NPR 2010-01-26

 So far, no survivors 1 have been found and the chances of finding the bodies of more victims today have faded with the daylight. Scenes of anguish 2 developed all day at Beirut's International Airport and at hospitals around the city where remains 3 were taken. Officials released names of Lebanese passengers who were on board including two children who are thought to have perished. Other passengers on board were Ethiopian, British, Canadian, French, Iraqi, Russian and Syrian. Ethiopian Airlines said that it had sent a team to Beirut to investigate the crash. Meanwhile, as part of a separate Lebanese investigation 4, recovered parts of the plane are being collected for testing. For NPR News, I'm Don Duncan in Beirut.

 The anticipated expiration 5 of a tax credit for first-time home buyers is being blamed for a sharp drop in sales of previously 6 owned homes last month. The National Association of Realtors says sales plunged 7 nearly 17 percent. The tax credit that was set to expire at the end of November has been extended. The median price of homes sold in December was up 1.5 percent from the same period the previous year. And that price report helped boost stocks today, the Dow up 72 points.

 This is NPR News from Washington.

 Better late than never for Burger King which is now selling charbroiled fast food at its first restaurant in Moscow. NPR's David Greene reports. It opened almost exactly 20 years after rival McDonald's set up a shop in what was then the Soviet 8 Union.

McDonald's made huge news in January, 1990 when the company brought its Golden Arches to Pushkin Square just up the street from the Kremlin. On opening day, 30,000 people rushed to taste American fast food. Since then, scores of McDonald's have opened in Russia, millions of Big Macs have been served that Pushkin Square McDonald's became the busiest McDonald's in the world. And so there's always been this question —"Burger King, where are you?" Well, the time's finally come. The first Burger King opened in a mall in Moscow a few days ago. There was the Burger King(refer to the mascot 9 not the restaurant), the bearded mascot posing for the cameras with two Russian models. More Russian Burger Kings are on the way. This news, well, may be not quite as big as when McDonald's braved the Cold War. Nevertheless, let the Burger wars here begin. David Greene, NPR News, Moscow.

People are still smiling in New Orleans today after a night of celebration following the New Orleans Saints' overtime 10 victory in the NFC Championship Game. The Saints downed the Minnesota Vikings to earn their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl. New Orleans' Mayor Ray Nagin says the win was especially meaningful because it happened in the Superdome.

For us, this is really special, because four years ago when Hurricane Katrina hit that facility, you know, there was rain coming in and then last night we just celebrated 11 like you wouldn't believe.

 Nagin was on CBS's "The Early Show". The New Orleans Saints will play the Indianapolis Colts in two weeks in the Super Bowl in Miami.

I'm Craig Windham, NPR News in Washington.