Mar 7th, 2010 · Insurgents in Iraq had vowed to disrupt Saturday's parliamentary election, and as the voting began they launched a wave of attacks in Baghdad and other cities. At least 24 people have been killed and scores have been wounded. Host Liane Hansen speaks with NPR's Quil Lawrence from Baghdad on nationwide parliamentary voting in Iraq.
Mar 7th, 2010 · Iraqis voted Sunday in an election testing the mettle of the country's still-fragile democracy as insurgents killed 25 people across the Iraq, unleashing a barrage of mortars intent on disrupting the historic day.
Feb 24th, 2010 · Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke goes to Capitol Hill to deliver the Fed's semi-annual report on the economy and monetary policy Wednesday. David Wessel of The Wall Street Journal talks with Renee Montagne about the state of the global economy.
Feb 3rd, 2010 · The government of Greece insists it doesn't need a bailout, but there are persistent rumors that Greece could need urgent help from its European partners. The European Commission reports Wednesday on the fragile state of the Greek economy and its massive debt. There are concerns about that debt's potential effects on the euro.
Jan 22nd, 2010 · In the post-quake rubble of a former slum in Haiti's capital, an 86-year-old man clings to a fragile claim of being an American in hopes of being rescued. Yves Malbranche says he regrets his decision to return to his homeland and wants to go back to the U.S.
Jan 14th, 2010 · The outlook for the world economy this year is stronger, but still fragile. That's according to the managing director of the International Monetary Fund — Dominique Strauss-Kahn. He tells host Robert Siegel that fighting high unemployment is the highest priority for the world right now — and that the crisis will only be over when we're back to the level of unemployment we had before the crisis. Strauss-Kahn also discusses the need for a massive economic reconstruction plan for Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake that hit the nation earlier this week. The IMF pledged $100 million — to be delivered very rapidly to Haiti.
Jan 14th, 2010 · The magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck a country whose buildings were barely built to engineering standards and were hopelessly fragile in the grip of such a strong quake. Haiti has no national building code, and many structures may not have been sound to begin with.
Dec 31st, 2009 · Existing single-family home sales rose nearly 20 percent over just the past couple of months. But prices in most places are not going up, thanks to a glut of foreclosures. Still, housing construction is expected to go from being a big drag to being a small positive.