NPR Topics: News

Last Updated: May 09, 2008 09:51 am

U.N. to Resume Aid Shipments to Myanmar

The U.N. said it is halting further aid flights to cyclone-stricken Myanmar, after the country's military leadership seized supplies destined for the estimated 1.5 million people affected by the storm. "The food aid and equipment that we managed to get in has been confiscated," WFP spokesman Paul Risley said.

Country Crooner Eddy Arnold Dies

Host Renee Montagne has a remembrance of singer Eddy Arnold. He died Thursday, days short of his 90th birthday. One of his most famous songs is Make the World Go Away.

House Approves Homeowner-Rescue Legislation

The U.S. House passed a huge homeowner rescue package Thursday to provide cheaper, government-backed mortgages to a half-million debt-ridden borrowers.

Cyber Attacks in China Target Activists, Journalists

While protests related to Tibet and the Olympics have fizzled out on the streets, conflict continues in cyberspace. Recently, Tibetan advocacy groups and China-based foreign journalists have been hit by a wave of sophisticated computer attacks that steal data, cripple Web sites and even monitor what computer users type on their computers.

New Violence in Lebanon Resembles Civil War Days

Lebanon hoped to never again find itself in the grip of a civil war after a 15-year civil war there ended in 1990. Today, it is staring at that very possibility. Fighting on the streets in Beirut, the capital, is the worst since the end of the war. Hezbollah gunmen are now in control of most of the Muslim part of the city.

Utah, Ariz. Prosecutors Vow Not to Raid Polygamists

The attorneys general of Utah and Arizona say they won't do what Texas did. They won't raid polygamist groups in their states, even though the polygamists targeted in Texas last month are based on the Utah-Arizona border. The officials spoke at a town meeting on polygamy Thursday night in Utah.

China's Underground Submarine Base Scrutinized

An underground nuclear submarine base on China's Hainan Island is drawing scrutiny from the United States and India. According to satellite imagery on the Web sites of Jane's Intelligence Review and the Federation of American Scientists, the base has a sea entrance wide enough to allow submarines to enter the underground facilities. The photograph reveals what appears to be a ballistic missile submarine moored to one of the piers outside.

France Plans Lucrative Champagne Expansion

A century-old law restricted champagne production to 370 villages in northeastern France, but with demand now outstripping supply, the official body that determines wine laws is admitting 40 more communities — a lucrative move for those joining the exclusive club of champagne producers.

Parents Reject Venezuelan President's Curriculum

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is on a crusade to develop young people loyal to his leftist ideas by reforming the educational system. The government wants to install a new curriculum that celebrates socialism. But the plan has generated a formidable opposition made up of irate parents.

Water-Cooled Supercomputer Set to Study Climate

IBM has designed a supercomputer that is water-cooled. It's the first one in the United States, and it is destined for scientists working on models of how climate is likely to change regional weather patterns — one of the most demanding problems in the climate science world.

Myanmar Officials Reject Calls to Let In Aid Workers

Myanmar officials said it will accept foreign aid but not foreign aid workers. The statement follows pressure from the United Nations to speed up the issuing of visas for foreign relief experts.

Late-Night Hosts Poised to Play Musical Chairs

When Conan O'Brien takes over as The Tonight Showhost in June 2009, comic Jimmy Fallon is expected to replace him on Late Night. But where will outgoing host Jay Leno go? And how does it all affect Jimmy Kimmel?

Vietnam-Era Vet Reports for Duty

Army Spc. Tom Owens first went through basic training in 1969. Now, at 56, he's back in uniform with hopes of being deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Clinton Stretches Her Dollars as Race Stretches On

When Sen. Hillary Clinton launched her bid for the Democratic nomination, few could have foreseen that her funding would dry up. But she's now spending more than she's raising, while rival Barack Obama's fundraising has never faltered.

FBI Searched Bloch, Seized Flash Drives

When federal agents searched Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch's home and offices on Tuesday, they physically searched Bloch and seized two portable devices used to store data, NPR has learned. Bloch told investigators last March that he transferred many files onto the portable drives.