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The ceremonies surrounding the death of Pope John Paul II, his funeral and the election of his successor Benedict XVI have played out according to a script written centuries ago. But the new pontiff strayed from the script Saturday, speaking to reporters before his inaugural mass tomorrow.

MasterCard International reported Friday that 40 million credit card numbers may have been stolen. Merchants bear the brunt of fraudulent transactions. Credit card companies charge the merchants for the stolen services or merchandise and for additional fees.

President Bush will name federal appeals court judge John G. Roberts as his choice to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court in an address to the nation, according to early reports.

The "Chicago Boys" -- Chilean men who studied free-market economic theories at the University of Chicago in the 1950s and '60s -- are often credited for Chile's relatively healthy economy. Chicago Public's Catrin Einhorn reports from Santiago on their legacy.

NPR's Joe Palca reports on a global warming study by Stanford University scientists in today's issue of the journal Science. The study relied on gambling records from an annual guessing game in Anchorage, Alaska. The game began in 1917 when engineers building a railroad bridge had to stop because of ice. The engineers then passed their time by placing bets on when the ice would break up.

NPR's Daniel Zwerdling reports on how public health and law enforcement officials might respond in case of a large chemical or bioterrorism attack. Laws vary greatly as to how much power officials have to quarantine people who have contagious illnesses. There's also disarray when it comes to taking over buildings or confining large numbers of people at public events.

Fires burn in Baghdad as the U.S.-led bombardment of the city and nearby Republican Guard positions reportedly steps up in frequency. Inside the city, the infrastructure begins to degrade as telephones fail and supply shortages threaten. Yet, reporters in the city say Saddam's regime seems in complete control. Hear Paul Eedle.

U.S. and British warplanes continue to strike government buildings inside Baghdad and key defenses on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital. Despite the almost constant bombardment, reporters inside the city say life there seems remarkably close to normal. Hear NPR's Anne Garrels.

NPR's Michele Norris talks with Craig Smith, reporter for the New York Times, in Umm Qasr in southern Iraq. Smith spoke with a Shiite cleric who told him that Ba'ath Party officials in Basra are seeking a way to surrender. The cleric says that the party officials have no support among Iraqi people there and are worried about mob violence against them if they step down.

NPR's Laura Sydell reports that the war in Iraq has generated increased interest in blogs, short for web logs. Blogging is the web-based practice of keeping an ever-updated personal account of some subject. Bloggers have become archivists, culling information they feel is not being presented in mainstream media and providing links to foreign news sources.