NPR 2012-05-21

 President Obama says Afghanistan is ready to move from a decade of war to a period of peace and development. NPR Scott Horsley reports Mr. Obama is hosting a NATO summit in Chicago on Afghanistan’s postwar future.

President Obama says there is still a lot of work to do in Afghanistan and he warned more lives will be lost there. Still, he is clearly looking ahead to the end of US combat operations. The Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen says by 2014, Afghanistan will be responsible for its own security. Though he promised other countries are not walking away.
"This would be a powerful demonstration 1 of the commitment, of the whole international community to the future of Afghanistan.”
Leaders are also discussing the future of NATO itself and how to ensure the alliance adequately funded at a time when many member governments are cutting their own budgets. Scott Horsley, NPR news, Chicago.
 
 
The NATO summit has brought thousands of protestors to Chicago. NPR’s David Schaper talked with antiwar veterans who organized the march to the convention site.
"Some of the veterans will be returning their medal, medals they were awarded in combat to NATO. The protests they have continued involve the * in Afghanistan. The advantage is that they would likely to be * withdraw and in 2014, for many of them it's too late.” NPR’s David Schaper, reporting from Chicago.
 
 
The only man ever found guilty in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing has died at the age of 60. NPR’s * reports Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi had been suffering from prostate cancer.
The 1988 Pan Am bombing over Lockerbie Scotland was a Christmas tragedy. A Pan American jumbo jet has crashed into a town in Scotland. It suddenly disappeared from Scotland radar 2. I saw something which resembled * bomb… The attack killed 270 people. Lisa Gipson lost her 20-year-old brother Ken 3 on that flight.
I’ve always believed that openly he will have his day of reckoning and I believe it’s happening today.
In a highly controversial 2009 decision Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was released from the prison in the UK and allowed to return home to Libya on humanitarian 4 grounds. The former Libyan intelligence officer had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. On the *, he died a freeman in his home in the Libyan capital Tripoli. Asmaholid NPR news.
 
 
A bomb exploded in Syria today about 500 feet from the chief of the United Nations’ observers. No causality is reported. Major General Robert is in Syria to see how the ceasefire is holding. It’s not. The UN truce 5 went into effect last month. But there’ve been always daily violence since then.
 
 
The UN Nuclear Agency Chief is on his way to Tehran for meetings with officials on Iran’s nuclear program. Yukiya Amano told reporters he is optimistic about his chances for agreement that allow his organization to resume its investigation 6 into whether Iran’s trying to develop nuclear weapons.
 
 
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It appears Congress is heading for another showdown on the debt limit eventually. The nation will almost likely reach the limit sometimes after the election. And congress would have to raise it to keep the government from defaulting on its debts, money that’s already been spent. On the TV talk show this morning, House speaker John told ABC this week when the issue does come up, he will insist on spending cuts. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell echoed that position on CBS's Face the Nation.
 
 
The glamorous 7 Cannes Film festival has been accused of sexism. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports this year's 22-film selection includes no women directors.
As stars walk up the legendary 8 red carpet, the cameras flash. But this year, women film makers 9 have signed up a partition, protesting the lack of female directors in the running from Cannes top prize, the Palme d'Or. More than 1000 women in the business from far field as Australia, Brazil and Indian signed an online appeal which urges Cannes juries to commit transparency and quality in the selection process of their films. But the Festival hit back, saying it would continue to select picture based solely 10 on their merits. The Cannes Festival Board said that it would continue to program the best films from around the world without distinction as to race, color, sex, language, religion, political opinion or national or social origin. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.
 
 
In Hollywood, the superhero movie, the Avengers is number 1 of the box office this weekend for the third weekend in a row. Preliminary figures show it's bringing more than 55 million dollars. A movie based on a board game Battleship opened the distance second. Well, the comedy, the Dictator came in Third.