Search results for

A top commander of U.S. ground forces in Iraq says troops have recovered "documentary evidence" that the country's former regime had an active chemical and biological weapons program. But Lt. Gen. William Wallace says no signs have surfaced that Saddam Hussein's forces deployed the banned weapons for use against U.S. forces. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

Host Robert Siegel talks with Newsweek correspondent Babak Dehghanpisheh, who is currently in Sulaimaniyah in northern Iraq. Dehghanpisheh says oil facilities in the region have started functioning on a limited basis, producing enough oil for domestic needs. He also said that ethnic cleansing by Kurds has decreased, and that the Americans have been playing a role in that despite their having tried to stay out of ethnic issues.

A new study finds the overall death rate among people hospitalized for SARS in Hong Kong may be as high as 20 percent, nearly triple the previous estimates. The findings, published in the British medical journal Lancet, suggest death rates for patients age 60 and over are as high as 55 percent. NPR's Richard Knox reports.

Fifty-five years ago, John Steinbeck's best friend died in a train accident near Monterey's Cannery Row. Ricketts, a marine biologist, was cast as the fictional "Doc" in Steinbeck's best-selling novel. In the second of two Morning Edition reports, NPR's Renee Montagne looks back at Ricketts and his lasting legacy.

Chayes is a former NPR reporter, is now field director of Afghans for Civil Society. It's a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded to promote a democratic alternative and to assist in the development of a civil society. ACS involves the community in reconstruction efforts, from physical reconstruction of a bombed-out village, to organizing a women's income generating project, to launching an independent radio station. The new independent documentary Life After War chronicles the group's efforts. While at NPR, Chayes reported from Paris, Kosovo and Afghanistan.

Alarm and confusion have grown in the three weeks since sweeping new federal rules took effect to protect the privacy of health information. The changes give patients many new rights, but rules that are meant to reassure patients in some cases are making them more worried than ever. NPR's Julie Rovner reports.

Private companies, including those from the steel, telecommunications and construction industries, gather for a conference on Iraq's reconstruction. Equity International, which sponsored the meeting, has organized similar meetings after wars in the Balkans and Afghanistan and says the effort to rebuild Iraq will cost at least $9 billion. Hear NPR's Kathleen Schalch.

Iraq's Shia Muslims have made it clear they intend to play a major role in any new government. But rivalries among Shia leaders have already led to two murders, and the possibility of further violence looms. Najaf -- one of Shia Islam's holiest cities -- has become the focus of intense political maneuvering. NPR's Mike Shuster reports.

In the Iraqi city of Kut, anti-American feeling is rising. Shia leaders say they support the Americans, but that if U.S. forces remain in the country too long, Iraqis will resist their presence. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.

Turkey's government opens its border with Iraq to humanitarian relief deliveries. The World Food Program is sending about 3,000 tons of food and other supplies across the border each day, intended for people in northern Iraq. NPR's Guy Raz reports.