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Steve Inskeep talks to BBC News Correspondent Andrew North in the northern Pakistan town of Balakot, one of the places hit hard in Saturday's massive earthquake. More than 20,000 people have died in the Pakistan-India border region.

In the past three months, 50 people have been indicted in Bakersfield, Calif., for allegedly siphoning hundreds of thousands from a Red Cross program.

Iraqi authorities are working on details of the country's constitution. Iraqis will head to the polls to vote on the proposed constitution this Saturday. Host Steve Inskeep talks to Anne Garrels in Baghdad.

Officials in Guatemala are considering declaring a village buried under a mudslide a mass gravesite. As many as 1,400 people lived in the village. Rains from Hurricane Stan have increased the storm's death toll in Mexico and Central America.

Folk-music legend Odetta was a force in the 1960s push for social justice. Her passion inspired fellow musicians and activists such as Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Harry Belafonte. Odetta died Dec. 2, 2008, at the age of 77. Hear a 2005 interview.

Large regions of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan cite widespread destruction after a deadly earthquake Saturday. Deaths are estimated in the tens of thousands. Rescue and relief crews are rushing to devastated areas.

The idea of working "bankers' hours" is taking on a new meaning in Lansing, Mich., where idled auto workers are being paid upwards of $20 an hour for their time -- none of which is spent on the production lines of the companies paying them.

In a case that abortion rights supporters are calling a major victory, the Kansas Supreme Court rules that prosecutors cannot have unlimited access to abortion patients' medical records. The case pitted patients' privacy rights against the state's interest in prosecuting certain types of crimes.

KT Tunstall is a one-woman band, literally. She plays and sings the multiple parts of her songs while using a machine to loop them in real time, making for a performance style that lends her songs an extra rawness.

Jordan's King Abdullah vows to hunt down those responsible for Wednesday's suicide bombings in the capital of Amman. Hundreds of protesters condemn the prime suspect in the attacks, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born militant and al Qaeda leader.

The Republican leadership has pulled a provision to allow drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge out of a House budget bill in an effort to secure support for passage. But opponents are seeking a written guarantee the measure won't reappear in the conference report.

The court reportedly has accepted their petition and scheduled it for a hearing in Haridwar, India. The couple wants a grandchild within a year.

Director Joe Wright's screen adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" opens today, but members of the Jane Austen Society have already gotten a sneak peek. Some of the group's members have openly criticized the movie, much to the chagrin of the film studio.

Ten years after he began building his Masada Songbook, composer and saxophonist John Zorn has forever changed the definition of Jewish music.

The music icon's career has stretched from the heyday of 1960s soul to newfound popularity as the voice of Chef in the irreverent animated series South Park. A newly released three-disc set follows Hayes' storied career.

In Maryland, the current class of 9th graders will be the first to have to pass an algebra test to graduate from high school. Baltimore County's school system is working to help students by offering parents their own algebra refresher class.

The 20th Winter Olympics opens Friday in the Italian city of Turin. Over the next two weeks, 2,600 athletes will be competing before 1 million spectators. First lady Laura Bush will attend the opening ceremony, along with numerous other international dignitaries.

The Olympic cauldron is lit, signaling the start of the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. Competition officially begins Saturday. This year's games are under an intense international security plan to monitor possible terrorist threats.

Anger at the government's treatment of a blind whistle-blower in East China boiled over Sunday when villagers clashed with police. Chen Guangcheng has been confined to his house by the local government after uncovering a program of forced sterilizations and abortions.

Forty years ago, an unknown Scottish folk singer named Donovan Leitch released his first single. "Catch the Wind" was the first in a string of hits that would make Donovan a '60s icon. A new box set, Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan celebrates and explores his career.

President Bush's nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to replace the retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor produced mixed reactions among lawmakers and interest groups. Liberals criticized Alito's selection as a way for President Bush to cater to his conservative base after conservative opposition led to the withdrawal of Harriet Miers, Bush's previous nominee.

Syria must decide how to respond to the U.N. resolution demanding its cooperation in the probe into the murder of former Lebanese leader Rafik Hariri. The next report in the inquiry is due Dec. 15, and Damascus is already facing complaints about its leadership.

British punk/soul/mod rocker Paul Weller's 30-year career included leading the seminal band The Jam, and the neo-soul outfit Style Council. He's had a solo career since 1992 and his new CD is called As Is Now. Day to Day music critic Christian Bordal shares his thoughts on the CD and on Weller.

Former Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown testifies Friday before the Senate Homeland Security Committee about the government's response to Hurricane Katrina. Brown was criticized heavily after the storm, but investigators have since uncovered many layers of mistakes, both above and below Brown's pay grade.

The former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency appears before a Senate panel Friday. Michael Brown said his agency's effectiveness was undermined when it was made part of the Homeland Security Department.