NPR 2010-12-20

The Senate is in session today to discuss whether to ratify 1 START, a new arms control treaty signed by President Obama and Russian President Medvedev earlier this year. Treaties require the approval of a two-thirds majority. Vice 2 President Joe Biden says he thinks there's enough support in the Senate, although he knows that some members won't accept it.

"There've been 18 hearings, 1,000 questions we've answered and, but another is they just simply are against any arms control agreement."

Biden was interviewed on NBC's "Meet the Press". The treaty would limit the US and Russia to 1,550 strategic warheads down from 2,200. It would also establish a way to monitor and verify compliance 3.

The UN Security Council is meeting in an emergency session today to discuss growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea has planned a live-fire drill this weekend. North Korea is threatening military action if that exercise takes place.

Twenty-two people are dead and several injured after a huge oil pipeline 4 exploded in the central Mexican state of Puebla. Scores of homes and cars were damaged. James Blears reports authorities there may already know the cause.

Puebla state spokesman Noe Torres says the explosion happened because thieves were trying to siphon oil from a Pemex pipeline duct. The predawn massive blast was followed by four smaller explosions. This pipeline is in the city of San Martin Texmelucan, 50 miles from Mexico City. Emergency services are dumping down the immediate 5 area to prevent any more explosions. And federal officials are investigating the charred 6 site. For NPR News, I'm James Blears in Mexico City.

Wintry weather is making it difficult to get around Europe by air, land or rail. The busiest airport in Europe, Heathrow in London, stopped accepting arriving flights today. The subways in London are also crowded with stranded 7 travelers in the search of hotel rooms. British weather forecasters say the nation has experienced the heaviest snowfalls in December in decades.

Southern California is bracing 8 for more heavy rain today. Corey Moore reports that forecasters are predicting another big storm and a greater potential for flooding.

Officials report no big incidents of flooding or mudslides from storms that have already hammered the area. Stuart Seto with the National Weather Service says he expects more rainfall in Southern California will make some hillside areas vulnerable in the next couple days.

"Somewhere holds about two to five inches for coastal 9 and valley areas, and five to ten in the foothills and mountain areas. The burn areas definitely have flash flood watches out through midnight Sunday."

Officials are advising residents in some areas of LA County to move their cars off streets in case of flooding. Forecasters say they expect the rain to continue through Wednesday. For NPR News, I'm Corey Moore in Los Angeles.

This is NPR News from Washington.

A tour bus skidded 10 off an icy highway in central Colorado last night. The state police say the bus apparently 11 failed to negotiate a curve, rolled off the road and onto its right side. Eight people were injured, two seriously. The bus was carrying members of a Texas church group to a winter resort when it crashed near the town of Gunnison.

The US-based classified ads website, Craigslist, has pulled prostitution ads from its Canadian website. Dan Karpenchuk reports the move came after months of political pressure.

By Saturday, the San Fransisco-based internet company was no longer running an erotic services section on its Canadian website. Until this weekend, the site featured ads with blatant 12 sex listings, including prices and explicit 13 pictures. Canadian and US lawmakers have complained to the company for months that the ads promoted the illegal sex trade. Canada's Justice Minister Rob Nicholson was pleased with the ads being pulled, saying the government was concerned they could facilitate serious criminal offenses 14, such as living on the avails of child prostitution and trafficking. The issue made headlines last month when police in British Columbia arrested a 14-year-old girl and charged her not only with prostituting herself, but with promoting other underage girls through ads on Craigslist. For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto.

In women's basketball, No. 1 University of Connecticut is playing No. 11 Ohio State at Madison Square Garden. The Huskies have won their last 87 games in a row. If their streak 15 holds, they'll match the record set by the UCLA men in 1974. And then they try to win No. 89 and the record Tuesday against No. 15 Florida State. Right now, the Huskies are leading 21-15.

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.