NPR 2012-04-22

 The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously today to increase the number of observers in Syria from 30 to 300. The monitors are there to see whether government troops and rebel forces are complying with a weeklong ceasefire. Violence has been escalating 1. The Syrian government has allowed monitors to enter the battle-scarred city of Homs. Activists 2 say what had been regular shelling stopped ahead of the visit. NPR’s Kelly McEvers reports the cessation of violence comes as dozens were killed after protests yesterday.

 
The UN observers are in Syria to see whether Syrian government troops are complying with a ceasefire their government had agreed to more than a week ago. That ceasefire requires that all troops and heavy machinery 3 be pulled out of cities and towns. Residents of Homs say armored personnel carriers are leaving the area, but they fear it won’t last long. Hundreds of people have been killed in shelling and attacks on protests since the ceasefire was supposed to go into effect. Kelly McEvers, NPR News, Beirut.
 
Afghan officials say they prevented a major plot to attack Kabul. Security forces arrested five militants 4 with 11 tons of explosives. They allegedly had brought the explosives into the Afghan capital from Pakistan. Officials say three of the militants were members of the Pakistani Taliban. The others belong to the Afghan Taliban. Officials also said today they thwarted 5 a plot to assassinate 6 the vice 7 president in his home. They say three Afghan men were picked up earlier this week, equipped with small arms and suicide vests.
 
President Obama is calling for an end to the fighting between Sudan and South Sudan. He’s urging dialog to resolve the crisis. NPR’s Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports his appeal comes as the border conflict over oil intensifies 8 between the Horn of African neighbors.
 
In his message to the people and presidents of Sudan and South Sudan, President Obama says conflict is not inevitable 9.
 
“The government of Sudan must stop its military actions including aerial bombardments, must give aid workers the access they need to save lives, and it must end its support for armed groups inside the South. Likewise, the government of South Sudan must end its support for armed groups inside Sudan, and it must cease its military actions across the border.”
 
President Obama says the two leaders should have the courage to return to the table to resolve their issues peacefully. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Dakar.
 
The committee to reelect President Obama took in 27 million dollars last month. Both major candidates filed their latest campaign finance reports last night. Republican Mitt 10 Romney’s campaign raised 12.5 million dollars. Republicans in Utah held a convention today to decide their choice to run for Senate in the fall. Incumbent 11 Orrin Hatch failed to win enough delegates to avoid a primary runoff. He’s served in the Senate since 1976.
 
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Environmentalists are gearing up for Earth Day tomorrow. It’s been held every year since 1970 as a way get people to care more about the planet with events such as tree plantings and river cleanups.
 
Today is Record Store Day. NPR’s Neda Ulaby explains it’s a growing grassroots effort to support independent music stores, and it’s making a surprising, if one day only, economic impact in the struggling music industry.
 
Happy Record Store Day, over 300 new records are getting released in the US today, including this posthumous 12 one from Joey Ramone.
 
“Seven o’clock and I’m feeling bad. I gotta pull myself together, yeah.”
 
Record Store Day was unsurprisingly dreamed up by a record store employee named Chris Brown. He won support as employer of the indie music chain Bull Moose, and the idea became a reality five years ago. Now on the third Saturday in April, major and independent labels make a number of new releases available early only at record stores often on vinyl. Record stores saw an 8% bump in sales on this day last year, significant for the roughly 2000 that remain open across the country. Neda Ulaby, NPR News.
 
A man who inspired aspiring 13 musicians for decades has died. His agent says Bert Weedon died yesterday at his home in England after a long illness. Weedon wrote “Play in a Day,” a manual for learning how to play the guitar. It was first released in 1957 and sold two million copies. Eric Clapton said he would’ve never persisted [slip] without the tips and encouragement of the book. Other fans included Brian May of Queen and the late John Lennon. Bert Weedon was 91.
 
I’m Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.