Search results for

While deadly attacks on U.S. troops continue in Northern and Central Iraq, Basra in Southern Iraq has remained free from major combat incidents since August. Officials in the British-controlled port city, however, worry about interference from neighboring Iran. NPR's Guy Raz reports.

Fighting broke out among Iraqi Muslims in Karbala after followers of a young, radical cleric tried to take over a religious shrine in the holy city. Muqtada al-Sadr spoke to reporters Tuesday in the nearby town of Najaf, explaining a plan to create his own cabinet to challenge the authority of the Iraqi Governing Council. NPR's Guy Raz reports.

China launches its first manned space flight, becoming just the third nation to rocket a man into orbit. The Shenzhou 5 space vehicle blasted off Wednesday from northwest China carrying one astronaut. NPR's Rob Gifford reports.

U.S. troops clash with Shiite Muslim militia in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala, killing at least three American soldiers and at least eight Iraqis. In Baghdad, a roadside bomb kills a U.S. military policeman and wounds two other Americans. NPR's Deborah Amos reports.

A U.S.-sponsored resolution on Iraq is postponed at the United Nations, despite a flurry of compromises. The resolution sets Dec. 15 as the deadline for submitting an outline of the country's future. The draft also calls for a multi-national military force to help secure the nation. Hear NPR's Michele Kelemen.

A bipartisan effort in the Senate seeks to convert part of the Bush administration's $87 billion request for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to a loan, rather than the full grant requested. Lawmakers are balking at increasing U.S. national debt. Hear NPR's David Welna.

At a White House news conference, President Bush pledges to stand fast in Iraq and Afghanistan, and cites progress amid problems in the postwar climate. But he calls Iraq a "dangerous place." A series of deadly bombings in recent days has killed dozens of people in Iraq. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR's Ted Clark.

In the latest sign of friction between President Bush and members of his party in Congress, a Republican-dominated committee votes to block the Dubai Ports World deal. The move by a House panel puts Congress on a collision course with the president, who has threatened a veto.

The Zacarias Moussaoui sentencing trial continues with testimony from the families of World Trade Center attack victims. The prosecutors also presented evidence of suffering from the Pentagon attack. The government is trying to convince the jury to vote for the death penalty for Moussaoui.

The Massachusetts legislature has enacted a bill designed to provide health insurance for nearly all its citizens. If Gov. Mitt Romney signs it, the state would become the first in the nation to require all individuals to have health coverage or pay a penalty.