Two families are mourning the deaths of six teenagers in Louisiana who drowned in the Red River yesterday while they were trying to save each other. Shreveport Fire Chief Brian Crawford said none of the teens could swim, and the adults nearby were also helpless.

"In addition to the children not being able to swim, they themselves could not swim. And so, you can imagine watching your child drowned and not..."

The victims included three brothers from one family and a sister and two brothers from another.

Only about half of doctors are strongly recommending that 11 and 12-year-olds get vaccinated 8 against the sexually transmitted disease known as the human papillomavirus (HPV). NPR's Brenda Wilson has more details.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that girls get the HPV vaccine 9 at age 11 or 12 ideally before they become sexually active. The vaccine protects against most of the HPV strains that can cause cervical cancer. But in a recent study, just 57% of the pediatricians and half of the family physicians strongly recommend it to patients at that age. Most wait until their patients are between 13 and 15 years old because they want to discuss sexuality with the patients and concerns that parents have about the vaccine. More than 800 US pediatricians and family physicians were surveyed by researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. They say nearly all the doctors have administered the HPV vaccine, and few think it encourages riskier 10 sexual behavior. Brenda Wilson, NPR News.