NPR 2010-01-11

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

China has surpassed Germany as the world's largest exporter after a more-than-17% surge in 2009. Critics in the U.S. and other nations have complained that China's export success was bolstered 1 in part by subsidies 2 that gave its exporters unfair advantage over foreign rivals. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Beijing.

Figures released by Chinese Customs on Sunday show that China's exports last month rose 34%, the first year-on-year increase since November of 2008. Chinese imports particularly of raw materials grew even faster last month, shrinking China's trade surplus by more than a third year-on-year. Exporters benefited from China's 586-billion-dollar fiscal 3 stimulus 4 package, which helped them to overcome slumping 5 global demand. Finance Minister Xie Xuren said Sunday that the fiscal stimulus spending would continue to be robust 6 in 2010. Analysts 7 point out that while China now exports more goods than Germany, many products are simply processed or assembled in China by foreign firms. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Beijing.

A British correspondent has been killed in Afghanistan, making him the 18th journalist killed in that country, since the US-led invasion in 2001. Larry Miller 8 has details from London.

Rupert Hamer, the defense 9 correspondent for the Sunday Mirror Newspaper, was killed along with a US marine 10 and an Afghan soldier when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Helmand Province. Hamer died at the scene; photographer Philip Coburn and four US marines were seriously injured. The two journalists were embedded 11 with the marines. British Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth said he knew the man well and was impressed by their hard work and professionalism. A colleague said the 39-year-old Hamer got on with the job and died where he would have wanted to be, right at the front. He leaves a wife and three small children. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

The Africa Cup of Nations is underway in Angola, while the soccer team from Togo is preparing to return home after Friday's attack on their bus. The games began with a moment of silence to remember the three killed in last week's ambush 12. The BBC's Alex Capstick has more for Angola.

It's been a difficult build-up to the tournaments. Some have suggested it should not have gone ahead after the gun attack on the Togo team bus, but the organizer has gone, otherwise, and the Angolan people have come to this futuristic looking stadium on the outskirts 13 of Luanda to party. They started arriving seven hours before kick-off. The Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos is among the crowds. There’s a small section of Mali fans, but most of audience here are hoping the host nation to make it a winning start. For the next few hours, at least, the focus of the Africa Cup of Nations will be on the football.

That's BBC's Alex Capstick reporting from Angola.

From Washington, this is NPR News.

Officials in Northern California say there were minor 14 injuries and light property damage following a 6.5-magnitude earthquake yesterday afternoon off the Pacific coast. Bob Hensley of Capital Public Radio has details.

The town of Ferndale 260 miles north of San Francisco is the community closest to the epicenter. Police Department spokeswoman Lindsey Frank says the ground shook for about ten seconds, but there were no reported injuries and damage was limited.

“It's just a bunch of superficial damage to the outside of buildings, and insides, items being knocked off shelves, walls, covers coming off bins 15 .”

Twenty miles northern the city of Eureka, there were reports of minor injuries and moderate property damage. Utility crews worked throughout the night in an effort to restore power to 25,000 residents in Humboldt County. Shortly after the quake occurred, officials assured the public there was no threat of the tsunami 16. For NPR News, I'm Bob Hensley in Modesto, California.

The Republican Party Chairman's calling on Democratic Senator Harry 17 Reid to give up his position as majority leader. On Fox News Sunday, GOP Chairman Michael Steele criticizes Reid for racially insulting remarks made about President Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign. According to a new book, Reid describes Mr. Obama as a “light-skinned” African-American with “no Negro dialect”. President Obama says he has accepted Reid's apology.

NBC is sending late night host Jay Leno back to his old time slot after some local affiliates 18 threatened to drop the comedian’s new show. The network’s Chief Entertainment Executive Jeff Gaspin said today the drumbeats started getting louder to move Leno whose ratings tanked at 10 p.m. and cost affiliates major ad revenues.