From NPR news in Washington, I am Lakshmi Singh.

 

　　Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the turmoil unfolding in North Africa underscores broader strategic challenge confronting the global community. In Mali, France is battling al-Qaeda-linked insurgents. And in neighboring Algeria, Islamist militants have kidnapped 41 people at an energy plant.

 

　　“The situation is very fluid. It’s in a remote area of Algeria near the Libyan border. The security of our Americans who are held hostage is our highest priorities, but of course, we care deeply about the other Algerian and foreign hostages as well.”

 

　　Reports of causalities during an attempted Algerian military rescue have not been independently verified.

 

　　Travel ? to mount for Boeing’s Dreamliner, the European Aviation Safety Agency, is the now the latest to ground the 787s. Investigators are concern lithium batteries in the planes can leak corrosive fluid and start fires.

 

　　The Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee next week will considerate its own chairman for a key Cabinet post. As NPR’s xx reports Senator John Kerry will face questions from his committee members regarding his peak as President Obama’s Secretary of State.

 

　　The Committee has set Senator Kerry’s nomination hearing for next Thursday at 10 am. The President chose Kerry after UN ambassador Susan Rice withdrew her name for consideration. Republican Senators indicated they will block her confirmation over her public statements regarding the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Kerry was a Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, and is chair of the Foreign Relations Committee since 2009. He is expected to win the approval of his committee as well as confirmation by the full Senate. xx, NPR news.

 

　　As flu continues to grow most of the US, there may soon be a way to speed up vaccine production. NPR’s Richard Knox reports federal regulators have approved a new type of vaccine that avoids the need to grow flu virus in eggs.

 

　　Ordinary flu vaccine is made by first going virus in eggs, then extracting killing and purifying it. That can take many months. The new vaccine called flu block is made without eggs. Scientist put a flu virus gene into a virus infected ?. The ? cells ? the virus protein to make vaccine. Protein scientists who develop flu block said the process making a new flu vaccine takes only 21 days. So a properly matched vaccine could be in production much faster. The US government has subsidized the new technology, because it could speed vaccine production when a new pandemic virus emerges. Some flu block should be available this spring. Its maker says five million dozes will be ready for next year’s flu season. Richard Knox, NPR news.

 

　　This is NPR.

 

　　Fewer homes are moving into foreclosure in the US evident by yet another decline posted in 2012. NPR’s David Mattingly has that story.

 

　　xx says foreclosure filings were down 3% last year to a level more than 1/3 of its peak. “The big picture ? is definitely downward. Looking back now over last three years we can see we peaked with this foreclosure crisis in 2010 with 2.9 million properties receiving foreclosure filings nationwide in that year.”

 

　　That number last year was lower by more than a million. Florida, Arizona, and Nevada had the nation’s highest foreclosure rates despite the improvements. David Mattingly, NPR news, Washington.

 

　　Fewer Americans have filed for unemployment insurance than any other time in the last five years. Labor Department reveals today benefit applications drop to 335,000 last week, the less ? for week average also fell. It’s under 360,000. However, the job figures tend to fluctuate at the start of the year as employers lay off workers who are hired just for the holidays.

 

　　Debates continue over the anti-gun violence proposals. President Obama announced yesterday the head of the National Rifle Association told CBS he has no problems with tighter background checks for gun buyers. The day xx says the administration should pay less attention to banning certain firearms and more attention on improving the country’s “broken mental health system.”

 

　　US stock trading high with the Dow gain 111 point at its 13,622. Nasdaq up 21, S&P 500 up 11. This is NPR.