NPR Topics: News

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.

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. The attacks often come in the form of viruses attached to e-mails skillfully made to look like correspondence from people the recipient knows and trusts.

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.

Country Crooner Eddy Arnold Dies at 90

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.

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.

Public Transit Ridership in Miami Grows

For most people in Miami, public transportation means the bus. Expanding public transit is a hot political issue, with communities north and west of the city clamoring for the rail system to be extended. Ridership is up, but at the same time, the county is grappling with rising costs and a big budget shortfall.

Country Music Star Eddy Arnold Dies at 89

Country music star Eddy Arnold died Thursday near Nashville just shy of his 90th birthday. Measured in terms of hit recordings, he was the most successful country artist of all time, selling 85 million records in a career that spanned from the Great Depression to 2005, when he released his last album. Craig Havighurst of member station WPLN in Nashville reports.

L.A. Drivers Ditch Cars for Subway

Southern California commuters are being hit hard by some of the highest gasoline prices in the nation. And, like commuters elsewhere in the country, many of them are turning to mass transit for relief.