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Two of France's most prestigious book awards have gone to American Jonathan Littell for his first serious novel. Written in French, Les Bienveillantes or The Kindly Ones, is in the form of a memoir by a former SS officer who leads a hidden life in a French town. The novel is a huge hit in France.

The Prestige

Former Mexican President Luis Echeverria was arrested last Friday on charges of genocide in the 1968 massacre of student protesters in Mexico City, part of what became known as the "Dirty War." Echeverria declared his innocence in court on Wednesday. Robert Siegel talks with Kate Doyle, director of the Mexico Documentation Project at George Washington University's National Security Archives.

Complications during delivery are a leading cause of death for women giving birth in developing countries. But at a fistula hospital in Ethiopia, some women are getting a chance at treatment.

Shia and Sunni Muslims in Iraq continue to clash violently, and their conflict appears to have no solution. Juan Cole, Professor of Middle East History at the University of Michigan, talks with Andrea Seabrook about the differences between the two Islamic sects and why the differences seem so intractable.

The U.S. economy is unlikely to grow in the first half of this year, says Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Testifying before Congress' Joint Economic Committee, Bernanke didn't use the word "recession." But it's the closest he has come to date to suggesting that possibility, given a trio of financial crises.

An estimated 2 million Africans die each year of AIDS, and 24 million are infected with HIV. Malaria, cholera and even polio are on the rise in Africa, all hampering social and economic development on the globe's most impoverished continent.

Ken Lay, the former chairman of Enron, testifies that he was not responsible for Enron's collapse. He blames former Chief Financial Officer Andrew Fastow and The Wall Street Journal for destroying the company. Lay faces six counts of conspiracy and fraud.

The number of daily attacks against U.S. and Iraqi forces has doubled since January, much of that due to an increase in roadside bombs. Michael Gordon, Chief Military Correspondent for The New York Times, says the July total was the highest yet for one month: more than 26,00 bombs planted by insurgents. Of those, 1,666 exploded and 959 were found and cleared.

Update from Tom Fudge