NPR 2010-05-23

The mothers of three young Americans in prison in Iran are back in the US, but they arrived this afternoon at New York's JFK Airport without their children who've been charged with espionage 1. Nora Shourd, the mother of one of the Americans recounts the emotional reunion this week.

"We spent about ten hours over the course of two days with Sarah, Shane and Josh, including many hours in private. We regret that because our visit was cut short, we didn't see more of them."

The Americans were arrested last July on the Iranian border with Iraq.

A frantic 2 search is underway for the last victims of a plane crash in southern India today. The bodies of most of the 166 people on board have been pulled out of the wreckage 3 of the jet which crashed upon landing in Mangalore. At least seven people survived.

There's been another arrest in connection with the attempted bombing earlier this month in Times Square. A caterer 4 based in Islamabad has been taken into custody 5. NPR's Julie McCarthy also reports the US Embassy's warning Americans in Pakistan that the suspect's popular catering 6 company may have rather ties to terrorists.

The US Embassy message says it is aware of threat information suggesting that terrorist groups may have established links to a catering service in Islamabad and urged personnel in Pakistan to avoid using the company. The Hanif Rajput Catering Services is well-known and has organized functions for the American Embassy. It's owned by Rana Ashraf Khan and his son, Salman Ashraf, who was taken into custody. The company's website said the 35-year-old executive studied in Houston, Texas before returning to help run the family business. Julie McCarthy, NPR News, Islamabad.

In his weekly address, President Obama speaks about the continuing crisis of the BP oil spill in the Gulf 7 of Mexico. He promises to hold accountable both the energy company and Washington lawmakers. NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates has more.

The president has announced the formation of a commission to investigate the oil spill that will be jointly 8 headed by former Florida Senator Bob Graham and William K. Reilly, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

"The purpose of this commission is to consider both the root causes of the disaster and offer options on what safety and environmental precautions we need to take to prevent a similar disaster from happening again."

In a Republican response, Louisiana Senator David Vitter said the announcement was "a media event" created by Democratic politicians but said all Congress's energy and attention should be focused now on containing the spill that is beginning to devastate 9 the Gulf coastline.

"The time for committee hearings is for after the well has been capped, not before."

Karen Grigsby Bates, NPR News.

NATO's main military base in southern Afghanistan has come under attack. Master Sgt. Sabrina Foster says insurgents 10 began firing rockets at Kandahar Airfield 11 several hours ago. There've been several injuries.

This is NPR.

Far more oil may have spilled into the Gulf than the 5,000 barrels a day BP earlier estimated. Authorities believe the amount of oil gushing 12 into the water daily is more in the tens of thousands of barrels. But speaking to NPR this morning, BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles is skeptical 13.

"I've heard those estimates and seen them and I don't believe it's possible that it's anywhere near that number. Of course, I can't - since I can't meter it, I can't, I can't actually say it couldn't be. But all of our techniques would say that that's highly unlikely."

BP's using a mile-long tube to suck the crude up to a tanker 14 on the surface.

The remains 15 of 16th-century scientist Nicolaus Copernicus have been reburied in a Polish cathedral. From Warsaw, Dave McGuire reports some of the country's highest ranking clerics attended today's service.

When Copernicus died in 1543, he had no idea how his theory that the sun was the center of the solar system, not the earth, would revolutionize science and the way we see the universe. He was buried in an anonymous 16 grave in the cathedral in Frombork in northern Poland where he served as a canon. His remains were exhumed 17 five years ago at the request of a local bishop 18, and DNA 19 samples were matched with hairs found in one of his books. Copernicus's work was controversial as it removed man from the center of the universe and challenged the conventional view of the Catholic Church. The Church banned Copernicus's work after his death and excommunicated some of his followers 20. But today, he was reburied in the same cathedral as a hero in a lavish 21 ceremony led by the head of the Polish Catholic Church. For NPR News, I'm Dave McGuire.

More art's been stolen from a collector in France. This just days after a major heist from a museum in Paris.