NPR 2012-02-27

 Thousands of Russians turned out today to form a human chain around the central part of Moscow. NPR's Corey Flintoff reports the demonstration 1 was designed to show support for free elections in opposition 2 to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

 
Central Moscow is encircled by ten miles of boulevards known as the Garden Ring, and organizers calculated that they needed at least 34,000 people to join hands around that circle. It's not clear yet whether they succeeded. But many stretches of the circle were lined with people waving at supporters who passed by in honking 3 cars.
 
“We are trying to show that to be united, and we are for honest elections.”
 
That's Artom, a 26-year-old IT consultant 4 who took part in the protest with a group of friends. Pro-Kremlin groups also came out to the Garden Ring, wearing signs that show their support for Putin. Corey Flintoff, NPR News, Moscow.
 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she’s deeply distressed 5 by the situation in Syria. Attacks continue several days after Clinton joined dozens of her colleagues to demand that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad allow in aid. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.
 
In an interview in Rabat, Morocco, Clinton said she’s frustrated 6 about the reports coming out of besieged 7 Syrian cities like Homs.
 
“It was distressing 8 to hear that the Syrian Red Crescent and the ICRC, after many hours of negotiation 9 just yesterday, were not permitted to go back into Homs. We are looking to set up and stage areas for getting humanitarian 10 aid in.”
 
But as to helping 11 arm those fighting Assad's regime, Clinton said that won't be enough to go up against one of the most highly militarized country in the world, one still getting support from Russia and Iran. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Rabat.
 
Syrian forces again shelled the city of Homs today. Activists 12 say at least 29 people died.
 
A politically charged trial that has strained ties between the United States and Egypt was adjourned 13 today in Cairo. Grant Clark reports.
 
The opening hearing was short but dramatic with demonstrators chanting outside. Proceedings 14 in the crowd of courtroom grew chaotic 15, as lawyers and the judge yelled at each other over the judicial 16 process. None of the accused Americans were among defendants 17 in the caged dock. Only seven of the charged US citizens remain in Egypt with several now sheltering in the American embassy here. They are among 43 activists charged with the illegal use of foreign funds and operating without a license 18. The case was adjourned to April 26th to allow the defense 19 time to study the charges and offering more time for a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Grant Clark, NPR News, Cairo.
 
This is NPR News from Washington. 
 
Officials in Nigeria say a man blew up a car filled up [with] explosives outside a major church in the city of Jos today. They say at least two people were killed and 38 were wounded. The radical 20 Islamist sect 21 Boko Haram claimed responsibility as it has previous attacks on churches. 
 
Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been discharged from a hospital. He spent the night after being treated for a stomach problem. The government says doctors decided 22 to send Mandela home after tests showed nothing seriously wrong. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports.
 
Doctors said Nelson Mandela was comfortable in the hospital after undergoing a diagnostic procedure for abdominal 23 pains. Though short on medical details, it's said to be a long-standing stomach complaint. The South African authorities have urged people not to panic about the health of the fabled 24 93-year-old anti-apartheid leader. The speed of official statements this time is a stark 25 contrast to last year, when a Mandela health scare led to pandemonium 26 as local and international journalists jostled outside the Johannesburg Hospital. The government was criticized then for taking too long to confirm media reports of his declining health. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Dakar. 
 
Rupert Murdoch has a new tabloid 27. The Sun's Sunday edition hit the stands today. It replaces News of the World, which closed last July after revelations that employees of the paper had hacked 28 into the phones of public figures. An editorial of the new[s]paper says the scandal has been a sobering experience. Two weeks ago, five Sun employees were arrested, as part of an investigation 29 into bribing 30 police for information.
 
I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.