Top of the News
The latest headlines.
BILL WOLFF: This is NPR.
(Soundbite of music)
MARK GARRISON: Thank you. China and Taiwan are on the verge of a major agreement. They're in official talks today, the first such dialogue in nearly a decade. A new deal could mean more flights and tourism. Now, that may not sound like a big leap, but there's been nothing like it in more than half a century. Caroline Gluck has more.
CAROLINE GLUCK: Speaking before he left for China, Taiwan's top negotiator, Chiang Pin-kun, said he hoped the result of the meetings would bring peace and prosperity for both sides. The trip is being seen as a historic new chapter in relations between the two political rivals. After decades of mistrust and tension, they're expected to result in agreements which would see more Chinese tourists coming to Taiwan, and direct weekend-charter flights starting as early as next month. There were pledges made by Taiwan's new president, Ma Ying-jeou, as part of his wider promises to revitalize the island's economy, and push for a better relationship with China, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory.
GARRISON: Caroline Gluck reporting. A month after a powerful earthquake rocked China's Sichuan Province, China says the resulting flood crisis is over. Landslides caused by the lake created the danger - caused by the quake created the danger. More than a quarter million people evacuated. The quake formed a lake that swelled with rainwater. Soldiers had to blast through rock to drain it.
President Bush visited Germany's leader, Angela Merkel. Among other things, they talked Iran. The president said in a news conference he wants to solve the nuclear issue peacefully, but he stressed again that, quote, "All options are on the table." This comes after President Bush got some support from European leaders on more aggressive sanctions against Iran.
A Redding, California, high school will shut down its student newspaper. The move comes after it published a front-page picture of a student burning an American flag. Bob Hensley of member station KXJZ has more.
BOB HENSLEY: The principal said the picture in the final edition of the Shasta High School newspaper is an embarrassment to the school, and the principal says the paper is out of business. It won't be published next school year. The paper's faculty advisor says students added an editorial and the photo at the last minute and that it was, in her opinion, bad journalism. The advisor says money is tight, and officials had been considering eliminating the paper before the controversial edition went to press. A student editor defended the publication of the picture claiming it was used to illustrate an editorial about flag burning. The editor graduated from the school last week.
GARRISON: Bob Hensley of member station KXJZ reporting. To sports, where the LA Lakers beat the Boston Celtics in Game Three of the NBA Finals. The Celtics lead the series two to one. Game Four is in Los Angeles tomorrow night.
Hockey fans are mad at Tiger Woods. A reporter asked the top golfer what he thought about the Stanley Cup Finals. Woods said he didn't care and didn't think anyone watches hockey anymore. Hockey fans didn't like that at all. Woods says he's gotten a lot of grief. Now, he's backpedaling a little bit. He says hockey is great to see in person. He just doesn't like watching it on the TV. That is your news and your sports. It's online all the time at npr.org.
WOLFF: This is NPR.
Copyright © 2008 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.