Search results for

The power struggle in Yugoslavia intensified today, just four days after the inauguration of the new president, Vojislav Kostunica. NPR's Anne Garrels tells host Linda Wertheimer that allies of ousted president Slobodan Milosevic said they would not relinquish control over the Serbian republic government, as Kostunica is demanding. The new president is seeking early elections for a new republic government. If Milosevic's Socialists and their allies do not agree to elections in three days, the Kostunica camp says it will call for street protests.

While the world has waited for a final outcome in Florida's presidential vote, civil rights activists in the state have been gathering testimony on alleged efforts to discourage minorities from voting. Next week, the NAACP is expected to file suit in Florida circuit court seeking redress for several incidents in which black or Hispanic voters believe their voting rights were violated. While the suit is not likely to affect the result of the Florida vote, it could have an impact on minority turnout in future elections. NPR's Phillip Martin reports.

NPR's Patricia Neighmond reports on a practice known as "evergreening" by drug companies that many blame for the high prices of some prescriptions. Companies seek to find ways to extend the patents on their brand name medications - sometimes by tiny changes in a pill's dose or its formulation. An extension of a patent delays the introduction of cheaper generic versions of a drug, permitting brand-name makers to reap many extra billions in profits. Drug companies defend the practice, saying they must recoup the high costs of developing new drugs.

Stating he is a "different kind of Democrat," Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) becomes the latest lawmaker to announce his plans to seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2004. He says he won't hesitate to tell his friends when they're wrong, and to agree with opponents when they're right. NPR's Mara Liasson reports.

The bomb-pocked Chechen capital of Grozny shows one faint sign of normal life amid a violent conflict between independence-seeking rebels and Russian troops. A local cafe serves instant coffee brewed with water carried from afar. But talk of war pervades the place. NPR's Lawrence Sheets reports.

Sunbelt states like Georgia are aggressively wooing electric vehicle makers and suppliers as they seek to chip away at the auto dominance Michigan has held for more than a century.

French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will meet with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Berlin Saturday to seek common ground on reconstruction efforts in Iraq. A U.S.-sponsored resolution before the United Nations calls for international contributions of troops and money. But France and Germany want a bigger role for the U.N. Hear NPR's Nick Spicer.

On Tuesday, online activist group the Electronic Frontier Foundation will file suit in a California federal court, seeking to enjoin Diebold from claiming copyright infringement over the release of company emails and memos. Activists have been trying to drum up opposition to electronic voting systems, which they say are insecure and plagued with technical problems. NPR's Rick Karr reports.

Gunmen pretending to seek emergency medical care kill an American soldier in western Iraq. The death marks the 29th U.S. military fatality in Iraq since President Bush declared an end to hostilities on May 1. U.S. officials report an increase in coordinated attacks carried out by men they describe as trained military professionals. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

Russia's President Putin hosts a meeting in St. Petersburg with French President Chirac and German Chancellor Schroeder. The three leaders, who led opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, now seek a prominent role for the United Nations in governing and rebuilding Iraq. Hear NPR's Scott Simon and NPR's Lawrence Sheets.