1、From NPR News in Washington, Im Jim Howard.Neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman made his first appearance before a Florida court this afternoon. He is facing second-degree murder charges in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Zimmermans exchanged with Judge Mark Herr with brief.You are ap
2、pearing here for your first appearances, first appearance at this time for a charge of murder in the second degree, and you are represented by Mr. OMara. Is that true?Yes, sir.NPRs Greg Allen reports todays hearing was short and did not get into the question of bail for Zimmerman.The hearing today w
3、as very brief. Its what they called his first court appearance, and just so he could hear the charges against him. He wont be formally arraigned until the end of May. Thats more than a month away. So hell be in the Seminole County Jail for much of that time. Between now and then, Zimmermans lawyer M
4、ark OMara says he will ask for a bail hearing and will see what happens at that point. That will happen in a couple of weeks, probably. Its not clear yet whether the prosecutors will oppose bail or not. They wouldnt say today. They said theyll cross that bridge when they get there.Earlier today, Try
5、avon Martins mother Sybrina Fulton told NBC that she believes the shooting of her son was an accident after things got out of hand.Saying it is time for a fundamental change of course, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on the Syrian government and opposition forces to observe a ceasefire a
6、nd adhere to a six-point plan to bring peace to the country.The world is watching, however, with skeptical eyes, since many promises previously made by the government had not been kept.With the exception of only scattered violence, Ban says Syria does appear to be calm today since the ceasefire took
7、 place.More homes in the US are entering the foreclosure process. NPRs Chris Arnold reports the jump in foreclosure activity follows a recent settlement between banks and state and federal regulators.Until this 25-billion-dollar settlement back in February, banks and other lenders were sitting on a
8、growing mountain of delinquent mortgages. Now that the deals been struck, banks have once again been pushing ahead with foreclosures. At least thats what the latest data from the firm Realty Trac would suggest. The number of homes that received first-time foreclosure notices rose 7% in March. Many e
9、conomists expect that several million more homes will come on the market through foreclosures or other distressed sales. That gluts the housing market with too many homes, and it can push down prices, though lately it has been pushed by some investors to buy up thousands of these properties in bulk
10、and convert them into rental homes. Chris Arnold, NPR News.After weeks of steady declines, applications for jobless benefits jumped last week. The Labor Department says unemployment claims increased 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted average of 380,000.The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 178 points
11、today at 12,978. Three billion shares have been traded. The NASDAQ Composite Index is up 40 points at 3,056, and the S&P 500 is also up today and trading 18 points at 1,387.This is NPR News.Natural gas prices are now at their lowest levels in more than ten years, and analysts say supply is growing s
12、o fast that underground storage facilities could be full by the end of the year. New technologies are allowing producers to tap untapped gas reserves.The Coast Guard is investigating reports of an oil sheen in the Gulf of Mexico. NPRs Debbie Elliott reports a patch of surface oil is near wells opera
13、ted by Shell.The Coast Guard is sending a helicopter to the site, some 130 miles southeast of New Orleans. Petty Officer Bill Colclough says a pollution officer will examine whats been reported as a light sheen on the Gulf.It is a rainbow sheen in dimensions over approximately one mile by ten miles
14、in length.Shell Oil has also dispatched a skimmer vessel to the scene for cleanup and to investigate the source of the oil. The company says theres no indication the sheen originated from its wells. But its sending a response ship as a precaution. The sheen is about 50 miles from the site of the Dee
15、pwater Horizon explosion two years ago, which killed 11 rig workers and spewed some 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf. Debbie Elliott, NPR News.Jury selection is underway in the trial of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards. Hes accused of using campaign funds to hide an affa
16、ir. The North Carolina judge in the case says the question is whether Edwards violated campaign finance laws, not whether he was a good husband.New York City officials say in the end it was only a toy grenade. But for about an hour and a half today, its discovery in a package prompted the evacuation of Two World Trade Center. That building was heavily damaged by falling debris during the 2001 terrorist attacks.Im Jim Howard, NPR News in Washington.
