Search results for

A new book, Lost Sounds, profiles a man named George W. Johnson, a former slave and New York City street performer who became the very first African-American recording artist — singing some very racist tunes.

Egyptian authorities report that at least three explosions struck the Red Sea resort city of Dahab on Monday night. The precise number of casualties remains unknown, but officials say at least 22 people have been killed, and 150 wounded.

Puzzle master Will Shortz quizzes one of our listeners, and has a challenge for everyone at home. (This week's winner is Bruce Bolter from New York City. He listens to Weekend Edition on member station WNYC in New York.)

Mayor Ivan Fedorov was abducted on Friday, according to Ukrainian officials. He was reportedly seized by approximately 10 people while in the city center, and they put a plastic bag over his head.

Baghdad's new police force begins work Monday with new uniforms and new leadership. Zuhar Abdul Razaq, a former police officer chosen by the U.S. Army to temporarily lead the force, says he will focus on reassembling the police force and on controlling the looting and lawlessness that has pervaded the city since U.S. forces invaded more than three weeks ago. Hear NPR's Guy Raz.

An apparent car bomb explodes outside of a mosque in the Muslim holy city of Najaf, killing at least 75 people, including prominent Shiite cleric Ayatollah Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim. Al-Hakim led a political party that operated in exile for years in Iran during Saddam Hussein's regime, and had cooperated to a degree with occupying U.S. forces. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

Residents of Basra are cleaning up and treating the wounded following the bloodiest day in the southern Iraqi city since the start of the war a year ago. Five suicide bombings left more than 70 people dead and at least 200 wounded. There's no word who carried out these attacks, but U.S officials suspect al Qaeda. Hear NPR's Emily Harris.

Nighttime battles are waged between U.S. forces and militiamen loyal to a radical Shiite cleric outside the holy city of Najaf. U.S. forces used tanks and warplanes in the battle, which left more than 60 militiamen dead, according to a military spokesman. Later, U.S. forces attacked parts of Fallujah from the air. Hear NPR's Michele Norris and NPR's Anne Garrels.

U.S. soldiers are involved in an operation to hunt down and destroy militia loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Baghdad's Sadr City. In Ramadi, 12 Marines die in intense battles. In Fallujah, U.S. rockets hit a mosque, reportedly killing dozens. Three days of clashes in the Sunni stronghold have killed as many as 30 U.S. soldiers and more than 150 Iraqis. Hear NPR's Philip Reeves.

Four U.S. soldiers are killed and six are wounded as insurgents fire on a base north of Baghdad. Dozens of Iraqis are killed in rocket attacks, roadside bombings and fighting with U.S.-led troops around the country. An the oil terminal off the southern city of Basra comes under attack, apparently by suicide bombers. Hear NPR's Cheryl Corley and NPR's Philip Reeves.