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NPR's Michele Kelemen reports on how Russian president Vladimir Putin's plan to reassert control over the country's far-flung regions is playing in the provinces. Putin has promised to establish what he calls a "vertical power structure," bringing local legislation into compliance with federal law. He's vowed to crack down on corruption. But in the Volga River city of Saratov, business people fear Putin's "streamlining" will only create another layer of bureaucracy -- and corrupt petty functionaries to be paid off.

At midnight, as the ball drops in New York City, Ripley's is dropping... a giant, 225 pound hairball.

As fighting continues in Najaf for the fifth day, radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr vows to fight to the death. Authorities announced a curfew in part of eastern Baghdad, where Sadr supporters have been battling Iraqi and foreign troops. Meanwhile, five British soldiers were wounded in clashes in the southernmost city of Basra. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

Three weeks after Hurricane Jeanne left a wake of destruction through the Caribbean, tens of thousands in the northern Haitian city of Gonaives are still without food. Unrest has meant that desperately needed supplies aren't getting to people in need. NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports on efforts in Gonaives to recover from the storm, which left nearly 3,000 dead or missing in Haiti.

Culture was one of the seminal reggae harmony groups and the 1977 single, "Two Sevens Clash," was huge in Jamaica. The title refers to apocalyptic prophecies by Marcus Garvey. The song was so influential that on 7/7/77, the city of Kingston shut down. The full album was just reissued — on 7/7/07.

In almost every big city, there's a band like Paul Cebar and the Milwaukeeans. It's the type of band that everyone knows because they're such a presence at state fairs, weddings and the local dive bars. NPR's Jacki Lyden talks with Cebar about what drives his performance.

The looting and chaos sweeping several Iraqi cities raise concerns among humanitarian groups. They say they cannot get supplies to Iraqis when there's no security, and the U.S. military is reluctant to act as a police force. The Bush administration is asking its allies to supply police officers who can help restore law and order. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

Thousands of Shiite Muslims in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf greet the arrival of Ayatollah Mohammed Bakr al-Hakim. Hakim spent the last two decades living in exile in Iran. The cleric is demanding the pullout of U.S. military forces and says the Iraqi people should be able to establish their own government. NPR's Jackie Northam reports.

Authorities have responded with strict lockdowns in four key cities and closed off the entire northeastern province of Jilin, a manufacturing hub.

In his first-ever visit to Iraq, Secretary of State Colin Powell warns against speeding up the transfer of power to Iraqis, saying the result may be an Iraqi government that fails. Meanwhile, another U.S. soldier is killed and three wounded outside the Iraqi city of Fallujah, where eight Iraqi policemen were killed by U.S. forces on Friday. NPR's Emily Harris reports.