A US intelligence assessment says that while wars over water are unlikely within the next ten years, water challenges could lead to regional tensions and state failure. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton requested the report and calls the finding sobering.

 

“As the world's population continues to grow, demand for water will go up, but our fresh water supplies will not keep pace.”

 

She says water resources could be targeted by terrorists or manipulated as a political tool increasing instability within and between countries. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, the State Department.

 

President Obama is defending himself against criticism that he’s not doing enough to control rising gas prices in the US. In Cushing, Oklahoma today, he highlighted plans to speed up the building of a section of the contentious Keystone XL pipeline that would run for Oklahoma to the Texas Gulf Coast. 

 

“The southern leg of it, we’re making a priority, and we’re going to go ahead and get that done. The northern portion of it, we’re going to have to review properly to make sure that the health and safety of the American people are protected.”

 

But House Speaker John Boehner says the president is looking to take credit where it is not due.

 

“It’s already gotten his approvals, and this idea that the president is going to expedite this will have no impact on the construction of this pipeline.”

 

Boehner and another Republican say the president's failure to approve the Keystone pipeline's construction from Canada perpetuates US dependence on foreign oil.

 

More evidence today that the job market is gaining strength. The Labor Department says initial claims for unemployment fell more than expected last week to 348,000. As NPR's Yuki Noguchi explains, that's a four-year low.

 

The number of people filing for unemployment benefits has been falling. And over the last four weeks, the average has been 355,000. That average has been dropping, which suggests hiring may also be improving this month. And since late last year, the weekly average has been below the 400,000, a weak level that economists believe represents a stable level of job loss. Still in February, there were nearly 13 million Americans out of work, and a large minority of them have been jobless for more than six months. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington.

 

At last check on Wall Streets, the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 87 points at 13,037; that's more than 0.5%. NASDAQ off 16, more than 0.5% as well, at 3,059.

 

This is NPR News.

 

Well, more jobs are headed to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Rabbit Zielke of member station WUTC reports the Volkswagen Group of America is ramping up production in its Chattanooga plant as the demand for Motor Trend's 2012 Car of the Year, the Passat, rises.

 

The Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee is adding a third shift. The plant employs more than 2,700 workers and is adding 800 new jobs this week with the goal of 1,000 new jobs by the end of the year. Volkswagen CEO Frank Fischer says the additional jobs will help make the growing demand for the award-winning Passat.

 

“The market is showing a strong demand, which is a wonderful situation to be, and so we can actually build more vehicles and sell them. Now by hiring a third shift team, we will increase capacity and at the same time decrease the overtime dramatically.”

 

Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga is hiring production workers as well as maintenance positions. For NPR News, this is Rabbit Zielke.

 

Still no end in sight to the fighting in Syria. The military has been exchanging gunfire with rebels despite a new UN resolution that calls for all violence to end. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the statement approved this week is laid out in “unmistakable” terms. However, that message apparently rendered muted in southern Daraa and Hama, where the latest battles have been occurring. 

 

Russia is sounding the warning again about the US missile shield in Europe. Today, Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said the issue is a litmus test of whether the West is ready to consider Russia an equal partner in defining global security. Russia is worried the missile defense system will undermine Moscow's nuclear deterrent.

 

I'm Lakshmi Sing, NPR News in Washington.