NPR 2010-04-26

President Obama is due to speak at a memorial service this hour for 29 miners killed in a mine explosion in West Virginia earlier this month. In excerpts 2 of his eulogy 3, the president talks about the miners dying in pursuit of a better life. As a result of the underground explosion, the president has ordered a review of mining sites with poor safety records across the country.

Members of the Hillcrest Baptist Church in Yazoo City, Mississippi singing Amazing Grace outside the church building damaged by yesterday's tornado 4. The twister claimed at least ten lives and destroyed dozens of homes. It was among a series of tornadoes 5 to hit several southern states this weekend.

Greece's finance minister's expressing confidence in Washington today that his debt-strapped country will get aid from the International Monetary 6 Fund and fellow members of the European Union. Steve Beckner of Market News International reports.

Three days after mounting market pressure forced Greece to announce it would tap credit lines offered by the IMF and European governments, Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said loan negotiations 7 are going very well and should be concluded rather soon. Speaking to reporters following talks with IMF, European Commission and European Central Bank officials, Papaconstantinou sent a message to those betting that Greece will default on its debt. "They will lose their shirts," he warned. He said Greece is on track to slash 8 its debt and reform its finances. Papaconstantinou said the loan package will cover a three-year time frame and have strong policy conditions attached. He declined to say whether the loans will have to be larger than the roughly $60 billion first discussed. For NPR News, I'm Steve Beckner.

The apparent front-runner in Iraq's ongoing 9 struggle to form a new government tells NPR he will reject the results of the election if a recount exists. Ayad Allawi spoke 10 with NPR's Quil Lawrence.

Allawi leads the bloc 11 that won the most seats in Iraq's parliamentary elections on March 7th. That gives him the first go at trying to form a coalition 12 government. But last week, an Iraqi court announced it would grant the request of incumbent 13 Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to manually recount the votes in Baghdad. Today, Allawi vowed 14 to reject the results if other areas of the country are not also recounted.

"We already have rejected this. If they don't respect others in the political process, then we have to look at the whole political process, whether it's a democratic process or not, and make and take our decisions based on our convictions."

The recount controversy 15 has added as much as a month to the wait for Iraq's next government to form, a lag time that, many observers have warned, could destabilize the country. Quil Lawrence, NPR News.

From Washington, this is NPR News.

The Thai government is again warning thousands of protesters camped out in the capital to disperse 16 or face another military crackdown. On national television, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva didn't say when forces might try to retake the activists 17' fortified 18 encampment in Bangkok's commercial district. Talks to end a month-long standoff collapsed 19 last week after the prime minister rejected demands to dissolve parliament in 30 days.

The British government is apologizing to the Vatican after notes from a brainstorming 20 session that, officials say, went too far about the pontiff's upcoming UK visit. As Larry Miller 21 reports from London, the British ambassador to the Vatican was dispatched with an official mea culpa.

The offending document suggests during the Pope's September visit to the UK, he should open a hospital abortion 22 ward 23, bless a gay marriage, launch Benedict-branded condoms and open a helpline for abused children. The document was drawn 24 up by a junior civil servant in a memo 1 about what would be the ideal visit. It was circulated among officials in the prime minister's office and the Foreign Office. The foreign secretary says he's appalled 25. A government spokesman adds this is a foolish, ill-judged, naive 26 and disrespectful document that does not reflect UK policy or views. The civil servant in question has been moved to another job. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

British author Alan Sillitoe whose work reflected the gritty realities of the working class after World War II died today. Sillitoe drew a claim for blunt depictions of tensions among the poor that came to be known as kitchen sink dramas. Sillitoe is survived by his wife and two children. He was 82 years old.