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In Iraq, Shiite militiamen loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr seized control of the southern city of Amarah briefly Friday, after hours of fighting with local police. The Iraqi government and Sadr's group rushed emergency delegations to the city, and a curfew was imposed.

Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, has described the violence in Baghdad as "disheartening," admitting that a recent plan to quell the violence has not achieved the hoped for results.

Professor Amartya Sen won the 1998 Nobel Prize in economics. He is know for his theories on how economic policies affect the well-being of a nation. Sen discusses the factors that lead to poverty and

Gasoline prices have fallen more than 20 percent. And natural gas is selling for less than half what it cost a year ago. But that doesn't mean everyone is benefitting equally from the abrupt reversal.

Hedge funds are typically favored by wealthy individuals and institutions looking for higher returns. These investment funds come with high risk. A local financial advisor explains how the county is

Wildfires have burned 1,000 square miles of the Texas panhandle since Sunday. The fires are blamed for 11 deaths. Firefighters are relying heavily on air power; a fleet of 26 tanker aircraft is dropping fire retardant on the blaze.

Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr calls for calm after violent clashes between his supporters and a rival militia. This rift within Iraq's Shia erupted at an acutely sensitive time -- Iraq's politicians are supposed to agree on a draft constitution by midnight Thursday.

Kidnappings are the latest scourge in the impoverished Caribbean nation of Haiti. Despite the presence of a 6,000-strong U.N. force, Haiti has seen a sharp increase in violence and kidnappings in recent months. The interim government, under Prime Minister Gerard Latortue, is desperate to establish a semblance of order before elections in November.

Former Marine Capt. Brian Steidle has been in the Darfur region of Western Sudan monitoring the humanitarian crisis there for the African Union. Steidle says there's no doubt that Sudan is in the midst of genocide.

Security problems hinder reconstruction work in Iraq and prompt many aid organizations to pull out of the region. Hostility from Iraqis, rampant crime and supply shortages create difficult conditions for aid groups choosing to remain in the country, including Relief International, based in the southern city of Amarah. Hear NPR's Anne Garrels.