NPR 2010-12-21

British police have arrested 12 men on terrorism charges during early morning raids in three cities, saying urgent action was needed to protect public safety. But officials are calling the arrest just the first stage of a large-scale intelligence operation into a terror plot against UK targets.

The former Soviet 1 state of Belarus is still picking up the pieces after a night of violence. Hundreds were arrested in the capital Minsk last night, protesting President Alexander Lukashenko's reelection victory. As NPR's David Greene reports, the president is defending the election is fair, but international election observers aren't convinced.

TV news is controlled by the government in Belarus so opposition 2 voices were not on air. This voice was - President Lukashenko live for two hours. Sunday's election he said was open and honest. He also defended the police crackdown during which seven of his opponents were arrested. One, Vladimir Neklyayev, was beaten by police and hospitalized. Unknown men then came to the hospital and carted the candidate away in a blanket. Lukashenko insisted authorities were only going after people determined 3 to commit barbarism. Officially, the president won 80% of the vote, but Tony Lloyd, who led a team of European election observers, said they were often denied access to vote counts.

"Frankly 4, the people of Belarus deserve better."

Lloyd said police targeting of candidates is part of the backdrop by which this election will be judged. David Greene, NPR News, Minsk.

Travelers in Europe hoping to get home or go away for winter holidays aren't getting very far because of snow and frigid 5 temperatures. But it's not just the weather that's getting in the way. As Eleanor Beardsley reports from Paris, so are flaws in transportation systems' ability to respond.

British authorities continue to struggle to get rid of snow buildups and ice. London's Heathrow is the continent's worst bottleneck 6 and thousands of travelers are stranded 7. For the second day, Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport canceled 40% of its flights even that the snowfall has been minimal 8. New Yorker Susan Manuele, who spent Sunday night on the floor of Charles de Gaulle, says the worst part has been Air France's handling of the situation.

"The Internet age and there's no Internet. There's no one on the phone. So it's really very frustrating 9, well beyond the weather."

London's airport operator has apologized for the chaos 10. For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley in Paris.

Parts of California are bracing 11 for more rain after record rainfall yesterday with some regions already saturated 12 more than 12 inches of rain. Forecasters are warning the storm will intensify 13 tomorrow and could bring an additional ten inches.

Iran's state television reports an earthquake of at least a magnitude 6.3 has rocked the southeast of the country. The region is prone 14 to earthquakes and has no major population centers.

On Wall Street an hour before the close, the Dow is up eight points at 11,500; the NASDAQ is up four points at 1,248; and the S&P is up 12.

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Mexican officials say criminals trying to siphon crude oil are likely responsible for a deadly pipeline 15 explosion yesterday in the central Puebla state, some 60 miles from Mexico City. At least 28 people were killed. Authorities say the punctured 16 pipeline flooded the streets of San Martin with fuel, which then caught fire.

The FBI reports violent crime in the US fell sharply by more than 6% in the first half of this year. As Danielle Karson reports, the numbers contradict a historical pattern of economic downturns triggering a spike 17 in crime.

Cities with the population of half a million to a million residents posted the biggest drops in violent crimes, more than 8%. Robberies fell 10%, murders 7%, except in the Northeast, where they went up. Rapes 18 and assaults also declined. Today's report follows a steady three-year drop in violent crime. The FBI report bucks 19 the trend of higher crime rates during times of the economic stress. Many analysts 20 say they are hard-pressed to explain it. Law enforcement officials suggest policing techniques have advanced, such as state-of-the-art crime hotspot maps, which help target crime trends quickly. But many police departments now worry that their cash-strapped cities and states will be forced to lay off large numbers of officers, which could lead to more crime. For NPR News, I'm Danielle Karson in Washington.

The author of a guide for pedophiles is under arrest. Florida police had Phillip Greaves taken into custody 21 at his home in Pueblo 22, Colorado under a warrant out of Florida. The suspect had mailed a signed copy of his book entitled "The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure" to an undercover officer in Orlando.