NPR 2010-02-11

From NPR News in Washington, I’m Giles Snyder

Authorities are urging people to stay off the roads in parts of the mid-Atlantic region. Blowing snow is keeping visibility to a minimum. Pennsylvania’s governor has shut down large parts of three major highways because of the storm, and Washington, D.C.’s fire chief says it doesn’t seem like we’re getting much of a break, as the latest storm comes just a few days after one of the heaviest snowfalls in D.C.’s history. In Baltimore, dangerous blizzard 1 conditions have city officials taking urgent measures to protect public safety. Donna Marie Owens from member station WYPR reports.

Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has instituted phase three—the highest designation of the city’s emergency snow plan. This means that only police, fire and other authorized 2 vehicles are permitted on city roadways. Residents who drive their cars while the emergency plan is in effect could face arrest. Baltimore and other Maryland jurisdictions 3 have experienced unprecedented 4 snowfall beginning with two to three feet last weekend. The blizzard has caused downed trees, power outages and other problems including a roof collapse 5 at a Baltimore County firehouse, and damage to some poultry 6 houses on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. For NPR News, I’m Donna Marie Owens in Baltimore.

On the eve of a European Union crisis meeting over the debt problem in Greece, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou promised his government will take all necessary measures to reduce the public deficit 7. Eleanor Beardsley reports.

Speaking in Paris after a lunch with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Papandreou said Greece would reduce its deficit by the necessary 4% in 2010. That task will not be easy with Greek public sector 8 workers in the streets striking and protesting any austerity program. The head of the French parliament said that European countries needed to show solidarity 9 with Greece and not let it go bankrupt. But EU governments were initially 10 reluctant to help Greece out of a debt crisis it created itself, and now appear ready after European markets fell and the euro slipped to an eight-month low against the US dollar. There’s also fear that instability could spread to other financially-troubled eurozone countries, Spain and Portugal. One analyst 11 said markets would react very negatively, if tomorrow’s EU meeting does not produce a concrete plan to buttress 12 Greece. For NPR News, I’m Eleanor Beardsley in Paris.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has begun to outline the Central Bank’s exit strategy from the emergency measures it put in place to combat the financial crisis. Bernanke was to give testimony 13 today before a House panel. He released his prepared remarks, even though the hearing was canceled because of the blizzard in Washington. Bernanke said the Fed would likely begin tightening 14 monetary 15 policy by removing cash from the financial system before it turns to raising interest rates, but he said that may be months away.

On Wall Street, stocks are down this hour. The Dow’s down 16 points at 10,043; the NASDAQ down two at 2,149.

From Washington, this is NPR News.

Severe winter weather is threatening one of the world’s biggest annual movements of humanity. Millions of Chinese are heading home for the Chinese New Year. The year, the Tiger, starts on Sunday. NPR’s Anthony Kuhn reports from Beijing.

Blizzards 16 have hit six provinces in north China, forcing the closure of two dozen highways and several airports and stranding 17 tens of thousands of passengers. Weather forecasters are predicting more heavy snows and falling temperatures through tomorrow. Today marked the peak of the annual pre-holiday travel season. An estimated 210 million people are expected to travel by train during the holiday. The weather has raised concerns about energy supplies, as two of the worst-hit provinces are also big coal suppliers. It has also brought back memories of 2008’s Chinese New Year when severe weather crippled infrastructure 18 and stranded 19 millions of travelers in southern China. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Beijing.

It’s questionable 20 whether American skier 21 Lindsey Vonn will be able to compete in the Vancouver Olympics. Vonn said today that she’s worried about a badly bruised 22 right shin. She said she injured it in a training run last week during a pre-Olympic practice in Austria. Vonn has won the World Cup twice and is the reigning 23 champion. She is considered a contender for multiple medals.

The commander of space shuttle Endeavour says he’s impressed with how spectacular and shiny the International Space Station is. The shuttle’s crew arrived at the station early today and has been mingling 24 with the space station crew. Endeavour is carrying the station’s last two main components 25, a new room and an observation deck.

Again stocks are down this hour. The Dow is down now seven points at 10,050.

I’m Giles Snyder, NPR News.