NPR 2010-01-24

Vice 1 President Joe Biden confirms the Justice Department will appeal a US court's decision to drop manslaughter charges against five former Blackwater guards. The contractors 2 were accused of fatally shooting 17 people including women and children in 2007. Biden told the President of Iraq today that he personally regrets the incident. Biden's trip to Baghdad this weekend is aimed at defusing a political crisis before Iraq's election in March. With more on that, here is NPR's Quil Lawrence.

Biden met with the American ambassador as well as the commander of US forces in Iraq before heading into a series of meetings with government officials. A committee of the Iraqi Parliament has banned more than 500 candidates from running because of alleged 3 ties to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party. But Sunni Arab groups in particular claimed that the move is aimed at preserving the Shi'ite domination of Iraq's government. The White House is concerned that without a compromise, sectarian divisions could once again become violent. Also today, the U. S. Marine 4 Corps 5 is ending its mission in Iraq after almost seven years. 3, 000 marines are leaving Anbar Province where violence has decreased drastically. After the elections in March, US troop levels will rapidly drop from over 100, 000 to just 50, 000 soldiers. Quil Lawrence, NPR News, Baghdad.

The United Nations says the search-and-rescue phase is over in Haiti, but the Haitian government disagrees. NPR's Tamara Keith has more from Port-au-Prince.

In a statement, the UN Office for the Coordination 6 of Humanitarian 7 Affairs said the government in Haiti has declared an end to the search for survivors 8 of the earthquake, but that wasn't the message that the government's makeshift headquarters at a Port-au-Prince police station. At a press conference, Haiti's Communications Minister Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue said rescue efforts continue.

"I don't have for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, but for now we're still looking for people. And when we stop, we'll say that loudly. " Eleven days after the quake, it is unlikely anyone trapped in the rubble 9 is still alive. About 132 people were pulled out alive by rescue crews. Many of those crews have already headed home. Tamara Keith, NPR News, Port-au-Prince.

In the US, the storm system that wreaked 10 havoc 11 on parts of California and other western states is moving east. Bruce Terry with the National Weather Service says a band of heavy rain will stretch across the East Coast. "There will be significant rains mainly from Coast of New England all the way, south, southwestern to the Gulf 12 Coast states, and in a lot of places, we are looking at least one to two inches of rain, and in some places, it could be a little bit more.” California and Arizona are drying out from a week's worth of storms where the cost in damages and storm preparation has cost them millions. State of emergency declarations have been issued in parts of each state.

This is NPR News.

Today British police arrested the head of a UK company on suspicion of fraud. The company allegedly sold bogus bomb-detecting devices to Iraq and 20 other countries. Larry Miller 13 reports from London.

The ADE 651 is a hand-held device with an antenna 14 that was meant to detect explosives. It does not operate by battery. Promotional material says it's powered only by the user's static electricity. Iraq spent 40, 000 dollars on each purported 15 bomb detector 16 and in total 85 million dollars. It was to be used at vehicle inspection 17 checkpoints. However, a BBC investigation 18 alleged it doesn't work and that a key component 19 was in fact the tag used by stores to prevent theft. The BBC says there's concern the detectors 20 failed to stop bomb attacks which killed hundreds of people. The British government has now banned the export of the device to Iraq and Afghanistan. Iraq's prime minister has ordered an investigation. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

The Associated Press is reporting an oil spill off the coast of southeastern Texas. US Coast Guard Petty Officer Renee Aiello is quoted saying that 450, 000 gallons of crude were spilled when a 600-foot tanker 21 collided with a towing vessel 22 in Port Arthur this morning. There have been no reports of injuries.

Emmy Award-winning actress Jean Simmons has died. Simmons played opposite Marlon Brando in "Guys and Dolls" and was Ophelia to Laurence Olivier's Oscar-winning Hamlet. Simmons was nominated for best supporting actress. Simmons died yesterday of lung cancer at her home in Santa Monica. She was 80 years old.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News Washington.