NPR 2011-09-17

 The rebel government in Libya is being given a seat in the UN General Assembly. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports Washington's applauding the news as another big step forward for Libya's so-called Transitional National Council.

 
The General Assembly voted 114 to 17 in favor of giving the Transitional National Council the credentials to represent Libya in the UN. Fifteen countries abstained from the vote. The US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice calls it a “historic step” and says she is looking forward to working with Libya's new representative to help the transition towards democracy and rule of law. President Obama is to meet with the chairman of the Transitional National Council on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly debate next week. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.
 
Western oil companies with operations in North Africa are being warned of a potential threat from al-Qaeda. The State Department says the US embassy in Algeria has new information indicating terrorists may have acquired weapons during the Libyan conflict. In Sirte and Bani Walid, more resistance. Amateur video captured sound of gunfire today in two of the last strongholds. Former rebels in Libya are fighting to wrest from Gaddafi loyalists. Syrians tracking developments in Libya are also risking more violence and rallying for an end to the Assad regime. Syrian crowds in the streets of Homs where activists later report troops firing on the crowd in that city and elsewhere killing at least 15 people.
 
President Obama has signed into law an overhaul of the country's patent system, the first major change in decades.
 
"Over the last decade, patent applications have nearly tripled, and because the patent office doesn't have the resources to deal with all of them, right now there are about 700,000 applications that haven't even been opened yet."
 
The president signed the American Invents Act after touring Thomas Jefferson  High School for Science and Technology in northern Virginia.
 
Consumers are apparently more optimistic about the economy but not by much. Michigan Radio's Tracy Samilton sheds some light on the latest University of Michigan Reuters Survey.
 
Consumer sentiment increased two points to 50.8. That's after falling a full 25% this summer. Chris Christopher is an economist with IHS Global Insight. He says there's really no reason for consumers to feel optimistic.
 
"Since there's been turmoil in the equity markets, and real estate is going nowhere, household assets have fallen in the second quarter."
 
Christopher expects only a slight increase in consumer confidence through the end of the year. For NPR News, I'm Tracy Samilton in Ann Arbor.
 
The European Union is signing off on tougher budget rules that make it easier to punish overspending member states, and Wall Street's reacting. At last check, the Dow was up 76 points before the close at 11,509.
 
This is NPR News.
 
Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has admitted to police that he did try to kiss a young French author who has brought rape charges against him. But he says she rebuffed him, and it ended there. Eleanor Beardsley reports that Strauss-Kahn made a statement to French police just a few days ago.
 
Strauss-Kahn was questioned by French police almost immediately after his return from New York, where sexual assault charges against him were dropped. Author Tristane Banon brought charges against Strauss-Kahn this summer, saying he tried to rape her in 2003 when she went to his apartment for an interview. Investigating judges must decide if the evidence warrants a court trial. The statute of limitations for rape in France is ten years. Strauss-Kahn's answer to police Monday is a far cry from his initial response to Banon's charges, which was that her account was pure fantasy. Strauss-Kahn will appear on television Sunday night in a highly anticipated interview, where he is expected to explain to the French people what happened in New York. For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley in Paris.
 
Citibank customers will have to pay a higher monthly fee for a basic checking account. The bank's raising the charge from eight to 10 dollars. People can avoid that fee though if they maintain a balance of at least 1,500 dollars or set up direct deposit and online bill pay, and you could forget about reward points on debit card transaction. Citybank’s doing away with that program. In lieu of another, that rewards people for having (a口误) savings. The changes are due to take effect in December.
 
Before the close on Wall Street, the down was up 76 points, more than 0.5%, at 11,509, and the NASDAQ was up more than 0.5% at 2,622.
 
I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.