NPR 2010-11-26

The president of South Korea is ordering more troops to the island that North Korea attacked on Tuesday, killing 1 four and injuring 18. NPR's Louisa Lim reports from Yeonpyeong that some people are spending this day sifting 2 through charred 3 debris 4.

Among the areas that were hit, they are really quite badly hit, and we've seen quite a lot of buildings which are completely gutted 5, and what's really noticeable is just how few people go out here, and really everybody that we see is fleeing.

NPR's Louisa Lim reporting.

Haiti is bracing 6 for possibly violent elections in a country that's still recovering from an earthquake and a cholera 7 epidemic 8. The Associated Press reports campaign rallies were held in the capital ahead of Sunday's vote. Also, more protests erupted in Cap-Haitien against UN peacekeepers, who're accused of bringing cholera to the impoverished 9 island nation. Wire news services report that the disease has killed at least 2,000 in Haiti.

An Alabama man convicted of killing his wife during their honeymoon 10 in Australia is on his way back to the United States, where he will likely face murder charges. As Tanya Ott reports from member station WBHM in Birmingham, the man is expected to arrive in the States today, accompanied by immigration staff and police officers.

Thirty-three-year-old Gabe Watson just finished an 18-month sentence in Australia. Authorities there had originally charged him with murder. They alleged 11 that back in 2003 Watson killed his wife Tina by turning off her air supply and holding her underwater while scuba 12 diving off the Great Barrier Reef. Eventually though, Watson pleaded guilty to manslaughter. A ruling by the Supreme 13 Court of Queensland, Australia found that Watson acted stupidly but not maliciously 14, and that he had no intention of harming his wife. He'll likely face murder charges here in Alabama. Australian authorities had delayed his deportation 15 until they received assurances from the US government that it would not seek the death penalty. For NPR News, I'm Tanya Ott in Birmingham, Alabama. Explosions in Iraq today are blamed in at least six deaths. A bomb went off at a pet store in the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar, killing three, and explosions were also heard near the Jordanian border.

After telephoning servicemen and women stationed around the world, President Obama plans to celebrate a quiet Thanksgiving at the White House, as NPR's Jon Hamilton reports.

Both turkey and ham will be on the Thanksgiving menu for President Obama, his family and others dining at the White House. Guests will also have a choice of cornbread oyster 16 stuffing, greens, sweet potatoes, mashed 17 potatoes and macaroni and cheese. For dessert, options include six kinds of pie: apple, pumpkin 18, sweet potato, banana cream, cherry and huckleberry. Jon Hamilton, NPR News.

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Despite subfreezing overnight temperatures, citrus growers in California's Central Valley managed to protect oranges and lemon crops from damaging frost. Bob Hensley of Capital Public Radio reports combating the cold weather is costly 19.

As temperatures dipped to the dangerous 28-degree mark, growers deployed 20 frost prevention measures that included flooding their orchard 21 with irrigation water and turning on wind machines. Joel Nelson of California Citrus Mutual 22 says the collective cost to growers last night was more than four million dollars.

"On a normal freeze night, the industry will spend better than $600,000 an hour to protect this crop."Temperatures are forecast to drop into the 20s again tonight. The cold front is expected to move out of the region Friday. For NPR News, I'm Bob Hensley in Modesto, California.

London plans to host the 2012 Olympic Games with absolutely no change to the terror threat level currently in place in the city, in Britain that is. Today, Counterterrorism Minister Pauline Neville-Jones told an Olympic security conference in London that even though the games are over a year away, the country has to work on the assumption that the threat will remain as it is. Jones also told the gathering 23 that more needs to be done to head off potential cyber crimes against the Olympics.

The euro is still sliding in the wake of Europe's debt crisis. The currency is worth 133 after it hit 142 earlier this month. German Chancellor 24 Angela Merkel is trying to reassure 25 investors 26 that the euro that's used by 16 European nations will make it through.