NPR 2011-04-18

Thousands of Syrian protesters are taking to the streets a day after the Syrian president promised the country's oppressive emergency law would be lifted. NPR's Deborah Amos in Cairo reports the Internet has been blocked in some protest sites.

Syrian activists 1 called for peaceful protests within hours of the concession 2 by President Bashar al-Assad, and thousands rallied on this national holiday in Syria. In a television address, the president also promised more political reforms. Lifting the emergency law has been a demand of the movement represented by Facebook groups. It's a sign that the street movement wants to keep up the pressure. According to reports posted on the Internet, protesters were attacked, beaten by regime supporters in the southern town of Sweida. But for the most part, the army and the security police appeared to have withdrawn 3 from protest sites. Deborah Amos, NPR News, Cairo.

At the Vatican this Palm Sunday, Pope Benedict marked the start of the Holy Week. NPR's Sylvia Poggili reports that in his sermon to thousands in St. Peter's Square, the Pope warned technology cannot replace God.

The wide avenue leading to St. Peter's Square was lined with olive trees and bronze statues depicting 4 the key events of the last week of the life of Jesus before he was crucified. Pope Benedict's sermon focused on man's relationship with God and how it can be threatened by technology. From the beginning, men and women have been filled with a desire to be like God, and this is as true today as ever, Benedict said, to attain 5 the heights of God by their own powers. While great advances in technology have improved life for man, the Pope added they have also increased possibilities for evil, and recent natural disasters are a reminder 6, if any are needed, that mankind is not all powerful. Large crowds of pilgrims have been arriving for Holy Week, and even bigger crowds are expected for May 1st, when Benedict will be edifying 7 his predecessor 8, Pope John Paul II. Syvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

It's a big problem that doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. Now, the government is out with new rules giving air traffic controllers an extra hour off between shifts so they don't snooze on the job. They're also requiring more managers on duty during overnight hours. The moves come after another controller was caught sleeping on the job yesterday. Former air traffic controller Paul Hernandez says it's easy for controllers to doze 9 off.

"You're just siting still, watching the radar 10, or watching the tower outside and be kind of bored. And when a person is bored, he's gonna fall asleep."

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says under no circumstances, will controllers be paid to take naps. That's exactly what sleep experts say would make a difference.

Emergency crews in North Carolina are searching for more victims of this weekend's devastating 11 storms, where there were at least 60 tornado 12 touchdowns. Three more deaths were discovered today in North Carolina. So far, 23 people are confirmed dead in that state.

This is NPR News.

Officials in Mexico continued to try to identify more than 140 corpses 13 found in drug cartel killing 14 fields throughout the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas. From Mexico, James Blears reports only two of the corpses have been identified so far.

In spite of spending the equivalent of more than $50 billion in combating the drug war, which is now in its fifth year, the Mexican government hasn't yet invested in the national DNA 15 database. Of the corpses identified, one was that of a Guatemalan man still recognizable, the other was a Mexican who had his name tattooed 16 on his back. As the rest in morgues in the state capital Matamoros, DNA provided by frantic 17 relatives of more than 5,000 missing people nationwide will have to be individually matched to the bodies. Forensic 18 experts estimate the Tamaulipas killing fields could eventually reveal a thousand bodies or more. For NPR News, I'm James Bears in Mexico City.

Global finance ministers and central bankers wrapped up three days of talks last night in Washington with pledges to cooperate more on averting 19 another global financial meltdown. World Bank President Robert Zoellick is calling the surge in food prices the biggest threat to the world's poor, with 44 million more people being pushed into poverty over the last year due to higher prices.

"Of particular concern is food prices. This is the biggest threat today to the world's poor, where we risk losing a generation. We are one shock away from a full-grown crisis."

The IMF managing director says it's going to be critical for all nations to guard against complacency especially in the face of higher food and oil prices. The finance leaders did not say how they would change domestic policies to help steer 20 the global economy in the right direction.