NPR 2009-10-17

A panel investigating allegations of fraud in Afghanistan’s presidential election is expected to release its conclusions this evening or tomorrow. The results will determine whether incumbent 1 President Hamid Karzai won the August 20th vote or whether a runoff election must be held. Afghanistan’s ambassador to the US said today a runoff is likely. The panel’s conclusion could be pivotal to President Obama’s pending 2 decision regarding US strategy in the Afghan war.

The UN Human Rights Council has endorsed 3 a Gaza war crimes report. The so-called Goldstone report will now be sent to the Security Council for consideration. NPR’s Lourdes Garcia-Navarro has details from Jerusalem.

Israel issued a terse 4 statement. This resolution, it said, provides encouragement for terrorist organizations worldwide and undermines global peace. Israel has been trying to discredit 5 the report which accused it of war crimes and prevent it from being ratified 6. It fears the report could act as the basis for Israeli soldiers and politicians to be brought up before the International Criminal Court. The Palestinian authority welcomed the development. PA President Mahmoud Abbas had initially 7 been pressured into agreeing to delay today's debate. But there was a backlash among Palestinians and across the Arab World that saw him reverse course. Even though Abbas is now asking for those responsible for Gaza crimes to be brought to justice, his popularity has plummeted 8. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, NPR News, Jerusalem.

President Obama is scheduled to appear with former President George H. W. Bush in about an hour to promote community service this afternoon at the Bush Library at Texas A&M University. NPR’s Don Gonyea reports.

The first President Bush promoted volunteerism by talking about a Thousand Points of Light. He even created a Daily Point of Light Award during his first year in office back in1989. President Obama has also often talked about the benefits of getting involved in community service, both for the community as a whole and for the volunteer. Three months ago, he established something he calls "United We Serve" and announced September 11th of this year the anniversary of the terrorist attacks. He created a national service day to honor those who felt compelled to get more involved in such work in the aftermath of that tragedy. Mr. Obama today will speak at the George H.W. Bush Library in College Station, Texas, as the headline guest at a forum 9 on volunteerism being hosted by the former president. Don Gonyea, NPR News, Washington.

The number of doses of H1N1 swine flu vaccine 10 available this month won't be as high as officials predicted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says rather than 40 million doses being ready by the end of this month, manufacturers will be able to supply 28 to 30 million doses with more to come available in the months following.

On Wall Street today, the Dow fell 67 points to 9,995. The NASDAQ fell 16.

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Six corporate 11 executives have been charged in what prosecutors 12 call the largest hedge fund insider-trading scheme in history. Prosecutors say the scam generated more than 20 million dollars in illegal profits. Raj Rajaratnam, a partner in Galleon 13 Management, and one of the country's wealthiest men, is among the accused. The US attorney said the case should serve as a wake-up call for Wall Street.

The chestnut 14 tree in Amsterdam, mentioned in Anne Frank's Diary, now more than 150 years old, may set down roots in the United States. The tree has been battling a fungus 15, and to help it live on, eleven US sites have been selected to receive its saplings. NPR’s Margot Adler has the story.

The eleven sites were announced by the Anne Frank Center USA here in Manhattan. Most are sites dedicated 16 to fighting intolerance. They include Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, the site of desegregation in 1957, and Holocaust 17 centers in Michigan, Idaho and Washington State. Saplings will also go to the World Trade Center site and Boston Common. Anne Frank could see the tree from the annex 18 where she hid. "From my favorite spot on the floor," she wrote, "I look up at the blue sky and the bare chestnut tree on whose branches little raindrops shine, appearing like silver, and at the seagulls and other birds as they glide 19 on the wind. As long as this exists, and I may live to see it, the sunshine, the cloudless skies, while this lasts, I cannot be unhappy." Attempts to save the tree itself continue. Margot Adler, NPR News, New York.

The Coast Guard has expanded the search for the missing pilot of an F16 fighter jet that collided with another F16 during a training exercise last evening off the coast of South Carolina. The aircraft that was hit landed safely.