NPR 2010-08-17

Flood survivors 1 blocking a highway in southern Sindh province in Pakistan outrage 2 they're not seeing the humanitarian 3 aid promised them. The BBC's Mike Wooldridge says an estimated 20 million people are affected 4 with waterborne diseases on the rise.

As new areas of land in southern Pakistan succumb 5 to the floodwaters, the UN is stepping up the urgency of its warnings about the threat from waterborne diseases. UN officials say access to vulnerable children has improved, and the relief operation now has the capacity to respond. It's primarily about funding. They say that being able to deliver more safe drinking water will make an immediate 6 difference to saving the lives of children. But the UN's appeal for $110 million for the water-related aspects of the relief operation has only been met to the tune 7 of $19 million.

The BBC's Mike Wooldridge reporting.

Top federal officials are reviewing two different options for how to proceed with the final step in sealing off BP's blown-out oil well in the Gulf 8 of Mexico. NPR's Dan Charles reports the so-called "bottom kill" probably won't be finished for at least a week.

For the past week, crews have been poised 9 to drill into the site of BP's original well just above the oil reservoir. They plan to pump cement into one more part of the well and narrow space around its central pipe, but they're waiting because engineers say there's a chance this could raise the pressure inside that channel, breaking a seal at the top of the well and pushing more oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Officials say they could install equipment that would release fluid from the top of the well as cement goes in near the bottom, or they could bring in a new blowout preventer, replacing the existing broken one along with the cap that stopped the flow of oil a month ago. A decision is expected within a day or two. Dan Charles, NPR News.

Colombian aviation authorities are calling it a miracle that more people were not killed, when a plane crashed this morning during stormy weather. The passenger jet broke apart while landing on San Andres Island. One hundred fourteen people were injured; one person died of a heart attack. The pilot of the Aires Boeing 737 told authorities that the plane was struck by lightning, but the cause of the crash is still under investigation 10.

More attacks on Muslim pilgrims are reported out of Iraq. Four Iranians and an Iraqi died, when a car bomb exploded next to their bus. The pilgrims were headed to Shiite shrines 11. Authorities suspect Sunni militants 12 blamed for previous attacks against Shiite Muslims. The violence underscores the Iraqi military's worries about its ability to handle security, when the US pulls all of its combat forces out by the end of this year as planned.

Last check on Wall Street, Dow was down slightly one point at 10,302, NASDAQ was up eight at 2,182.

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Two spacewalking astronauts installed a new pump on the International Space Station. NPR's Joe Palca reports the new pump is a critical component 13 of the station's cooling system.

The station has two independent cooling systems. Cooling is necessary to remove excess heat produced by the station's electrical equipment and to keep the station at a habitable temperature. On July 30th, a pump that circulated coolant through one of the systems failed. It took two spacewalks to remove the old pump, but only one to install the new one. Initial indications are the new pump is working. It will take several days to bring the cooling system back to normal operation. Joe Palca, NPR News, Washington.

The photographer Herman Leonard has died in Los Angeles. He was 87 years old. NPR's Zoe Chace has this appreciation 14.

Herman Leonard took many of his famous pictures in the crowded clubs where jazz was made.

"That's where I could hear the music, and that's where it happened. It happens in the clubs; it doesn't happen in a photo studio. And I wanted to record image-wise to make a visual diary, if you wish, of what I was experiencing."

Leonard documented the heyday 15 of jazz. He improvised 16 techniques to increase the sensitivity of the film to light the artists in the dark, smoky rooms. Though we lost thousands of prints in Hurricane Katrina, his negatives were safe. Zoe Chace, NPR News.

And Robert Wilson, the man behind the funky 17 bassline for Gap Band, has died. He was 53