NPR 2010-09-15

An American woman held for more than a year in Iran has arrived in Oman. Sarah Shourd was released today. She was arrested along with two American men while hiking in July last year along the Iran-Iraq border. As NPR's Jackie Northam reports, there are few details about the terms of Shourd's release.

The US does not have diplomatic ties with Iran, so Shourd's release on bail 1 was handled primarily by Swiss and Omani diplomats 2. The Iranian government had asked for half-a-million-dollar bail, a sum Shourd's parents said they could not meet. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley says the US was not privy 3 to what transpired 4, but he was adamant 5 that the US government did not post bail.

"You're asking if money has changed hands. And the short answer is: We don't know. If the question is: Did the United States government pay anything for this release? The answer is: No."

Some analysts 7 say Switzerland, which formally represents US interests in Iran, may have posted bail. Other analysts believe Iran may have simply waived 8 the requirement, so Shourd could have returned home to deal with medical issues. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Washington.

Tens of thousands of people in and around the Eiffel Tower in Paris have been evacuated 9. Authorities are investigating a phoned-in bomb threat.

The French Senate has joined the House in overwhelmingly approving a ban on full-face veils. The legislation still needs to be vetted 10 by France's highest constitutional authority. From Paris, Eleanor Beardsley reports critics accuse the French government of trampling 11 on the rights of Muslim women.

The measure will outlaw 12 face-covering veils in all public places including the street. No exception will be made for tourists from Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East. Backers insisted it's not anti-Muslim. They say it is aimed at getting Muslim immigrants to integrate fully 13 into society and protect women's rights. Critics say it will drive some Muslims underground. France has Western Europe's largest Muslim population. But fewer than 2,000 women are thought to wear the full veil, also referred to as a burka. For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley in Paris.

People in several states and the District of Columbia are voting on the final major day of primaries. As Joel Rose reports, one of the big races to watch is in Delaware, where Republican voters are picking a candidate for the seat once held by Vice 14 President Joe Biden.

Mike Castle is one of the most visible politicians in Delaware. But despite two terms as governor and nine terms in the House of Representatives, the moderate Republican has his hands full with the challenge from Tea Party favorite Christine O'Donnell, a social conservative in the Sarah Palin mold. O'Donnell has her endorsements 15 from the former Alaska governor and South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint among others, as she waged an aggressive campaign, depicting 16 Castle as a liberal who's lost touch with ordinary voters. Castle punched back, portraying 17 O'Donnell as an inexperienced and incompetent 18 candidate, who would make it an easier target for Democrats 19 in the general election. For NPR News, I'm Joel Rose.

Dow's down 18. This is NPR.

Retail 20 sales are up for August by the largest amount in five months. NPR's Paul Brown reports the figures could point to lower risk of a double-dip recession, although there's still room for concern.

August retail sales are up double what economists 21 predicted, if you take out falling automobile 23 sales. Still, gains in many other areas outpaced the auto 22 sales drop. Analyst 6 Roy Blumberg of the Philadelphia Group says the Commerce Department numbers are good news. But he says consumers still have a lot of debt to work off and they're concerned about jobs.

"You shouldn't be too optimistic that this is a sign that the numbers are gonna be a lot better off than every month going forward."

Blumberg says he thinks one reason for the increased buying in August is sale prices on back-to-school items that retailers 24 haven't been able to move. Paul Brown, NPR News, Washington.

President Obama's small business legislation is a step closer to getting through the Senate. Democrats want a crucial procedural vote today to sidestep a GOP filibuster 25. The legislation creates a 30-billion-dollar government fund to increase lending access to small businesses.

More than 600 firefighters are responding to a 4,000-acre blaze near California's Kern River. They've contained about ten percent of it. Even though the fire grew today, nobody's been evacuated. Firefighters are also struggling to contain a growing blaze in the northern Colorado foothills. They've surrounded about 20 percent of the nearly 1,000-acre blaze just west of Loveland. The fire has destroyed two homes. Meanwhile, residents near Boulder 26 are trying to recover from one of the state's most devastating 27 fires in which at least 160 homes were destroyed. That fire has been fully contained.