NPR 2011-11-05

 President Obama is pledging to stand behind Europe as it tries to stem its biggest debt challenges.

 
"They're going to have a strong partner in us. But European leaders understand that ultimately what the markets are looking for is a strong signal from Europe that they're standing 1 behind the euro."
 
The president speaking at the conclusion of the Group of 20 Summit in Cannes, France. He urged US allies to focus on growing jobs, a central issue in the political debate raging in Washington. 
 
We have mixed news out of labor 2 today. The unemployment rate is down, though, slightly. Last month it fell 0.1% to 9%. NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports the Labor Department says long-term unemployment fell as the business sector 3 added a modest number of jobs.
 
It turns out the job market has not been quite as stagnant 4 as initially 5 thought. The Labor Department revised its August and September payroll 6 numbers upward by about 100,000 jobs. Last month, long-term unemployment fell to its lowest level in six months, and the number of people who were employed part-time but looking for work also fell. All of that sounds like positive news for job seekers. But economists 7 say business hiring will need to at least double or triple from current levels in order to start observing the growth in working population as well as more of the 14 million unemployed 8. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington.
 
On Wall Street, the Dow was down 82 points at last check at 11,962; NASDAQ down slightly at 2,688; same with S&P 500, which is at 1,252.
 
Investors 9 remain focused today on the latest developments in European debt crisis. At the center of it, Greece, and that country's embattled Prime Minister George Papandreou faces a confidence vote later today.
 
A flotilla of ships attempting to breach 10 Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip has been stopped by Israel's navy. We have details on this from Sheera Frenkel.
 
Israel's navy boarded two small boats attempting to breach its blockade on the Gaza Strip Friday afternoon. Twenty-seven activists 11 on board two ships set sailed earlier this week from Turkey. They're just the 11th flotilla attempt to reach Gaza. Israel has stated that it will not allow the boats to dock in Gaza but will transport the Humanitarian 12 aid they carry into Gaza through land crossings. The pro-Palestinian activists behind the most recent attempt said they would continue to launch flotillas to bring attention to Israel's blockade of the coastal 13 territory. For NPR News, I'm Sheera Frenkel.
 
At last check on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 81 points at 11,963 in trading of just over three billion shares; NASDAQ Composite Index off nearly 0.5%; it's at 2,687; and the S&P 500 down more than 0.5% now at 1,252. 
 
This is NPR News.
 
Six men have emerged from a fake spaceship in Russia after spending 520 days, pretending to be on a mission to Mars. NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce reports that the simulation explored the psychological challenges of long-duration space missions.
 
The fake crew included two men from Europe, one from China and three from Russia. In July of last year, they were sealed inside windowless isolation 14 chambers 15 at a research facility in Moscow. Today, the hatch was opened, and they walked out.
 
"The first three members..."
 
In between doing experiments and pretending to land on Mars, the crew battled boredom 16. They played Guitar Hero and watched old movies like “2001: A Space Odyssey 17.” One crew member reported having a new appreciation 18 for that film's depiction 19 of loneness and monotony. Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR News.
 
A Dallas man who spent 14 years in jail after refusing to admit to sexually assaulting a child is now free. The court exonerated 20 Dale Lincoln Duke of charges that in 1992 he had sexually assaulted his then seven-year-old stepdaughter. The girl later recanted, and former prosecutors 21 were accused of withholding 22 evidence.
 
Connecticut seeking additional emergency aid to help pay for damage caused by last week's freak October snowstorm. Utility crews are still working to restore power to more than 300,000 customers who've been without electricity for days.
 
Dippin' Dots, the company known for those tiny beads 23 of ice-cream, is seeking bankruptcy 24 protection. It's been sued by Regions Bank, which is demanding repayment 25 on multiple loans.
 
I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.