NPR 2012-04-27

 Former Liberian President Charles Taylor has been found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity by providing arms and ammunition 1 to rebels during neighbor Sierra Leone’s ten-year civil war. However, the judges ruled that the prosecution 2 failed to prove that Taylor was in direct command and control of the rebel forces. NPR’s Susana George reports that the reaction in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown is mixed.

 
Civil war victims, government ministers and tribal 3 leaders gathered within the walls of the Special Court here in Freetown to watch the verdict to broadcast live from The Hague. 
 
“Count 1: acts of terrorism; Count 2: murder.” 
 
Alhaji Jusu Jarka had both his arms amputated at the elbow, so-called "short sleeves." By the rebels, Taylor is guilty of supporting. 
 
“I’m feeling that justice has been done. So I’m happy over that.”
 
But just outside the court walls, some Sierra Leoneans say the trial has been an unnecessary expense; that with national elections just months away, it’s time to start looking towards the future instead of the past. Susana George, NPR News, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
 
Another suicide bomber 4 reportedly has struck again in Iraq. Reuters news service reports ten people were killed, 18 others were wounded.
 
Congressman 5 Paul Ryan is answering Roman Catholic critics who accused the budget committee chair of promoting a budget that supports the rich, neglects the poor. In a speech at Georgetown University, Ryan said his approach is in line with Catholic teaching and that includes helping 6 the nation’s most vulnerable citizens. He says failed economic policies falls squarely on President Obama, whom he accuses of unfairly lifting up one group at the expense of another.
 
"He doesn't seem to understand that he can’t promote the common good by setting class against class or group against group.”
 
Republicans in pursuit of deficit 7 reductions remain opposed to ending certain tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans.
 
For the third straight week, the Labor 8 Department is reporting higher than expected claims for jobless benefits for last week. Seasonally 9 adjusted claims decreased slightly from the previous week to 388,000. NPR’s Yuki Noguchi reports that’s still thousands more than the market was expecting.
 
Claims have been on an upward trend for the past several weeks. These indicators 10 come at a crucial time for the economy. Strong employment gains in the earlier part of the year appear to be losing steam. And because jobs growth drives so many other parts of the economy, including housing and consumer spending, some worry this could signal the overall economy is stalling out. In March, the unemployment rate fell in part because some people gave up looking for work. Analysts 11 are looking to April numbers due out next Friday for more hints about the direction the economy is headed. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington.
 
Dow was up 122 points. 
 
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The owner of a construction crane connected to a deadly 2008 collapse 12 in New York City is being cleared of all charges. James Lomma reportedly sat frozen as a judge announces his acquittal today. Lomma owned the 200-foot-tall rig that snapped apart and killed two workers. The accident occurred within two months of a similar incident that killed several people, and both cases renewed calls for more crane safety measures in several US cities.
 
Natural gas driller Chesapeake Energy says it will terminate a controversial financial arrangement with its CEO. NPR’s Jeff Brady reports the company’s stock price dropped significantly in recent weeks as news of the deal emerged.
 
Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon was given a stake in natural gas wells the company drilled. In recent years, as prices declined, he borrowed money against those stakes to pay for drilling costs. Now Chesapeake says it will end the deal, giving McClendon stakes and its wells early. It was set to expire in 2015. The company’s board of directors also will review McClendon’s financial arrangements. In announcing the change, the company reversed an earlier statement that said the board was “fully aware of McClendon’s financial arrangements.” Now the company says the board did not review, approve or have knowledge of the specific transactions. Jeff Brady, NPR News.
 
US stocks have been gaining ground today, with Dow Jones Industrial Average up 121 points at last check, nearly 1%, at 13,212; NASDAQ Composite Index up 25 points, nearly 1%, at 3,054; and the S&P 500 up ten points at 1,401.
 
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