NPR 2010-09-30

US officials are still trying to confirm that a major terrorist plot coming out of Pakistan has no American component 1. As NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reports, terrorists allegedly have been planning commando-like attacks on European civilian 2 targets.

The would-be attackers had allegedly planned to send out small teams of gunmen to capture and kill Western hostages in Europe. It's unclear whether the United States was part of the plan as well. The plot, which was supposed to take its cues from a commando-style attack in India several years ago, was allegedly moving ahead, but was not imminent 3. News of the planned attack is thought to have come from a German terror suspect who was arrested several months ago. He's been at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan ever since. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News.

Diplomatic pressure to salvage 4 Middle East peace talks is intensifying 5. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports the European Union’s foreign policy chief is heading to the Middle East to join the effort.

Talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas hit their first roadblock when Israel refused to extend a partial moratorium 6 on Jewish housing projects in the West Bank. The European Union's Catherine Ashton says she's cutting short her stay in Washington to see if she can help keep talks moving.

"More than anything, we would like to see, of course, the moratorium on settlement building continue, but we are very keen to see the opportunity for President Abbas to stay in the talks, and for them to move forward to a successful conclusion."

Ashton will join US Middle East envoy 7 George Mitchell who has been trying to salvage the talks which were launched less than a month ago. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington

Angry protesters in Brussels among thousands throughout Europe today, demonstrating against government austerity measures in EU countries. Many EU governments are cutting wages, pensions and public sector 8 jobs as they try to recover from the recession.

President Obama is in Richmond, Virginia for another in his so-called backyard discussions on the economy. Earlier today, he spoke 9 with a group of about 70 voters in Des Moines, Iowa. He's trying to boost support for Democrats 10 in upcoming midterm elections.

"You can't say you want to balance the budget, deal with our deficit 11, invest in our kids and have a $700-billion tax cut that affects only 2% of the population. You just can't do it."

Mr. Obama's bipartisan budget commission today holds its last public meeting before the November elections, looking for ways to cut the federal deficit.

Just before the close on Wall Street today, the Dow fell 27 points down at 10,830; the NASDAQ was down three at 2,376; the S&P was off three.

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BP's incoming CEO says he's setting up a new safety division to monitor the company's operations around the world. Bob Dudley said today he's appointing Mark Bly as a kind of safety czar. BP says Bly will have more authority than previous safety chiefs with representatives in every business unit able to intervene if safety standards aren’t being met.

Lucasfilm is announcing the reincarnation of the Star Wars saga 12 in 3D. The Star Wars website says the live-action blockbusters lend themselves perfectly 13 to 3D, but the stereo conversion 14 will take time. Episode one isn't expected to be released until 2012.

Director Arthur Penn has died. As NPR's Neda Ulaby reports, Penn earned a lasting 15 place in film history for the 1967 movie "Bonnie and Clyde".

That ending still shocks today. The scorching 16 young outlaws 17 ambushed 18. They died spasmodically in a frenzy 19 of bullets. No one had seen anything like "Bonnie and Clyde", the violence, the sex, the disorienting editing grafted 20 from European art-house movies onto Hollywood cinema. It would never look the same. Arthur Penn started professionally in television. His "Miracle Worker" from 1957 was such a success. He later directed the Broadway play and the 1962 movie. Winning Oscars for "Anne Bancroft" and "Patty Duke". Arthur Penn also directed "Little Big Man" and "Alice's Restaurant". He died Tuesday, a day after his 88th birthday. Neda Ulaby, NPR News.

And I'm Barbara Klein, NPR News in Washington.