NPR 2011-01-15

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords remains 1 in critical condition at a hospital in Tucson, but the neurosurgeon treating her says doctors are, in his words, actually confident that she's making progress.

"We can even think that she is beginning to carry out more complex sequences of events, more complex sequences of activity in response to our commands or even spontaneously."

Giffords was shot in the head Saturday in the attack in Tucson that wounded 12 others and killed six people. One of those wounded, an aide to Congresswoman Giffords, left the hospital today to attend the funeral of a federal judge killed in the attack.

Anti-government riots in Tunisia have forced the country's president to step down. The prime minister made the announcement on state television today, saying he's taking over until promised elections can be held. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton explains what led up to today's events.

The catalyst 2 for the current unrest in Tunisia was the attempted suicide of a jobless graduate, who was desperately 3 trying to make ends meet. His fate enraged 4 other young Tunisians, who've taken to the streets in protest. Tunisia has an admirable education system, but chronic 5 unemployment means graduates have no jobs. A flourishing tourist industry and other economic gains have not spread the country's wealth. President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's promise of greater democracy and freedoms has done little to weaken the intensity 6 of the violent challenge to his almost quarter-century rule. The perceived cupidity 7 and corruption 8 of an authoritarian 9 presidential clique 10 have galvanized the nation to oppose Ben Ali. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Dakar.

Flooding is claiming lives in several parts of the world. In Australia, at least 20 people have died in weeks of flooding in the country's northeast. Heavy rain has triggered widespread flooding in Sri Lanka, where the death toll's at least 23. And in Brazil, heavy rains have killed nearly 500 people. Many homes have been washed away. NPR's Juan Forero reports that the rains have been the worst in years.

Brazilian authorities said 222 people have died in Teresopolis just north of Rio de Janeiro. Another 216 lives were lost in nearby Nova Friburgo and 41 more in Petropolis. Thousands more have been driven from their homes by days of heavy rains. The poor, who live in rickety homes on hillsides, are the ones who suffer most. Houses have come crashing down, and residents say there are dozens perhaps hundreds missing. The rains which continue today hinder rescue efforts. Local morgues, meanwhile, are filled to capacity. The rains prompted new President Dilma Rousseff to lament 11 at years of poor urban planning. Mountains fell apart, Rousseff told reporters, noting that housing in high-risk areas is the rule, not the exception. Juan Forero, NPR News.

Stocks are positive on Wall Street. The Dow is up 54 points, and NASDAQ up 15.

This is NPR News.

The late Pope John Paul II has moved one step closer to sainthood. His successor has approved a decree, attributing a miracle to John Paul. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports a beatification ceremony will take place May 1st and is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of worshipers.

John Paul's beatification will be the fastest on record just six years after his death and beating Mother Teresa by a few days. A month after he died, Pope Benedict responded to chants at the funeral of "Santo subito! Sainthood!" immediately and put John Paul on the fast track, waving the traditional five-year waiting period. The beatification decree recognizes the recovery from Parkinson's disease of a French nun 12 as a miracle. A healthy looking Sister Marie Simon-Pierre appeared on French TV and said she felt reborn when she woke up two months after John Paul's death cured of the disease. She had prayed to him. John Paul's 27-year papacy covered the tumultuous period of communism's collapse 13 starting in his native Poland. His dogmatic conservatism dismayed liberal Catholics, but his common touch and worldwide travels made him a crowd-pleasing superstar. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News.

Bank shares are leading stocks higher this afternoon. JP Morgan's report that its income surged 47 percent in the fourth quarter is helping 14 send the Dow into positive territory. JP Morgan also says it expects to raise its dividends 15 soon. The NASDAQ and S&P500 are also posting modest gains.

Bankers are also buzzing about AIG. The Treasury 16 Department says the bailed-out insurer has completed a restructuring plan that will allow it to repay the $182 billion it received from taxpayers 17. The government now owns 92 percent of the company and says it plans to sell its stake quickly.