NPR 2011-01-27

Rioting is raging for a second day in Egypt. Risking arrest, thousands of protesters have again flooded into central Cairo to demand President Hosni Mubarak and his nearly 30-year grip on power. There were reports of police firing rubber bullets at the crowd and out-of-uniform officers dragging protesters away and beating them up. Today, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Egypt to end its crackdown.

“We urge the Egyptian authorities not to prevent peaceful protests or block communications, including unsocial media sites.”

Clinton again urged all sides who exercise restraint. Meanwhile, the growing unrest may have prompted Egypt’s trade minister to cancel his trip to the World Economic Forum 1 in Davos, where the pros 2 and cons 3 of investing in emerging economies will be central this year.

The Federal Reserve is beginning 2011 much as it ended last year. And as Steve Beckner of Market News International reports, that means keeping monetary 4 policy very lax for the foreseeable future.

The Fed’s policymaking Federal Open Market Committee is not saying much new at the end of two days of meetings. By a unanimous vote, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues are keeping the federal funds rate near zero, where that’s been for more than two years. Once again, they’re advertising 5 their intent to keep that key short-term interest rate exceptionally low for an extended period. What’s more, they plan to keep buying treasury 6 bonds in an effort to hold down long-term rates. Explaining the decision, the FOMC notes commodity prices are rising, but says underlying 7 inflation has been trending downward. And it says the economy is growing too slowly to significantly reduce unemployment. For NPR News, I’m Steve Beckner in Washington.

Russia’s upper house parliament has approved the landmark 8 nuclear arms treaty that President Obama championed last year. The final hurdle 9 for the New START treaty is a formal signature from Russia’s president, as NPR’s David Greene tells us.

President Obama pressed hard for this treaty as a way to show he was truly resetting 10 relations with Russia. He was able to overcome concerns from Republicans in Congress last month, when the Senate ratified 11 the treaty. Now, Russian lawmakers have weighed in. The Duma or lower house of parliament approved the treaty yesterday. Then today, the Federation 12 Council or upper house gave its unanimous support. The treaty, once enforced, will reduce the limit on strategic warheads for both nations from a maximum of 2,200 warheads to 1,550. Also, a monitoring system that had expired will be resumed. David Greene, NPR News, Moscow.

Moscow’s transport police chief is out of a job for security lapses 13 that the Kremlin says led to Monday’s suicide bombing at an airport. Today, President Dmitry Medvedev also had scathing 14 words for what he called “passive” officers who guard the country’s airports and rail stations. The airport bombing killed 35 people.

The Dow broke the 12,000 mark, rising 28 points. This is NPR News.

President Obama went out on the road today, touting 15 the need for more US competition on the world stage, echoing his message from the State of Union last night.

“We need to make sure American workers can go to head-to-head with workers in any country on Earth. We’ve got to be more productive, more capable, more skilled than any workers on Earth.”

President Obama speaking at a factory in Wisconsin.

More reports of violence out of Mexico. Last night, a federal policeman shot and killed a member of the mayor’s security detail in Ciudad Juarez. Details from NPR’s John Burnett.

Mayor Hector Murguia was visiting a private home in central Juarez last night while his bodyguards 17 formed a security perimeter 18 outside. The federal police say they received a report of armed men standing 19 in the street. And when they arrived on the scene, the mayor’s bodyguards, dressed in civilian 20 clothes, pointed 21 their guns at the Federallies, who opened fire. Murguia insists his men identified themselves, lowered their weapons and raised their hands as the federal police commanded. In a late-night press conference, the newly elected mayor said he considers the killing 22 of his bodyguard 16 a deliberate act, and he demands a full investigation 23. Thousands of federal police are in Juarez to help patrol the violent city, where a mafia turf war killed more than 3,000 people last year. John Burnett, NPR News.

The explosion at a Colombian coal mine today may have killed far more people than initially 24 thought. At least five people were reported dead earlier today. However, Reuters news service is reporting that as many (as) 20 miners may have been killed in the underground blast. Authorities say at least a dozen may be missing.