NPR 2010-03-10

The Senate is taking a key vote on legislation extending jobless benefits to Americans. It's a procedural vote. The legislation includes dozens of tax breaks for individuals and businesses that expired in 2009. Congress has previously 1 passed several brief extensions for jobless benefits. In this new package, some people would be eligible 2 to receive benefits through the end of the year.

Energy company Chevron 3 says it‘s cutting 2,000 jobs, as Rachael Mellor of member station KQED reports, Chevron is also cutting assets in the Caribbean, Central America and England.

Fuel refining isn’t as profitable as it used to be, given the sagging 4 global economy and tanking sales of gas-guzzling SUVs. Also BusinessWeek notes that more than one in three exploration wells Chevron drilled last year failed to find oil or gas. And the San Ramon-based energy giant is spending almost 60 million dollars a day looking for new crude and building offshore 5 platforms to exploit old finds. Two thousand jobs equates 6 to about 3% of Chevron's staff of 64,000 worldwide. The firm is also considering whether to sell operations in Hawaii and Africa. The weak market may make it difficult to unload them. But meeting with Wall Street analysts 7, Chevron officials say this is the time to consolidate 8 and focus on operations in North America and Asia-Pacific. For NPR News, I'm Rachael Mellor in San Francisco.

The president of Haiti is in Washington thanking the US for aiding his country in the wake of the devastating 9 earthquake. He is also discussing his country's future. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

Haitian President Rene Preval is getting prepared for a donor’s conference later this month in New York. He said in the past development aid has focused on the capital, while the provinces were neglected. In the wake of a January earthquake that left the capital in ruins, Preval hopes to do things differently. "So this is an opportunity to not only rebuild Port-au-Prince, but first and foremost, to invest and to rebuild in the provinces. And of course the recovery of Haiti will take a long time." He was speaking alongside Secretary of State Hilary Clinton who said the priorities now are to get seeds and fertilizer to farmers and to get people into safe housing before the rainy season. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, the State Department.

The White House is condemning 10 Israel's decision today to approve 1,600 new settlements for East Jerusalem, an area in dispute between Israelis and Palestinians. The decision also comes as Vice 11 President Joe Biden visits Israel to help promote Mideast peace talks.

Police in Ireland say they've arrested seven people in an alleged 12 plot to murder a Swedish cartoonist. The cartoonist Lars Vilks has been targeted by al-Qaeda for drawing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 26 points at 10, 578. The NASDAQ is up 11, it's currently at 2,343.

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After a historic vote, the final transfer of power from the British parliament to Northern Ireland's legislative 13 assembly is set to take place April 12th. Larry Miller 14 has this from London.

The vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly was whether to take over policing and justice powers. They came as the result of the power-sharing agreement between the province's Catholic and Protestant politicians. "All those in favors say aye."

"Aye." "Contrary, No." "No."The Nos were perhaps noisier, but the vote to transfer the final powers to Northern Ireland was carried 88 to 17. The second largest Protestant party dissented 15 despite personal lobbying by former President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Clinton. Prime Minister Gordon Brown described the vote to complete home rule as the end to decades of strife 16. Brown said the message is democracy and tolerance 17 prevails. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

Iraqi election officials say 62% of eligible voters cast ballots 18 in the country's election Sunday. Iraq is selecting members for a new parliament, final results won't be known for a while, but initial results could be announced this week. The political coalition 19 of current Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki isn't waiting and says it is ahead, so does the party of former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

Indonesian police killed three terror suspects today when they raid several hideouts near Jakarta. They are looking for militants 21 who were in the group Jemaah Islamiyah which is affiliated 22 with al-Qaeda. Now police are trying to learn if one of the dead suspects is a wanted militant 20 leader named Dumatin. He is suspected of helping 23 plan the deadly Bali nightclub attacks of 2002.