NPR 2011-09-05

 From NPR News in Washington, I'm Nancy Lyons.

 
President Obama is touring New Jersey today, seeing the effects of Hurricane Irene. He comforted a Wayne resident whose home was damaged by last weekend's storm.
 
"Are you OK?"
 
"I'm so sorry. We will be here to help." 
 
Mr. Obama says the government will work to rebuild the towns recovering from Irene. He told residents the entire country is behind them. 
 
Tropical storm Lee is taking its time, moving over the south central Louisiana coast. Forecasters say it is now inland and moving at a crawl, dumping as much as 20 inches of rain in isolated spots. That means there's still a threat of flash flooding in a wide section of the Southeastern US, as far east as the Florida Panhandle, and as far north as the Tennessee Valley. 
 
Day-long negotiations are over in the Libyan city of Bani Walid, one of Muammar Gaddafi's strongholds. Hardcore loyalists refused to surrender, even though a rebel deadline has passed. Opposition fighters are now standing by for the green light to launch an attack on the town. NPR's Corey Flintoff spoke with a negotiator for the revolutionary group outside Bani Walid. 
 
At this point he says as negotiations are done and it's up to the military commanders on the rebel side as to whether they are gonna try to enter the city or take any military action. But he did emphasize over and over again that the rebels do not want bloodshed here in Bani Walid. 
 
NPR's Corey Flintoff reporting from just outside the town.
 
Tribal leaders, elders rather in Pakistan's northwest tribal area are attempting to negotiate the release of 27 Pakistani young men taken by hostage by militants in Afghanistan. A Pakistan official says the group crossed into the Afghan province of Kunar after losing their way during a picnic along the border area on Thursday. From Islamabad, NPR's Julie McCarthy reports the kidnapping reflects an increasing assertiveness by the Taliban in the border area.
 
The army spokesman said the kidnap victims are from the Pashto tribal area of Bajaur and are between the ages of 20 and 25. The outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban or Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the abduction. A faction of the group fled to Afghanistan last year, according to Pakistani authorities. The militants reportedly set free the youngest of their captives. A Taliban spokesman told news agencies that those who remain with the militants are not kids and claimed they belong to areas where tribesmen raised militias to fight the militants. Anti-Taliban elders in Bajaur have paid with their lives, assassinated by the Taliban. In recent weeks, large numbers of militants have also staged a brazen cross-border raids on Pakistani security posts. Julie McCarthy, NPR News, Islamabad.
 
The head of the International Red Cross is in Syria to address issues concerning the care of those who've been wounded during the government's crackdown on a five-month-old uprising. 
 
This is NPR News from Washington.
 
Utah's experiment with a four-day workweek is over. Beginning Tuesday, state workers will be back on the job five days a week. Lawmakers scratched the experiment, saying it wasn't saving as much money as hoped, and residents were complaining about not having access to services on Friday. The experiment started in 2008, when then Governor Jon Huntsman implemented it to reduce overhead costs and conserve energy. Some employees are not totally on board. Some say they've been using their Fridays to work second jobs or volunteer. 
 
The government is tinkering with food labels again. NPR's Jim Hock reports federal officials want to revise the labels in an effort to combat obesity. 
 
The Food and Drug Administration proposal is aimed at putting more emphasis on the calorie count which people rely on for weight control. The FDA also wants manufacturers to be more accurate about serving sizes. The new food labels would put less emphasis on nutrition facts like salt and fat content and how much protein and carbon hydrates a particular food has. The attempt to redesign the labels on every box, can and carton has been in the works for nearly eight years. The long-standing food pyramid has already been replaced with the image of a plate that gives a picture of what a healthy diet should look like. Jim Hock, NPR News, Washington.
 
Customers at about 1,200 McDonald's restaurants in the UK will soon be able to check the calorie count of their fast-food order. The chain says this week it will start displaying the calorie information for each food and drink item on wall-mounted menu boards. McDonald's
 
says it's the first time the figures will be displayed prominently in its restaurants outside the US. 
 
I'm Nancy Lyons, NPR News in Washington.