NPR 2011-12-24

 The payroll 1 tax cut is now extended for 2 month.Congress approved it eariler today and President Obama has signed it into law.As NPR's Brain N~ reports some 160000 Americans will continue getting a break on their taxes.And unemployment benefits will continue through Feburary.The president signed the measure hours after it was approved by the house and the senate in voice votes.Republicans in the house have initially 2 resisted the 2 month extension  but retreated after short criticism including from other republicans.The extension is seen as a political victory for president obama who called the good news but said more needs to be done.This continues to be a maker 3 break moment,for the middle class in this country.And we are gonna have to roll xxx together,the democrats 4 and the republicans. Let's make sure the economy is growing and make sure that more jobs are creating  Before leaving for Hawaii where he will spend the christmas with his family, Mr Obama also signed the trillion dollars spending bill congress approved to fund government program until next October.Brain N~,NPR news the white house.

 
More people bought new houses last month.The commerce department said sales rose 1.6%,but sales are still well below what they need to be to sustain a  healthy housing market.
 
W F security economist 5 Mark W says builders faces a credit squeeze.The builders just can't get a whole xxx credit right now and they faced awful competitions purport 6 closure xxxxxxxxxxxx.But W says progress is being made in saling off the glut 7 of the foreclosed houses.
 
The US commander in Afghanistan says he has already met his goal to send 10000 of the so-called search troops home in 2010.As NPR's Rachel  Martin reports it's part of president Obama's plan to remove all US combats troops in the country by 2014.The last of those 10000 troops left Afghanistan earlier this week.Most of them from a  marine core unit operating in the southern part of the country.This past summer president Obama announced that all of the 33000 extra search troops sent to Afghanistan will be home by September of 2012.General John Allen the commander in Afghanistan hasn until March to come up with a plan draw down those remaining 23000 search forces.President Obama has ordered all 90000 US troops still in Afghanistan to leave the country by 2014.Rachel  Martin NPR news Washington.
 
The syria government is blaming Al-Kaida for 2 massive suicide car bombings in D today.At least 40 people are dead.The first suicide bombing in the country since the anti-government uprising began in March.
 
In the lastest look at wall street,the dows in the up 87 points at 12256 the NASDAQ is up at 14 at 2613.This is NPR.
 
U leading opposition 8 figure has lost her appeal in a 7 years jail term.The white house says the sentense politically motivated.As Peter Van Tiger reports both the US and the Eurpean Union have been pressing U to release the former prime minister.The appeals court upheld U leader  conviction for abuse of office.The court says she exceeded her authority as prime minister in signing a gas deal with Russian in 2009.She boycotted 9 the appeal hearing and is calling the court bias 10 and his file case with the Eurpean court of human rights.President V~,who narrowly beat M in a bitterly device election last year says the deal is bad for U. The country struggles to pay for the gas from Russia and V is getting a discount in keypart of his foreign politics.The T case has damaged U relations with theEuropean Union,which this  week put off signing bilateral 11 agreement that would take trade and political ties to a new level.For NPR news,I'm Peter Van Die in Moscow.
 
In the Czech republic,a day of rememberance and mourning.Czech citizens as well as international leaders past and present gathered in p~ for the funeral of former Czech president Vaclav Havel.A dissident playwright 12 who led the pieceful revolution that brought an end to communist rule in the country.Among the mourners,British prime minister David Cameron who said Eurpe owes Havel a profound debt.
 
The S~ spacecraft is now adopted international space station after 2 days travel.Its 3 member crew,a Russian and an American and a Dutchman will join the 3 astronauts abroad the space station until March.
I'm Barbara Klein.NPR News in Washington.