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A new law says money coming from the frozen assets of foreign countries must be released to victims of terror attacks if they win damage awards in court. A federal judge heard the claims of Americans seeking Iraqi assets this week, and various other Americans likely will try to claim some of the money. NPR's Libby Lewis reports.

Ivory Coast political parties and rebel groups begin talks near Paris to try to end the country's four-month civil war. Delegates say they are confident they will reach a solution, despite President Laurent Gbagbo's absence from the meeting. NPR's Nick Spicer reports.

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix briefs European leaders on the latest findings in Iraq. Blix refuses to term yesterday's discovery in Iraq of nearly a dozen empty warheads a "smoking gun" that would show Iraq to be in noncompliance with U.N. resolutions. NPR's Guy Raz reports.

An Afghan physician based in Paris is taking new measures to get sick Afghan children the medical attention they need. She's flying many of them to Paris, where doctors perform a range of operations unimaginable in Kabul's basic medical facilities. Medical teams in Paris are struggling to raise money to improve medicine in Afghanistan, and hope the children will bring a message of modernity back to their villages. The BBC's Emma Jane Kirby reports.

Recep Tayipp Erdogan is one of the most powerful politicians in Turkey. But he doesn't hold a political office. In fact, he can't: Erdogan has been banned from running for the country's parliament because some believe he's a religious extremist. But now, a government committee is deciding whether to remove the ban and allow Erdogan to run for office. NPR's Guy Raz reports.

President Bush proposes a new drug treatment program that would allow alcoholics and addicts to use federal vouchers at rehabilitation centers, including those run by religious organizations. The plan renews debate over the constitutional separation of church and state. NPR's Barbara Bradley-Hagerty reports.

President Bush proposes the "Terrorist Threat Integration Center," a new surveillance initiative aimed at improving coordination among the FBI, the CIA and other federal intelligence agencies. But some analysts say it won't overcome decades-old rivalries between U.S. spy agencies. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

Congressional investigators testify before a Senate committee that using false identification, they entered the United States repeatedly from Canada, Mexico and Jamaica. And Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announces that customs, immigration and other border inspectors will be combined into one new bureau to improve efficiency. NPR's Pam Fessler reports.

A study suggests offenders who kill white victims in Maryland are more likely to be sentenced to death than those who kill non-whites. Departing Gov. Parris Glendening imposed a moratorium on the death penalty pending the study's outcome. Lisa Nurnberger of member station WAMU reports.

The Senate is expected to confirm Tom Ridge as the first secretary of the new Department of Homeland Security. Meanwhile, the head of the Transportation Security Administration blocks efforts by employees to form a union, saying it would jeopardize national security. NPR's Jackie Northam reports.