Search results for

NPR's Brenda Wilson reports on the settlement of the pharmaceutical case in South Africa. The agreement will allow off-brand companies to manufacture and market drugs -- including those used for treating symptoms of AIDS -- in Africa, but with many strong restrictions.

Susan Hansen reports on the death of a teenage Vermont girl. The case has exposed a prostitution ring run out of New York City that uses girls who were supposed to be in Vermont state custody.

Host Bob Edwards talks with NPR's Vicki O'Hara on the reported decision by the Bush administration not to sell armed U.S. ships to Taiwan.

Andrew Haeg of Minnesota Public Radio reports on moves by 3M to recover from disappointing first quarter profits. Officials say they plan to cut about seven percent of their 75,000 person workforce.

NPR's Andy Bowers reports on the Navy's reprimand of the captain of the USS Greeneville. Cmdr. Scott Waddle was held "solely" at fault for the February collision with a Japanese fishing boat, and ordered to resign from the Navy.

Linda Wertheimer talks with Michael Loftis, president of the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism, about the work that his organization's missionaries were doing in Peru. Loftis discusses how the shooting down of a plane over Peru might affect the Association's approach to its work. The Association has 1,300 people in 65 countries. James and Veronica Bowers went to Peru in 1994, lived on a houseboat, and traveled among villages on the Amazon to preach and teach the Bible.

Commentator Andrei Codrescu and girlfriend dine out on rabbit stew and turtle soup. Their meals cause them various pains.

A tornado touched down in Hoisington, Kansas over the weekend, damaging hundreds of buildings. Linda Wertheimer talks with Gloria Adams, a resident of the town who huddled with four people in the walk-in freezer of the Dairy Queen to survive the tornado. All of the building was destroyed, except for the freezer.

NPR's Nina Totenberg has the first of two reports on what to expect when the Senate begins considering President Bush's nominees to the federal bench. Many of the vacancies exist because the Republican-controlled Senate refused to confirm judges nominated by President Clinton. So there is understandable resentment among Democratic Senators, who say they'll apply the same standards and tactics used for the last few years by their Republican colleagues. The Senate Judiciary Committee today meets behind closed doors to discuss ground rules for considering Bush nominees. The meeting is expected to be acrimonious.

Host Bob Edwards talks with the BBC's Charles Scanlon in Tokyo about the man expected to be Japan's next prime minister. Junichiro Koizumi is a renegade in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and is expected to win a second-round vote by party lawmakers Tuesday.

NPR's Guy Raz reports from Berlin that on this day in the year 1516, Frederick of the First of Bavaria introduced a law guaranteeing the purity of beer. The law -- known as the Rheinheitsgebot -- has regulated German brewing ever since. It strictly limits what ingredients can go into beer, so German brewers won't produce beverages like blueberry beer or hemp beer.

NPR's Patricia Neighmond reports on the marketing of Serafem, a drug for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. Serafem is the same thing as Prozac. The manufacturer changed the name and the capsule color to avoid association with mental illness. But some question the change, claiming that aggressive marketing of Serafem could be hurting women's health.

Blending into a new city can be a difficult thing in any country, and foreigners living abroad often need to find ways to decompress. Commentator Shai Oster describes the almost religious experience of the morning commute in Beijing.

NPR's Howard Berkes reports on the advertising campaign that's bringing Smokey Bear into the new millennium. The public service announcements alter the bear's famous warning about "forest fire" prevention, to one concerning "wildfires," in order to emphasize that deserts and grasslands are also prone to destructive fires.

Commentator and public defender David Feige tells of listening to a young drug offender go before a tough judge in the Bronx.

In the final part of her month long series on money, NPR's Susan Stamberg reports on the question of money in marriage and divorce. She focuses on a highly publicized divorce case involving a stay-at-home mother, whose husband was a top level corporate executive. The net worth of Gary and Lorna Wendt was $100 million in 1995, when he filed for divorce. She contested a settlement of 10 million dollars and was then awarded $20 million, plus $250,000 per year in alimony for life. (7:36) (Lorna Wendt is founder of www.equalityinmarriage.or

In the latest Radio Expedition from NPR and the National Geographic Society, Alex Chadwick examines how an ore used in the production of electronics has been linked to the massacre of wildlife at a national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Coltan is a metal used in computers and cell phones. The miners who extract coltan have killed thousands of elephants and gorillas for food. (8:39)(S

NPR's Linda Gradstein in Jerusalem reports on violence in the Gaza Strip today. Israeli tanks and bulldozers pushed into a Palestinian refugee camp, demolishing 20 buildings Israel says were used by Palestinian gunmen for cover.

Eric Engleman reports from Moscow on today's reaction from Russia to President Bush's speech yesterday outlining proposals for a missile defense system. The Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov repeated Moscow's view that the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty is a cornerstone of global arms control, and not a relic of the Cold War, as President Bush sees it. At the same time, Ivanov welcomed the president's desire to consult with other governments on the matter.

NPR's Elaine Korry reports that high-tech companies are cutting jobs by un-hiring the new college graduates who have yet to report to work. The graduates are paid as much as two months' salary as an un-signing bonus.

NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg reports on the high and low points in the career of FBI Director Louis Freeh. Freeh announced yesterday he would step down from the post in June, two years before his 10-year term expires.

NPR's Gerry Hadden reports on the passage of an Indian rights and culture bill by the Mexico's Congress. But Zapatista Indian rebels have still taken to the streets in Mexico City, claiming the bill has been changed so drastically, that instead of strengthening their autonomy, it actually reduces their rights.

Host Bob Edwards talks to Sen. Charles Grassley, a Republican from Iowa and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the FBI. Sen. Grassley gives his assessment of Freeh's eight years as FBI Director.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports on Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski's visit with President Bush today. As the ethnic conflict in Macedonia escalates, Trajkovski says he'll ask the Bush Administration to officially label the National Liberation Army, an Albanian guerilla group, as a terrorist organization. This move would prohibit the group from raising funds within the United States.

Host Bob Edwards talks with the head of Botswana's Central Bank, Linah Mohohlo. They discuss Africa's view of the recent World Bank and IMF meetings, and issues that face the continent.