NPR 2011-12-19

 Early this morning, the US ended its military involvement in Iraq. A final convoy 1 of heavily armoured personnel carriers rolled across the border into Kuwait. Soldiers cheered, bumped fists and hugged each other in celebration. The nearly nine-year war cost nearly 4,500 American lives. It’s estimated more than 100,000 Iraqis were killed. 

 
More than 200 asylum 2 seekers--many from central Asia—are missing after their ship sank off the coast of Indonesia. NPR’s Anthony Kuhn reports from Jakarta the passengers were apparently 3 trying to make it to Australia. 
 
Fishing boats searched for missing the asylum seekers in choppy seas off the island of Java. Local media say dozens have been rescued but bad weather and high waves are hampering 4 the rescue effort. The fishing boat was carrying more than double its intended capacity of 100 people when it sank in rough seas. Most of the asylum seekers were Afghans with some Iraqis, Iranians and Turks as well. Indonesia is a popular transit 5 point for asylum seekers and illegal migrants heading for Australia. Last month a boat capsized in the same area, killing 6 eight asylum seekers. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Jakarta. 
 
There are still more than 800 people missing in the Philippines after a typhoon last week. The storm set off flash floods and landslides 7 that swept entire houses near the sea. At least 650 people are confirmed dead. 
 
Tributes are pouring in for former Czech President and dissident leader Vaclav Havel, who died today at the age of 75 after a long illness. NPR’s Eric Westervelt reports. 
 
Jailed and hounded for his outspoken 8 criticism and sly mockery of the Soviet-backed authoritarian 9 regime Havel dubbed 10 “Absurdistan”, the playwright 11 led a corps 12 of Czech artists, intellectuals and musicians who challenged the totalitarian state. The sometimes shy, quiet artist helped spark a mass, peaceful and successful uprising dubbed the “Velvet Revolution”. He later became his country’s first democratically elected president and helped guide the peaceful break-up of Czech-Slovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. German Chancellor 13 Angela Merkel today wrote that Havel’s dedication 14 to freedom and democracy is as unforgotten as his great humanity. She added that Germans owe him a debt of gratitude 15 for his inspiration and work. Havel, a heavy smoker 16, had been ill for a long time. He would still speak out on important issues, but had been frail 17 and largely out of the public spotlight 18 for much of the last eight years. Eric Westervelt, NPR News. 
 
The House is to vote tomorrow on a bill to extend the social security payroll 19 tax cuts and jobless benefits by two months. The Senate passed it yesterday 89:10. But House Speaker John Boehner says that compromise isn’t good enough and Congress should write a new bill that includes spending cuts and lasts an entire year. 
 
“Ninety percent of those reductions, frankly 20, the president agrees with. So we can, we can find common ground. It’s just the usual, let’s just punt. Kick the can down the road, we’ll come back and do it later.” 
 
Boehner was interviewed on NBC’s "Meet the Press". 
 
This is NPR News. 
 
Egypt’s health ministry 21 reports at least 10 people have died in three days of fighting between troops and protesters in Cairo. More than 400 people have been wounded. The demonstrators say the military leaders are mismanaging the transition from the rule of Hosni Mubarak overthrown 22 10 months ago. On its Facebook page, the ruling military is calling the protesters "hooligans" and claiming the violence is part of a conspiracy 23 against Egypt.  
 
A London newspaper is reporting Britain is drawing up emergency plans to remove its citizens living in Spain and Portugal if their banking 24 systems collapse 25 and people can't get their money out of those countries. Larry Miller 26 reports it’s being described as a “nightmare scenario”. 
 
About a million British live in Spain with 50,000 in Portugal. According to The Sunday Times, the British foreign office is increasingly concerned expats could be stranded 27 unable to withdraw cash or lose their homes if banks call in mortgages. The paper quotes sources as saying the Foreign Office is planning for the worst with thousands of penniless British leaving at airports with no way to get home. The contingency 28 plans reportedly include sending planes, ships and buses to evacuate 29 the expats. This comes as credit rating agency S&P downgraded 10 Spanish banks and Fitch warned a solution to the eurozone crisis is probably beyond reach. For NPR News, I’m Larry Miller in London. 
 
The Des Moines Register is endorsing 30 Mitt 31 Romney for the Republican presidential nomination 32. Editorial on today’s edition says the former Massachusetts governor is the best candidate to rebuild the economy. The Iowa caucuses 33 are the first contest in Republican nomination process, held in a little more than two weeks.