Search results for

Pfc. Jessica Lynch returns home to a flag-waving welcome in Palestine, W.Va., and speaks to the media for the first time since her dramatic rescue in April. Lynch had been recuperating at an Army hospital in Washington, D.C., from injuries she received when her unit was ambushed in Iraq March 23. Hear Jeff Young of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

At the U.N. Security council, three delegates of Iraq's U.S.-appointed governing council outline an ambitious reform program for the nation, from politics to education to the justice system. Most Security Council members welcome the appointment of the governing council, but call for a timetable for ending the U.S. military occupation. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

The IAEA calls on the Bush administration to allow its teams to return to Iraq to investigate reports of widespread looting of Iraqi nuclear facilities. An IAEA spokeswoman says the agency is concerned despite assurances by U.S. officials that the facilities are secure. Meanwhile, concern over unexploded cluster bombs in Iraq mounts. Hear Michael Weisskopf of Time magazine.

Anti-American, antiwar protests decrease across the Arab world, but the anger persists. Many Arabs say they're suspicious of U.S. intentions for Iraq. But some Arab pundits say the U.S. victory can lead to positive changes -- not just in Baghdad, but feasibly across the Middle East. NPR's Deborah Amos reports from Cairo.

The Centers for Disease Control issues a health alert for travelers visiting Toronto, where the deadly respiratory disease known as SARS has killed at least 14 and infected more than 300. The SARS outbreak is having a major impact on the local economy, 10 percent of which comes from international tourism. Hear NPR's Susan Stone.

An important Iraqi intelligence official is in U.S. custody. Farouk Hijazi was accused of planning a plot to assassinate the first President Bush in the early 1990s. A Pentagon official says Hijazi met with Osama bin Laden in 1996. Defense officials hope his capture will produce valuable new information. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) confirms that he will seek the Democratic presidential nomination. Kerry has campaigned and raised money for more than a year. The official announcement comes as he trails rival New England Democrat Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor, in early polls for the critical New Hampshire primary. NPR's Anthony Brooks reports.

Lawmakers question the Bush administration's $87 billion request for Iraq and Afghanistan, but GOP leaders say they expect congressional approval. U.S. officials say the funds will boost the estimated federal deficit to more than $525 billion. And Secretary of State Powell prepares for a Saturday meeting with the permanent U.N. Security Council members. Hear NPR's David Welna, NPR's John Ydstie and NPR's Vicky O'Hara.

Secretary of State Colin Powell wraps up his trip to Iraq with a visit to the northern town of Halabja, where as many as 5,000 Kurds died in a 1988 chemical attack by Saddam Hussein's regime. Powell says he looks forward to a report expected soon from a U.S. team searching Iraq for banned weapons, which have yet to be found. Hear NPR's Emily Harris.

Thousands of Shiite Muslims protest peacefully at the headquarters of U.S.-led forces in Baghdad, accusing them of doing little to stop a weekend of ethnic bloodshed and a recent attack on a Shiite cleric. In Washington, U.S. civil administrator Paul Bremer says troops face a "growing threat" of terrorism, but that security is "not as bad as people think it is." Hear NPR's Anne Garrels and Bremer.