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Syria's Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan has committed suicide, Damascus reports. Formerly Syria's intelligence chief in neighboring Lebanon, Kanaan was among Syrian officials questioned by a U.N. envoy investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

As President Bush will meet with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Northern Ireland to discuss possible plans for post-war Iraq. Meanwhile, U.S. and British political differences over Iraq's reconstruction surface, with at least one British official pushing for a larger U.N. role in rebuilding Iraq. Hear NPR's Sylvia Poggioli.

Iran resumes operations at a key nuclear plant, ending two years of inactivity. The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Iran intended to undertake work on uranium enrichment, which could produce fuel for nuclear weapons. The move sparked sharp criticism from the United States and Europe.

The United States and France join China, Russia, Japan and a score of other nations to confront the crisis in Darfur, Sudan. They are at a conference in Paris to support a new peace force in the war-torn Sudanese region. The conference comes after Sudan agreed to let U.N. peacekeepers into the country.

As the U.S., Britain and Spain abandon efforts to win U.N. approval for a new resolution on Iraq, President Bush prepares to address the nation at 8 p.m. ET. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer says Bush will issue an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein, that the Iraqi leader leave the country or face war. Meanwhile, all U.S. non-essential personnel are ordered to leave Israel, Syria and Kuwait. Hear NPR News.

As the U.S., Britain and Spain abandon efforts to win U.N. approval for a new resolution on Iraq, President Bush prepares to address the nation at 8 p.m. ET. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer says Bush will issue an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein, that the Iraqi leader leave the country or face war. And Secretary of State Powell says the "time for diplomacy has passed." Hear NPR's Vicky O'Hara and Michele Kelemen.

Staff writer for The New Yorker, Philip Gourevitch. He wrote a recent profile in the magazine about U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and the United Nations. Gourevitch is the author of We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families: Stories from Rwanda and his most recent book, A Cold Case.

The Bush administration has asked dozens of countries to contribute troops to help stabilize Iraq. Some countries, such as France and India, say they will not send troops without a clearer U.N. mandate. The administration has run into similar problems asking wealthy European nations to contribute money to rebuild Iraq. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

Who is behind the violent opposition to the American occupation of Iraq and the deadly bombing at the U.N. compound in Baghdad? U.S. military leaders blame terrorists. Some analysts are less certain. Hear NPR's Linda Wertheimer, Rashid Khalidi, director of the Middle East Institute at Columbia University, and Loren Thompson, military affairs specialist at the Lexington Insitute.

Lawmakers question the Bush administration's $87 billion request for Iraq and Afghanistan, but GOP leaders say they expect congressional approval. U.S. officials say the funds will boost the estimated federal deficit to more than $525 billion. And Secretary of State Powell prepares for a Saturday meeting with the permanent U.N. Security Council members. Hear NPR's David Welna, NPR's John Ydstie and NPR's Vicky O'Hara.