News: U.S. and World News Headlines : NPR

U.S. Afghan Strategy Hinges On Reliable Ally In Kabul

September 30, 2009 • A critical factor in the success of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan is a legitimate government in Kabul. Incumbent President Hamid Karzai is expected to be declared the winner of the fraud-marred August election. But the relationship between Karzai and the Obama administration is on shaky ground.

U.S. Afghan Strategy Hinges On Reliable Ally In Kabul

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Geneva Meeting To Focus On Iran Nuclear Program

September 30, 2009 • Iranian envoys meet Thursday in Geneva with representatives from Europe, Russia, China and the U.S. for talks that will focus on Tehran's suspect nuclear program. The meeting comes as Iran's foreign minister visited Washington on Wednesday on a rare visit.

Geneva Meeting To Focus On Iran Nuclear Program

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Supreme Court To Weigh Chicago Guns Case

September 30, 2009 • The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case testing whether the Second Amendment right to bear arms restricts the ability of state and local governments to limit citizen access to guns. At issue is a ban on handguns in Chicago.

Supreme Court To Weigh Chicago Guns Case

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Progress In Treating HIV; Still A Long Way To Go

September 30, 2009 • More than 4 million people in low- and middle-income countries are currently receiving life-preserving drug treatments for HIV, a 39 percent increase in one year. Still, in many countries in Africa, the number of people infected continues to rise, and funding for treatment is in danger.

Progress In Treating HIV; Still A Long Way To Go

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In Chicago, Some Protest Olympic Bid

September 30, 2009 • One group of Chicagoans is heading off to Copenhagen to try to win the 2016 Olympic Games for Chicago, but others are gathering in the Windy City to rally against the games. Contrary to popular opinion, some people in Chicago would rather the games go anywhere else.

In Chicago, Some Protest Olympic Bid

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France Telecom Suicides Spark Concern

September 30, 2009 • The death of a French Telecom employee this week marks the 24th person in the company to commit suicide in the past 18 months. Some say huge layoffs brought on by the economic downturn could be a major factor in the large number of suicides. The company's chief executive, Didier Lombard, faces calls for his resignation.

France Telecom Suicides Spark Concern

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Fired U.N. Diplomat Says He Warned Against Fraud

September 30, 2009 • U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon fired the top U.S. official at the U.N. mission in Afghanistan on Wednesday over differences the official, Peter Galbraith, had with his boss over how to deal with charges of fraud in the Afghan presidential election. Galbraith tells NPR the dispute was over whether the U.N. should do anything about the fraud.

Fired U.N. Diplomat Says He Warned Against Fraud

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Timeline: Elizabeth Smart's Abduction And Its Aftermath

September 30, 2009 • In 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was taken from her Utah home in the middle of the night. Nine months later, she was spotted on the street with her alleged abductors, David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee. They were arrested in 2003, but questions of competency have stalled proceedings against them.

Despite Pakistani Concerns, Envoy Welcomes U.S. Aid

September 30, 2009 • A U.S. aid package would give Pakistan $7.5 billion over the next five years. Husain Haqqani, the Pakistani envoy to the U.S., says that while conditions placed on the package have upset Pakistanis, many of the concerns will go away once the two countries build trust.

Despite Pakistani Concerns, Envoy Welcomes U.S. Aid

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Swine Flu Sweeps Through Austin, Hitting The Young

September 30, 2009 • Twenty-six states are experiencing high H1N1 virus activity — most in the lower half of the nation, according to the CDC. In Austin, Texas, hundreds are seeking treatment; most of them are young and resilient enough to get through it. One medical center recently erected three field tents on its parking lot to deal exclusively with swine flu.

Swine Flu Sweeps Through Austin, Hitting The Young

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GAO Faults FEMA On Nationwide Alert System

September 30, 2009 • FEMA has made little progress on an emergency-alert system despite a 2006 executive order that called for improvements in the system in light of the Sept. 11 attacks, congressional investigators say. A GAO official tells NPR the way things stand now, many parts of the country will be without information if there is an emergency.

GAO Faults FEMA On Nationwide Alert System

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Powerful Earthquake Rocks Western Indonesia

Earthquake survivors receive medical treatment Wednesday at a hospital in Padang Panjang in West Sumatra after a 7.6 magnitude temblor rocked western Indonesia. Tundra Laksamana/AP hide caption

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Tundra Laksamana/AP

Asia

Powerful Earthquake Rocks Western Indonesia

September 30, 2009 • The underwater temblor, which had a preliminary magnitude of 7.6, collapsed buildings in the coastal city of Padang, in Southern Sumatra province and briefly triggered a tsunami alert. Indonesian officials said at least 200 people were killed.

Can Obama Say No To His Generals On Afghanistan?

President Obama meets with Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the new U.S. Commander for Afghanistan, in the Oval Office May 19, 2009, in Washington, D.C. Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images hide caption

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Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images

World

Can Obama Say No To His Generals On Afghanistan?

September 30, 2009 • The president met Wednesday afternoon with his full team of national security advisers to discuss the next steps in Afghanistan. But scaling back now could appear to many as a hasty reversal, particularly for a president who came into office without much of a foreign policy or military background.

Law

Supreme Court To Debate Local, State Handgun Laws

September 30, 2009 • The court agreed Wednesday to decide whether strict local and state handgun laws violate the Second Amendment. The case will test whether the court's ruling last year in a case involving the District of Columbia — a federal enclave — applies to local and state laws.

Grunts And Gurgles Signal Love For Grouse

An aggressive encounter between two male greater prairie chickens (Tympanuchus cupido). During aggressive encounters, males leap into the air and strike their opponent with feet, wings and/or beak. Fort Pierre National Grassland, South Dakota. Gerrit Vyn/gerritvynphoto.com hide caption

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Gerrit Vyn/gerritvynphoto.com

Wild Sounds

Grunts And Gurgles Signal Love For Grouse

September 30, 2009 • Every spring, male grouse gather in the Great Plains and engage in a mass act of strutting, showmanship and general vocal frenzy that would put Mick Jagger to shame. For researchers, it's an opportunity to observe how these animals interact in a rapidly changing American West.

Grunts And Gurgles Signal Love For Grouse

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Wednesday September 30, 2009

U.S. Afghan Strategy Hinges On Reliable Ally In Kabul

Geneva Meeting To Focus On Iran Nuclear Program

Supreme Court To Weigh Chicago Guns Case

Progress In Treating HIV; Still A Long Way To Go

In Chicago, Some Protest Olympic Bid

France Telecom Suicides Spark Concern

Fired U.N. Diplomat Says He Warned Against Fraud

Despite Pakistani Concerns, Envoy Welcomes U.S. Aid

Swine Flu Sweeps Through Austin, Hitting The Young

GAO Faults FEMA On Nationwide Alert System

Grunts And Gurgles Signal Love For Grouse