NPR 2010-03-07

At least three people were killed today when a car bomb exploded near a bus for pilgrims in the Shiite holy city of Najaf. Insurgents 1 are blamed for dozens of other deaths in the Iraqi cities in the run-up to tomorrow's national elections. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi expatriates have been voting ahead of the election. Natalia Antelava tells the BBC the UN refugee agency believes some two million Iraqis live abroad, many in neighboring Syria.

Dozens of people queue outside the polling center No.4 in Sayyida Zaynab. This neighborhood of Damascus is known as "little Baghdad". Most residents are refugees who've been coming here since 2003 US-led invasion. Politicians from Baghdad have campaigned hard here, urging people to vote, and many, it seems, are responding to these calls. Latziba says she is voting because she wants to make sure that Prime Minister Maliki does not get reelected.

"My sister and her son were kidnapped and killed during Maliki, So no for Maliki and no for any religious clerics that will run the country; we need secular 2 people to run the country."

People here blame the prime minister for failing to help them to return.

Natalia Antelava reporting from Damascus.

More than half of the General Motors dealerships that were terminated when the manufacturer filed bankruptcy 4 more than a year ago may get their franchises 5 back. Michigan Radio's Rina Miller 6 says some could be back in business in a matter of weeks.

GM notified 661 dealers 3 who filed for arbitration 7 that they will receive letters of intent from the company next week. GM says the criteria 8 for a reinstatement will include things like facilities, capitalization, location and licensing 9. Mark Reuss is President of GM North America.

"We got ourselves and people and people's lives in a gray zone. We are trying to fix that and move on, and get a great network and sell cars and be profitable, period. That's the deal. This is not any kind of cost-savings activity."

The company denies that the letters of intent were a way to avoid expensive settlements or litigation. More than 1,100 dealers appealed GM's attempts to close them down. For NPR News, I am Rina Miller in Ann Arbor 10, Michigan.

President Obama is flatly rejecting the Republicans' calls to start over when it comes to healthcare overhaul 11.

"You know what? The insurance companies aren't starting over. I just met with some of them on Thursday, and they couldn't give me a straight answer as to why they keep arbitrarily and massively raising premiums 12 by as much as 60% in states like Illinois. If we don't act, they will continue to do this."

The president uses his weekly address to try to convince the public that now is the time to pass his healthcare overhaul plan. Democrats 13 are hoping to pass the revised legislation with an "up or down" vote, so they don't have to worry about Republican filibusters 14 in a year of congressional races. First-term Republican Congressman 15 Parker Griffith said it is time to start over.

This is NPR.

Iran's hard-line president is questioning the official US version of the 9/11 attacks. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calls the attacks a big lie used as an excuse to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. His remarks were quoted on the Iranian state television today. It's not the first time the Iranian president has dismissed the attacks. In 2007, Ahmadinejad said the attacks were a result of mismanaging and inhumane managing of the world by the US. 

Thousands of Kurds are protesting in the streets of Brussels against the arrest of suspected members of a separatist group outlawed 16 in the European Union. As Teri Schultz reports, tensions have been high for days between law enforcement and the Kurds when violence erupted.

Kurdish activists 17 called for supporters from all over Europe to come into the streets to express their anger at Belgium for arresting eight Kurds Thursday on suspicion of recruiting fighters for the Kurdistan Workers' Party. Known as the PKK, it's considered a terrorist group by the EU as well as the US. The PKK has waged decades of armed struggle for the independence of Kurdish minorities in Turkey. Just after the march began in downtown Brussels, some demonstrators reportedly attacked Turkish shops, breaking windows and causing other damage. They are carrying signs that say "the arrests of Kurdish leaders are a violation 18 of human rights". For NPR News, I'm Teri Schultz in Brussels.

Thousands of fans have lined up along Fourth Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska, for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The unofficial 11-mile race is spread out across Alaska's largest city. The official competition gets under way tomorrow in Willow 19. That's some 50 miles to the north. 71 teams are entered in the 1,100-mile race.

 I'm Carol Van Dam, NPR News in Washington.