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In the lastest flurry of Middle East diplomacy that's developed since the election of hardline Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Syrian President Hafez Assad met with Egyptian Pesident Hosni Mubarak in Alexandria as Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat met with King Hussein of Jordan in Aqaba. NPR's Sunni Khalid reports from Alexandria, Egypt that the main result of the meetings was Syria's rejection of Israeli efforts to separate the issue of Southern Lebanon from a broader land-for-peace deal with Damascus.

NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports that two little- known phone companies are shking up the telecom industry today. Long-distance provider WorldCom has announced it will acquire Omaha-based MFS in a stock deal valued at $14 billion. The merger plans come just two weeks after MFS completed its buyout of successful internet service provider called UUNet (YOO- YOO-net).

Owen Bennett-Jones reports from Geneva that the United States stands accused of dragging its feet on an agreement to safeguard the future of the world's forests. Nearly every country attending a conference in Geneva, sponsored by the United Nations, agrees that forests that have been logged must be replanted with native species. The consensus breaks down over a call for the formal agreement or convention.

NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports that Hillary Clinton is a dominant presence at the Democratic National Convention, even though she has been a controversial First Lady. She's extremely popular among party regulars, even more so after she became a target at the Republican convention earlier this month. The day after addressing the convention, Hillary Clinton made the rounds of state delegations and caucus meetings.

As U.S. Forces come within striking distance of Iraq, Clinton Administration officials said today they aren't expecting any further Iraqi attacks against U.S. warplanes patrolling the skies above that country. But, NPR's John Nielsen reports that Defense Secretary William Perry warned today that further U.S. airstrikes against Iraqi targets are still a possibility.

Burundi's Tutsi-dominated army seized power today, and installed a former military ruler as the new leader. The leader of the coalition government overthrown by the coup, has not resigned and remains in the US ambassador's residence, where he fled to last night. Robert Siegel speaks with BBC reporter Jane Standley in Bujumbura about the situation. Standley says the streets of Burundi remain relatively peaceful so far, but tensions are high, and the minority Tutsi party is bitterly divided.

NPR's Richard Harris reports that scientists think they've found the gene for the most common inherited human disorder. It's called hemachomatosis, or iron overload disease. It's not well known because it often masquerades as other ailments, ranging from heart disease and arthritis to liver cancer. The genetic discovery could help doctors diagnose this disease and understand its cause.

NPR's John McChesney reports that the competitive struggle between upstart Netscape Communications and software colossus Microsoft escalated this week. It's become known as the battle of the browsers. Browsers are the software that provide access to the World Wide Web. At a gala bash in San Francisco on Monday, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates released the latest version of his Internet Explorer, and this coming Monday, Netscape will release version 3 of its Navigator.

NPR's Jim Zarroli reports that business leaders are doing their best to sound positive about President Clinton's request that they get busy creating jobs for the many welfare recipients who need to find work in the near future. Some business people question how realistic it is to expect the private sector to put large numbers of unskilled people to work.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports from Gaza that almost four months after the election of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, all progress toward Palestinian self-rule begun by the Middle East peace process is stalled. Surprisingly, that has not yet eroded Yasser Arafat's position, and Arafat remains popular despite being unable to show any progress. But that situation won't last forever.