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United Nations arms inspector Scott Ritter is returning to Baghdad this Saturday at the invitation of Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi leader has agreed to provide Ritter and a documentary film crew access to weapons facilities throughout the country. Ritter will attempt to judge whether Iraq has rebuilt its arsenal since U.N. inspectors left the country 19 months ago. Linda talks to Colum Lynch, United Nations Reporter for The Washington Post, about Ritter's trip.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports that the owner of a clothing store on Malta today provided valuable testimony for the prosecution in the trial of two Libyan men accused of blowing up Pam Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The shop owner identified one of the Libyan suspects as the man who bought clothing in his store about two weeks before the passenger jet blew up in midair on December 21st, 1988. The clothing has been linked to the suitcase that contained the bomb. 270 people were killed in the explosion.

NPR's Cheryl Corley reports on the dilemma facing states that have passed bans on so-called "partial birth" abortions. When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a Nebraska law that outlawed the procedures, it cast Constitutional doubt on similar laws in twenty-nine other states. Abortion opponents in several of those states are working to craft new bans. They hope rewritten laws will be able to pass Constitutional muster. But it may not be an easy task.

Computers can greatly improve the lives of people with disabilities, but Charlotte Renner reports that blind people can't access much of the very visual content on the World Wide Web. Adaptive software can help, but some web designers are trying to create sites that can be accessed by people who can't see well enough to point and click with a standard mouse. (4:30) (Note: The website mentioned in this story is http://www.cast.org. This link will open in a new browser window.)

NPR's Tom Gjelten reports that the Clinton administration is consulting with other Latin American nations with regard to possible punitive steps to be taken against Peru. The US sharply criticized Peru's government for not postponing Sunday's presidential runoff to deal with irregularities. A state department spokesman refused to say what steps, if any, the US is prepared to take against President Alberto Fujimori. Peru receives the most US aid in Latin America after Colombia, and is a close partner with Washington in fighting drug trafficking.

NPR's Gerry Hadden reports from Mexico City on Vicente Fox's first day as Mexico's president-elect. Fox met yesterday with current president Ernesto Zedillo to help plan a smooth transition to power. Later, at a press conference, Fox emphasized his commitment to end corruption in Mexico, to work with the U.S. and Candia toward a common North American market, and to confront the problem of drug traffickers.

Barbara Bradley reports on today's announcement that Attorney General Janet Reno will not appoint a special counsel to investigate Vice President Gore's 1996 campaign fundraising. Reno says further investigation would not result in a prosecutable case, so a special counsel is not warranted. Gore's campaign spokesman says the vice president is pleased with the announcement. His opponent, Texas Governor George W. Bush, says he understands the American people are tired of investigations, but also says Gore engaged in questionable fundraising activities.

NPR's Martin Kaste reports that in addition to all of the usual problems associated with illegal drug production, the drug trade in Colombia is causing environmental problems. Chemicals such as ammonia and sulfuric acid, used in the production of cocaine, end up in rivers that flow through sensitive ecosystems such as the country's rain forest. Colombian officials have used the environmental argument to obtain a billion dollars of U-S aid money to fight the cocaine industry. They say their efforts to eradicate illegal drug production will save vast areas of rain forest.

Sarah Chayes reports the French government has offered a package of tax reductions to the fishing industry to offset the high price of fuel. Fishers enraged by prices that have increased 140-percent in a year have been blockading ports around France for the past week. Following the government's concessions, fishing unions have urged an end to the protests. But not all the fishermen have complied, and taxi drivers, truckers and farmers say the tax reductions for fishers do nothing to alleviate their high fuel prices.

NPR's Michael Sullivan reports that the trial of former Indonesian President Suharto opened today in Jakarta, but Suharto failed to appear. A team of 24 doctors attending the former president told the judge they had examined Suharto earlier in the day and that he was too ill to go to court. The trial now has been postponed for two weeks to allow the court to rule on a prosecution request for an independent medical examination of Suharto. He is charged with illegally siphoning off some 500-million dollars from charities during his three decades in power.