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Pakistan has begun a program to return residents of the Swat Valley to their homes. People left the area after intense fighting began in late April between the country's army and Taliban militants. Some residents refuse to go back, citing lingering security concerns and demanding aid promised by the government.

More than 14,000 candidates are running in Iraq's provincial elections scheduled for the end of the month. It's the first time since 2005 that Iraqis are going to the polls. If the process isn't seen as legitimate, Iraq's fragile democracy could be threatened.

Harry Markopolos, who repeatedly warned the Securities and Exchange Commission that Bernard Madoff was running a Ponzi scheme, tells a congressional panel that the SEC "roars like a lion and bites like a flea."

When lawmakers and the Obama administration began to assemble the mammoth economic stimulus bill, they decided that there would be no earmarks. That means they give up control over how the money is spent, leaving the decision to public servants around the country.

If confirmed to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, Randy Babbitt would have two tall orders on his agenda: resolve labor issues among a disgruntled work force of air controllers, and goose a long-delayed update to the nation's navigation system.

Those who sift through economic tea leaves are looking for clues that the recession may be ebbing. But the forecast remains unclear. For every dark economic cloud, there is a silver lining. And for every silver lining, another dark cloud.

Forty years ago, Ohio's Cuyahoga River, which had been compared to "an open septic tank," caught fire. Cuyahoga became a rallying cry for environmentalists and sparked the creation of the EPA and the Clean Water Act. Now the river teems with fish and wildlife.

The veteran NPR journalist, one of the network's most recognizable voices, will continue to be heard on the popular Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me! program.

You probably know about produce "clubs" where farmers sell boxes of local produce to members. Picture that arrangement, but inside the basket are 2-foot-long cod. Fish-buying programs called community supported fishery have become popular in New England.

Roadside bombs are the greatest threat facing troops in Afghanistan. Metal detectors can find many of these bombs. But increasingly, insurgents are using homemade explosives that contain little metal. Now, U.S. Marines are training bomb-sniffing dogs to detect this type of explosive.