NPR 2011-10-23

 Libya's transitional leaders say they'll hold a liberation ceremony tomorrow to start the clock towards elections in eight months. The chief of the transitional council, Mahmoud Jibril, is at the World Economic Forum 1 meeting near the Dead Sea in Jordan. Dale Gavlak reports he says the group must work quickly to disarm 2 its fighters.

 
Jibril says disarming 3 militias 4 in Libya poses a challenge because they came from all parts of Libya to aid in its liberation from 42 years of rule by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The TNC must act as well as Libyan people to disarm rebels, he says.
 
"First, what kind of resolve the NTC is gonna show in the next few days. And the other thing is depending mainly on the Libyan people themselves — whether they're gonna differentiate 5 between the past or the future or not to."
 
Jibril says he is counting on Libyans to turn a page on past violence. For NPR News, I'm Dale Gavlak at the World Economic Forum in Jordan.
 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is assuring Iraq that the United States will continue to support that country in its move to democracy, although US troops are to leave by the end of the year.
 
"Even as our troops come home, the United States' commitment to Iraq's future as a secure, stable, democratic nation remains 6 as strong as ever."
 
Clinton spoke 7 in Tajikistan as part of a weeklong overseas trip. She says she wants to emphasize to countries in the region, especially Iraq's neighbors that America will stand with its allies and friends, although Clinton did not mention Iran by name. Critics say a troop withdrawal 8 will give an opening to Iran.
 
The prime minister of Thailand is invoking 9 a law that provides emergency powers to fight flooding that's threatening the capital Bangkok. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Jakarta the worst flooding in Thailand in half century has already killed at least 356 people.
 
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra invoked 10 the Disaster Prevention Act, giving her authority over every official in the country. Any official who disobeys her orders in fighting the floods can be prosecuted 11 for dereliction of duty. Yingluck has faced some resistance within the bureaucracy and military since becoming prime minister three months ago. While Bangkok's downtown appears safe for now, Khlong San, the city's north, has begun to overflow 12. Around 1,400 residents near Don Muang Airport were evacuated 13 to shelters as their neighborhood was inundated 14. The prime minister warned that the emergency could continue for six more weeks until waters start to recede 15. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Jakarta 
 
Republicans in Nevada decided 16 today to move their state's caucuses 17 back from January 14th to February 4th. New Hampshire secretary of state had warned he'd move his state's primary to early December if Nevada didn't postpone 18 its polling, and the national party had threatened penalties.
 
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Several Republicans who want to be president are in Des Moines today to court religious conservatives attending the Iowa Faith and Family Coalition 19. The Evangelicals will likely pay close attention to businessman Herman Cain, who's currently leading in the Iowa polls. He raised eyebrows 20 when he told CNN that abortion 21 should be left up to the family not the government. He later said he opposes all abortions 22.
 
In Denver, an appeals court has upheld a ban on development on nearly 50 million acres of roadless national forest lands that date back to the Clinton administration. Kirk Siegler of member station KUNC reports it's the latest in a series of back-and-forth court rulings on the Forest Service policy.
 
The ruling from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals overturns a federal district court decision that the 2001 Roadless Rule violated federal Wilderness 23 law. Jane Danowitz is director of public lands for the Pew Environment Group.
 
"The validation 24 of this landmark 25 measured to protect our national forests is especially timely given the aggressive effort we're seeing by some in Congress, particularly the House of Representatives to open up some of our most pristine 26 public land industrial development."
 
Lawyers for the state of Wyoming and other industrial groups had argued the Roadless Rule was written in the layout of the Clinton administration without the input 27 of mining and timber companies or Congress. For NPR News, I'm Kirk Siegler in Denver.
 
A federal judge in Phoenix 28 yesterday threw out a lawsuit 29 by Arizona against the federal government over immigration. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer 30 had claimed the federal government failed to control the border with Mexico, allowing an invasion of illegal immigrants. US District Judge Susan Bolton said the issue is a political question and not appropriate for a court to decide.