They have identified one more victim, bring the total of confirmed fatalities to 18 and we also know that rescuers discovered one additional victim in the debris field. That victim has not yet been identified.

 

The number of people missing has dropped from 90 to 30, rescue teams halt their work today for a moment of silent to mark the moment when the mud crashed down one week ago today.

 

Ukraine’s former boxing champion is dropping out of the race for president and throwing his support behind businessman Petro Poroshenko. NPR’s Peter Kenyon reports that Vitali Klitschko will run for Kiev mayor instead. 

 

In a message on his website, ex-boxer Vitali Klitschko says he wants to focus the elector on the single pro-reformer candidate for president to avoid splitting the vote and allowing reminiscence of former President Viktor Yanukovych’s party to return to power. Klitschko is now backing pro-European oligarch Petro Poroshenko who has been leaving in most political polls ahead of May 25th  election. Analysts say Poroshenko’s frontrunner status is a sign that voter of Ukraine want a moderate leader someone who can work both with Europe and with Russia. There are more than a dozen candidates including former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Kiev.

 

US sugar producers are accusing Mexico of dumping cheap sugar into the American market and violating the North American Free Tread Agreement. NPR’s Sam Sanders reports the Mexican government has responded to the allegations.

 

An international sugar battle is underway. The American Sugar Coalition which represents growers has filed antidumping petitions against Mexico. The complaints were filed with the US International Tread Commission and the Commerce Department. They will both investigate. US growers say government’s subsidies in Mexico make the cost of Mexican sugar sold in the US lower than it should be, a full 45% lower than it would be in the Mexico. They say this should cost US sugar industry up to one billion dollars this growing season along. For its part, the Mexican government says it regrets the US’s growers’ decision and added it is contrary to the spirit of cooperation that has existed between the two countries. Sam Sanders, NPR News.

 

Gay couples can now get married in England and Wales. Same-sex marriage became a legal at mid-night last night. Andrew Wale and Neil Allard were among the first to tie the knot. 

 

Honestly it is a wonderful feeling, it was a much more special I thought it is going to be and I fell just kind of happy and buzzing. This exciting is a new site for this new beginning, it is all about the ……

 

British Prime Minister David Cameron today says congratulatory tweets. Britain is the 15th country to legalize same sex marriage. 

 

This is NPR.

 

The US Navy has officially deactivated a fire damaged nuclear-powered submarine. Roger Wood reports.

 

On May 23rd, 2012 a worker at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine set fire to the USS Miami. He was convicted of arson and serving a 17-year prison term. At the time, the Miami was undergoing resetting at the yard. Rear Adm. Ken Perry while attending a decommissioning ceremony justified the decision to scrap the submarine. 

 

That is a very serious consideration at the top level of the Navy, it said to decom Miami after a very severe fire and very, very significant damage to the ship.

 

The Navy estimated it will cost over 450 million dollars for repairing the damage. For NPR News, I am Roger Wood in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

 

Two of the nation’s highest profiles, Republican governors, are calling for more aggressive leadership on the America’s challengers abroad. They emphasis their support for Israel as they “powerful Jewish donors” at the Republican Jewish coalition’s annual spring gathering in Los Vegas today. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was among those who spoke. He said the US is not setting a good example for the world.

 

The dysfunction in Washington DC is not longer being emulated around the world. It has being mocked around the world. As a government that cannot get out of its own way because people will not come together to work together. 

 

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker also attended the four-day conference. He said the nation needs a swift and decisive foreign policy.