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NPR's Julie McCarthy reports that surgeons in Manchester, England have been separating conjoined twin girls at the center of a lengthy legal battle. The girls were born last August, joined at the abdomen and with a fused spin. They share a single heart and a pair of lungs. Their parents -- devout Roman Catholics -- brought them from Malta to Britain, seeking medical care. But the parents resisted surgery after learning that the operation would in all probability cause the death of one of the twins, in order to save the other. After a long ethical battle in the courts, the parents finally dropped the fight.

American Green Berets are in Colombia providing assistance and training to help the Colombian government in its fight against leftist insurgents. Expanding American aid and more patrols by Colombian forces have many people believing the guerillas can be defeated -- even though a deadly bombing took 33 lives in Bogotá last Friday. Martin Kaste reports.

NPR's Nina Totenberg reports on today's arguments before the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the 1970 Clean Air Act. Opponents from industry and several state governments say Congress unconstitutionally delegated too much of its power to the executive branch. The measure requires the Environmental Protection Agency to establish air quality standards that protect the public health, based on the latest science. Defenders of the law say Congress could never agree on standards, and is justified in assigning the job to the EPA.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Rome that the Vatican has launched a campaign against a new "morning after pill" being sold in Italy. The hormone-based pill Norlevo prevents a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus, if given within 72 hours of sexual intercourse. The Vatican has denounced the pill as a form of abortion and urged Italian pharmacists not to fill prescriptions for it. Some members of Italy's center-left government have accused the Church of trying to overturn the separation of church and state.

NPR's David Schaper reports that a federal bankruptcy judge in Chicago has imposed a temporary 14-percent pay cut on machinists for United Airlines. Pilots, flight attendants, dispatchers, and meteorologists working for the air carrier agreed earlier to pay reductions for the next few months while United tries to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

NPR's Pam Fessler reports numerous non-profit organizations will receive a package of grants worth $42 million from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in Chicago. In honor of the foundation's 25th anniversary, NPR received the single largest grant ever in public radio history. The Chicago arts community is the biggest beneficiary with remaining funds going to the Lyric Opera of Chicago, nine musuems, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Joffrey Ballet.

Meeting with South Korean officials in Seoul, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly says the United States may consider providing North Korea with energy supplies if it scraps its nuclear weapons program. NPR's Eric Weiner reports.

North Korea fails to respond to a White House offer to hold unconditional talks about its nuclear weapons program. Meanwhile, some military strategists say a U.S. strike against North Korea's nuclear complex is risky for South Korean residents and is unlikely. NPR's Eric Weiner reports.

South Korea promises a "compromise solution" in a bid to end a thorny standoff between North Korea and the United States over the North's nuclear ambitions. U.S. officials say they want a diplomatic solution, but won't abandon a 1994 accord in which North Korea agreed to close a nuclear plant it is now moving to reopen. NPR's Eric Weiner reports.

The Norwalk virus -- now famous for making cruise passengers ill -- is affecting people across the country. Boston reports 17 new cases, triple the number in years past. It's not fatal, but it often leads to 48 hours of the worst flu-like symptoms one can experience. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Dr. Anita Barry of the Boston Public Health Commission.