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In the Syrian desert near Jordan's border, some 60,000 refugees live in dire conditions. A trip with the Jordanian military provided a glimpse of the Rukban camp. Few outsiders have seen it.

Sudan's military and a powerful paramilitary force battled fiercely in the capital and other areas, dealing a new blow to hopes for a transition to democracy and raising fears of a wider conflict.

People who know The Onion is a satirical newspaper got the joke when it named North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year's "Sexiest Man Alive." Editors at China's People's Daily newspaper did not. They picked up the story with a 55-page photo gallery of the pudgy young dictator and excerpts from the Onion's spoof — like, "This Pyongyang-bred heartthrob is every woman's dream come true."

NPR's Rob Gifford reports that the Chinese government today struck back at the United States, calling it hypocritical on human rights. China went on the offensive after the U.S. released a State Department report yesterday, saying that China's human rights record has greatly deteriorated over the past year. Chinese officials discussed the issue during a news conference as U.N. human rights chief Mary Robinson was in Beijing. The Chinese government didn't like her remarks either, saying she was ignorant of China's situation. She is pressing China to abolish its "re-education through labor" policy, under which minor offenders can be locked up for several years, without any judicial process.

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is working to clarify what the U.S. does, and does not do, with its prisoners. In Europe Wednesday, she said U.N. rules against torture apply to Americans even if they are outside the United States. Rice spoke amid allegations about secret U.S. prisons -- and the grabbing of suspects abroad.

Secretary of State Colin Powell says Iraq's new interim government will not have veto power over operations by U.S. forces following the June 30 transfer of sovereignty, but U.S. and Iraqi leaders will collaborate on "necessary arrangements" for troops. Powell's comments come as the U.N. Security Council hears from Iraq's new foreign minister on the issue of sovereignty for his country. Hear NPR's Deborah Amos.

Noah talks to architect Cesar Pelli about the world's tallest buildings. Pelli designed what is currently the world's tallest: the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. Those will soon be dwarfed by a tower in Shanghai, China. And Donald Trump has plans for a still-taller skyscraper in lower Manhattan. Pelli's own design for a 2,000-foot tall building in Chicago has remained un-built since it was unveiled in 1989. Pelli says there are a lot of hurdles for skyscrapers to overcome before completion. He says with extremely tall buildings, the architect must view the process as adding a story at the BOTTOM, not the top -- to account for all the services, wires, elevators, and so forth that go into making a building work.

NPR's Mike Shuster reports on U.S. efforts to engage North Korea in dialogue that might reverse North Korea's decision to restart its nuclear reactor program. Secretary of State Colin Powell gives North Korea's U.N. representatives permission to fly to New Mexico for talks with Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat who is the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and has visited North Korea. Earlier this week, the Bush administration dropped its refusal to take part in direct talks with North Korea.

Americans are deeply divided over whether U.S.-led military force should be used to disarm Iraq or whether U.N. weapons inspections should be allowed to take their course. As NPR's Marcus Rosenbaum reports, a new survey sheds light on how conflicted Americans are over the issue. Read the poll results.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says new rises in AIDS infection rates prove that the world has not done enough to combat the disease. Annan, speaking at the 15th International AIDS conference, challenged leaders to stop the spread of AIDS. Hear NPR's Richard Knox.