The bulk of the blame in this Inspector General report is placed right at the feet of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms in Arizona and the US Attorney's Office in Arizona. The inspector general says that they were so helping on making a big criminal case against the Mexican drug cartel that had blinded them to the public safety problems and risks with letting guns go into the hands of criminals.

 

NPR's Carrie Johnson. The bungled gun-trafficking probe in Arizona resulted in hundreds of weapons turning up at crime scenes in the US and Mexico, including the killing of US border patrol agent Brian Terry. In the wake of the report, former Bureau of Alcohol, Tabaco, Firearms and Explosives Director Kenneth Melson has retired, and former criminal division deputy Jason Weinstein has resigned. 

 

A new poll shows President Obama in a strong position, compared with past victorious presidential candidates in his race against GOP nominee Mitt Romney. NPR's Craig Windham reports the survey was done by the Pew Research Center. 

 

The head of the center Andy Kohut tells NPR the poll shows Mr. Obama with an 8% lead. 

 

“That's stronger than the last three winning presidential candidates at this point in the campaign.”

 

Kohut says Mr. Romney has a small statistically insignificant lead on dealing with the issues of jobs and the deficit. Kohut acknowledges that some other polls show the race to be tighter, however.

 

“The overall drift of the polling is now stronger for Obama, and the race is close in some polls, and Obama leads in others. But in no polls do we see Romney ahead.” 

 

Kohut says the Pew survey found that Mr. Obama has a 3-1 lead over Mr. Romney when people were asked which candidate connects well with ordinary Americans. Craig Windham, NPR News, Washington.

 

French embassies and schools in 20 countries were closed temporarily after a French magazine published cartoons mocking the prophet Muhammad. From Paris, the BBC's Christian Fraser has more. 

 

There are 20 cartoons in this latest edition of Charlie Hebdo over four pages, satirizing Muslim fundamentalism and the Prophet Muhammad. The magazine pokes fun at the violent reaction in the past week in the Muslim world to a short American film that insulted Islam. The editor of the magazine told the BBC he was using the cartoons to make fun of the film rather than the prophet. But some of these images will be viewed as deeply offensive, even by non-Muslims.

 

The BBC's Christian Fraser.

 

On Wall Street at this hour, the Dow up 46, NASDAQ up ten.

 

This is NPR News.

 

At this hour in the Rotunda of the US Capitol, Congress is awarding the Congressional Gold Metal to Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, also known as Burma. She endured years of repression only to transition from political dissident to lawmaker. Later in the day, President Obama will welcome his fellow Nobel laureate to the Oval Office. Suu Kyi is expected to discuss the prospects of Washington lifting economic sanctions on Myanmar in response to political reforms there.

 

There's trouble in South Africa's platinum mining industry. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton has details on labor unrest and clashes with police. 

 

South African police spokesman Denise Adriao says police used tear gas and stun grenades as well as rubber bullets to break up an illegal gathering near Sondela informal settlement. That's near the operations of Anglo-American Platinum. The company said yesterday work had resumed as normal after reopening five mines in the Rustenburg platinum corridor, northwest of Johannesburg. But Anglo Platinum said an unspecified number of mine workers had yet to report for duty. Deadly wildcat strikes have shaken South Africa's key mining industry, the engine that drives the continent's leading economy. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Johannesburg.

 

The nation's seafood business is booming, according to a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The catch as of 2011 hit a 17-year high with New Bedford, Massachusetts claiming top spot for value.