NPR 2010-02-21

President Obama is again pushing for a bipartisan effort to pass health care overhaul 1 legislation while Republican critics continue to push back. In his weekly address, Mr. Obama appeals for a consensus 2. "I ask members of both parties to seek common ground in an effort to solve a problem that's been with us for generations. It's in that spirit that I've sought out and supported Republican ideas on reform from the very beginning." President Obama plans to hold a bipartisan meeting on Thursday.

Former Secretary of State Alexander Haig, who also served as White House Chief of Staff during the Nixon administration, has died. Haig was surrounded by family when he passed away this morning in Baltimore. He suffered from a staph infection acquired before entering a hospital. NPR's Allison Keyes has more.

The four-star general served as a top adviser 3 to three presidents, and he himself mounted a campaign for the nation's top office but dropped out of the race in 1988. In 1973, Haig helped then President Nixon prepare his defense 4 as the Water Gates scandal blossomed, and he was widely credited with persuading Mr. Nixon to become the first US president to resign. Haig also served the Ford 5 administration and was President Reagan's secretary of state, but he never lived down his response to the 1981 assassination 6 attempt on Mr. Reagan. "As of now, I am in control here, in the White House, pending 7 return of the vice 8 president and in close touch with him. If something came up, I would check with him, of course." Haig is survived by his wife of 60 years, Patricia, three children, eight grandchildren. He was 85 years old. Allison Keyes, NPR News, Washington.

US and Afghan forces are still facing stiff resistance from insurgents 9 in Marjah, Afghanistan. But the Pakistani military which appears to be increasingly aligned 10 with US goals is reporting it killed at least 30 militants 11 in an air strike along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. Vir Singh has more from New Delhi.

Pakistan's military says the latest defensive 12 against Taliban fighters was in the mountains between the country's North and South Waziristan regions near the Afghan border. Officials say the air strike was ordered after they received intelligence reports that militants had gathered there. Pakistan, a key US ally, has stepped up operations against the Taliban in its own country and across the border. Earlier this week, Pakistan announced the arrest of a top Afghan Taliban official. The US military which is fighting a ground and air war in Afghanistan has increased the number of missile strikes in northwest Pakistan. US officials say members of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are using the region to stage attacks. For NPR News, I'm Vir Singh in New Delhi.

From Washington, this is NPR News.

France's largest oil and gas distillery and Europe's third largest energy combined Total is facing shutdowns and gas shortages due to a nationwide strike by its workers. Frank Browning has more on this from Paris.

A strike that began on Tuesday was only supposed to last 48 hours and now has no end in sight and shutdowns began last night. Total's management insisted until yesterday that refining would not be hindered, but the workers upset over the closing of a plant in northern France and supplies would begin to tighten 13 in a few days. Total made a general promise to save jobs but not to reverse closing its plant near Dunkirk. Workers are also unhappy about Total's strategy of cutting back operations in Europe while expanding in the Middle East. All this comes as France faces a nightmare this weekend on its roads with the opening of the winter school vacation season and traffic exiting the cities described as "cold, blacked". For NPR News, I'm Frank Browning in Paris.

(Britain's government...)In Britain, the government's own human rights watchdog is calling for an independent investigation 14 and claims that it was complicit in the torture of British citizens detained abroad. It's looking into more than 20 allegations.

A new ceasefire puts Sudan one vital step closer to ending the conflict in Darfur. The region's largest rebel group returned to peace talks today to sign a framework for a final agreement. Darfur conflict has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

We have the results of today's super-G competition of the Winter Games in Vancouver. The gold medalist is Andrea Fischbacher of Austria. Slovenia's Tina Maze 15 wins a silver, American Lindsey Vonn the bronze.

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