美国国家电台 NPR 2012-08-19

 General Motors said today it is recalling a quarter of a million SUVs in the United State because of problems with the power door lock. As NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports the problem can cause a circuit to short creating a fire hazard. 

The problem is that fluid can seep 1 into door's lock and window controls, especially in there areas where salt and other class of materials are used on icy roads in the winter. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had received several dozen complaints, including one's alleging 2 it let to driver side door fires. The recall covers 2006, and 2007 model years for SUVs, including the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, the GMC Envoy 3, the Isuzu Ascender and Saab 97-X. All the cars were sold in 20 states including the district of Columbia. GM says the problem has led to no-known injuries and that dealers 4 will replace the problematic switch for free. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington.
 
 
The last members of the United Nations observer mission in Syria are leaving this weekend. Their mandate 5 was not renewed by the UN Security Council. Violence kept the observers from doing much of their work and the head of the mission, lieutenant 6 General Babacar Gaye says both the Syrian government troops and rebels failed to comply with the UN Peace accord.
Both parties have obligations under international humanitarian 7 law to ensure that civilians 8 are protected. These obligations have not been respected.
 
 
Now the UN will open a small liaison 9 office in the Syrian capital, Damascus. 
 
 
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi plans to attend a summit of none allied 10 nations that will be held in Iran at the end of the month. The organisation 11 advocates for countries in the developing world. Iran and Egypt have had a breakdown 12 in relations in the 70s after Egypt signed the peace treaty with brother Israel, and Iran went through its Islamic revolution. 
 
 
Pakistan is flying religious minorities to their troubled home province for the Muslim holidays. From Islamabad, NPR's Lauren Frayer reports the military is trying to ensure the safety of Shiite Muslims who have come under attack from rival extremists. 
Pakistan's military has dispatched C-130 transport planes to fly civilians from the capital to Gilgit, a far northern region where Sunni muslim extremists have attacked Shiite travellers in buses. About 20 Shiites were pulled off buses and shot execution-style near Gilgit on Thursday. Then a bus bomb targeted Shiites travelling in Karachi yesterday killing 13 one. Some Sunni extremists consider Shiites heretics and have targeted them in the past. But attacks appear to be on the rise. The military has stepped in to give some Shiite safe flights home for eat, a holiday that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Lauren Frayer, NPR News, Islamabad.
 
 
Tropical storm Helene is now a tropical depression, it's slushing north along Mexico's Gulf 14 Coast.
 
 
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Detroit is the place to beat today if you know lots about old cars. As Stewart Colin reports around 45,000 classic cars will converge 15 on the city for the world's largest classic car event, the annual Woodworld Avenue Dream Cruise. 
Well, the migration 16 of summit returning to the street where they were born, the old cars have returned to the motor city.  Chrysler Corvette must stay in thunder words of here but so two are the more unusual ones, like old Kris cruisers, Volks wagon 17 micro buses and even a few Deloreans . Organisers say drivers come from all 50 states and beyond. ** drove his 1979 Pontiac GTO across the border from Canada.  
Every type of car record remembered from my childhood is here. And there is a plenty of other car who is going on all summer along. But this is a grand daddy to show off them all, this is the big pumpkin 18.
As many as two million spectators, some from as far away as Australia are expected to line the 60 mile long roadside to watch the cars go by. For NPR News, I'm Stewart Colin in Detroit.
 
 
People in central Idaho are being warned to evacuate 19 as a nearly two-week old fire gets more threatening. Two towns lie in the path of the blaze. Fire crews say it's safer for people to leave now. 
 
 
In Washington state, people are starting to return home to a small town about 75 miles east of Seattle after fire forced them to run. One fire in the Cascade 20 mountains burned more than 60 buildings, most of them homes.
 
 
Dallas county Texas will not try again tonight to spray mosquito insecticide to fight the bug's ability to spread West Nile virus. There has been too much rain. At least ten people have died from West Nile virus, scores of more people are sick.