NPR 2009-04-25

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack 1 Speer.

The Mexican government is battling a new strain of flu virus which has killed nearly 60 people, sickened hundreds of others and threatens millions in the world's largest and most densely 2 populated capital city. James Blears reports from Mexico City.

Mexico's Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova says that this is a new form of flu, from a testing government laboratory show is mutated from pigs list leapt into the human health cycle. Mexico City and its surrounding suburbs has a population of more than 20 million. So drastic measures have already been taken, all schools have been closed until further notices as well as libraries, theaters, museums and other public buildings. Mexico City’s metro 3 system which carries millions of people daily is still running. Tens of thousands of people are wearing surgical 4 masks in the street. Laboratory samples from Mexico were being compared to those of people who’ve fallen ill in Texas and California. For NPR News, I'm James Blears, in Mexico City.

NPR News has learned that an iconic American automobile 5 brand Pontiac is apparently 6 the latest victim of slow vehicle sales and a weak economy. Automaker General Motors, according to people familiar with the company's plans, will eliminate Pontiac, famous for the GTO and the Firebird among others. The news comes as it was announced US taxpayers 7 are putting another two billion dollars in the troubled General Motors in the form of government loans. That's on top of the more than 13 billion the struggling automaker has already received. GM confirmed yesterday it will shut down 13 of its North American assembly plants for two months or more, beginning next month.

President Obama today renewed his call to end the involvement of private companies in making student loans. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

President Obama has proposed ending what he says are wasteful 8 subsidies 9 to private companies that make college loans that are guaranteed by taxpayers. The private federal family education loans line the pockets of banks according to the president, while costing taxpayers some five billion dollars a year. Mr. Obama wants instead to expand a direct loan program. The president also said colleges and universities have a responsibility to control spiraling costs. “I challenge state college and university leaders to put affordability 10 front and center as they chart a path forward.” Mr. Obama said skyrocketing tuition costs are putting new pressures on struggling families at a time he said a college education is more important than ever. Brian Naylor, NPR News, the White House.

Nation's big banks are receiving report cards that detail how well it performed on a government stress test over an apparent effort to avoid whirling the financial markets’ details of how well the financial firms have been to be holding up. It will not be officially released until next month. Federal regulators would begin privately 11 briefing officials for the country's 19 biggest banks today about their perceived soundness.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 119 points, however for the week the Dow was down 0.7%. The NASDAQ closed up 42 points today, the S&P 500 climbed 14 points.

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A second day of deadly suicide bombings in Iraq has left 60 people dead and more than 125 others wounded. Latest attacks followed two bombings yesterday in separate areas that were blamed for at least 80 deaths. In the latest incident, bombers 12 apparently detonated explosive belts within minutes of one another near separate gates to the tomb of the Shiite saint. The explosions took place as worshipers were streaming into the mosque 13 for Friday prayers.

Concerns are growing for the safety of civilians 14 trapped in Sri Lankan's shrinking war zone. Government forces are pushing ahead on efforts to crush Tamil Tigers rebels as the UN estimates nearly 6.5 thousand of civilians have been killed in the past three months. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

The Tamil Tigers are hold up in a patch of costal land, about twice the size of New York Central Park. The Sri Lanka military surrounded them on land and at sea. The United Nations says about 50,000 civilians are still with the separatists, fighting continues around them. The International Red Cross says hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured in the last few days alone. Today, Sri Lanka's giant neighbor, India sent several senior envoys 15 to the island to press for an end to the fighting. The trapped civilians are from the island's Tamil minority. India's coalition 16 government which is fighting a general election is under pressure from its own large Tamil population to do something to help them. Over the last few days, more than 100,000 people have escaped the conflict zone. Overwhelming government officials have placed them in interment camps for screening. Philip Reeves, NPR News, New Delhi.

Crude oil futures 17 prices ended the session higher today. Crude for June delivery was up $1.93 a barrel to end the session at $51.55 a barrel in New York.