Morning Edition

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It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

Syrian government troops are continuing to bombard the central city of Homs. The United Nations says more than five thousand people have been killed during the 11-month uprising. Syrian activists say the number is much higher. Yesterday, two foreign journalists were among those killed.

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We have an update now on a story NPR's been investigating for almost two years. This morning, federal prosecutors filed criminal charges in a 2010 coal mine explosion in West Virginia. Twenty-nine mine workers died in the blast at the Upper Big Branch mine. The charges reach into the management ranks of Massey Energy, the company that operated the mine. NPR's Howard Berkes joins us now for details.

Good morning, Howard.

HOWARD BERKES, BYLINE: Good morning, Renee.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

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And I'm Steve Inskeep. Marie Colvin of the Sunday Times in London spent a career documenting the peril that others faced, which meant the American reporter shared their danger. Her paper says she was killed today by artillery fire that struck the Syrian city of Homs. French officials affirm a French photojournalist has also been killed.

Activists in the Syrian city of Homs say rockets struck the house where the two journalists were staying. Syrian troops have been shelling the city. French officials identify one journalist as photographer Remi Ochlik. The Sunday Times of London confirms the other was American reporter Marie Colvin.

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Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. It used to be easy to cross the border between the U.S. and Canada. Today, there's more scrutiny, as Boston area college students now know. Buses took the students on a ski trip in Quebec. On the way back, the buses were stopped. Vermont state troopers cited 26 students for alcohol. In their defense, the drinking age in Quebec is 18, compared with 21 in the United States. But it was harder to explain the drugs that were onboard the buses. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

When California officials responded to a call in a wealthy Bay area suburb Tuesday, they found that an 85 lbs. German Shepherd named Cody had scared a mountain lion 30 feet up a tree. The dog is smaller than what big cats have been known to eat.

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Now, to a less controversial collaboration. Last night, the president and first lady hosted a blues night at the White House. They were marking Black History Month, and guests included legends B.B. King, and also newcomers like Trombone Shorty.

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Not to mention, Mick Jagger and Buddy Guy, who nudged the president to join the band for an impromptu guest vocal.

BUDDY GUY: I heard you singing Al Green. So you done started something. You gotta keep it up now.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

On the day she was born, Fawzia Koofi nearly died after being left outside in the unrelenting Afghan sun. But against all odds, Koofi survived and went on to become Afghanistan's first female deputy speaker of Parliament. Today, Koofi's name is floated in discussions about whether Afghanistan is ready for a first female president.

Just about three years after he violently assaulted her, R&B singer Chris Brown is back with pop star Rihanna — musically, at least. On Monday night, each released a new version of a previously released song. Both remixes feature the other party, and both are causing quite the stir.

A couple who met working in a book store in Denver have spent their marriage amassing books about their passion: nature. Now the house they live in is up for sale, and they're scrambling to find storage for 30,000 books.

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Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. A look at a factory in Pakistan tells you a lot about how the country works. The high security air force complex makes jet fighters and weapons systems and consumer electronics. The military is deeply involved in the economy, so its workers are making a low budget tablet computer. With Pakistani engineering and Chinese hardware, they make their version of a popular American product. The original is Apple's iPad. The copy is the PACPAD. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Forty years ago Tuesday, President Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit China. Renee Montagne looks back on that day in 1972.

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(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)NPR's business news starts with lower European markets.) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.

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Here in Washington, a new branch of the Smithsonian will highlight the African-American experience. It will be called the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Tomorrow, President Obama speaks at the groundbreaking on the National Mall - that great stretch of open space that is lined with museums for much of its length.

This newest museum is scheduled to open in 2015, and NPR's Allison Keyes has a preview.

The March issue of the medical journal Pediatrics features an editorial looking at gender identity disorder in children. Pediatricians apparently are seeing more young patients who express an interest in changing their gender.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

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And I'm Steve Inskeep. Good morning.

One more Arab nation is changing a longtime leader. Yemen's president for 33 years was Ali Abdullah Saleh. Today, millions of Yemenis vote. And they're being asked to ratify a plan under which Saleh's vice president will replace him. NPR's Kelly McEvers is in Yemen's capital Sana'a.

And, Kelly, where exactly are you in the capital city?

The film Saving Face is nominated for an Oscar. It chronicles the lives of acid-attack survivors in Pakistan. Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy talks to Renee Montagne about what happens to some of the victims.

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Some new research throws into question things we say all the time about the Internet. The research focuses on Twitter, the service that lets many millions of people send short messages to each other from computers or cell phones. It's commonly said that social networking like this is revolutionary, that it's created new communities, even that it's obliterated geography. You can connect with people who share common interests, not just people who happen to live nearby. NPR's Shankar Vedantam is here to explode all that. Hi, Shankar.

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And today's last word in business follows up on the business of Jeremy Lin, the Chinese-American sensation for the New York Knicks. You know, if you had a dollar for every news story that has used puns on his name, like linsanity, you would be lincrediably wealthy, but we would never lindulge in such things. So let's go straight to the way people are making money.

Rhythm in music is about timing — when notes start and stop. And now scientists say they've found a curious pattern that's common to musical rhythm. It's a pattern also found in nature.

There area a lot of bad movies out there. Some movies are so bad that they're good. For some reason people love them. Is there an art to making films that are deliberately bad? Can a company be successful by producing bad movies?

The financial battle for the Republican nomination is tightening. Candidates spent a lot of cash in January — what with contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida. Also spending a lot of money, as it turns out, were the richly financed superPACS that support the candidates.

Reports filed at the Federal Election Commission on Monday night show just how important a superPAC can be.

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A 150 lbs. emu escaped from its pen five weeks ago, and it's been spotted several times. Last week, the flightless bird was seen outside an elementary school. A maintenance worker there tried to lasso the elusive emu with an extension cord, but the big bird got free.

Renee Montagne has business news.

Renee Montagne has business news.