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NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports from Kinshasa that a general strike called by the opposition shut down the Zairean capital today. Opponents of embattled President Mobutu Sese Seko are trying to step up the pressure on him to resign. Rebel forces now control more than one-third of the vast central African nation, and claim to be five hundred miles from Kinshasa. They say they will advance on the capital if Mobutu refuses to step down.

Federal agents in Buffalo arrest three relatives of a man accused of being part of an al Qaeda sleeper cell. The men are charged with illegally sending money to Yemen. Authorities say the three are not accused of terrorism-related activities. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports.

Liane speaks with NPR's Jennifer Ludden from Israel as thousands of pilgrims visit the Holy Land to celebrate Easter and violence continues this weekend. A bomb exploded in Gaza early today. Hezbollah guerillas claimed reponsibility for a rocket attack across the Lebanese border into a town in northern Israel Saturday. Israel responded with air strikes. And outside Tel Aviv, two explosions rocked residential neighborhoods.

Fifty years ago this week scientists announced the discovery of the polio vaccine. The disease -- also known as infantile paralysis -- affected thousands of children annually. Polio survivor Brian Fitzgerald tells Jennifer Ludden about his memories of the era before Dr. Jonas Salk's polio vaccine.

Fundraising efforts began this week for the creation of an Embassy of Tribal Nations in Washington, D.C. Host Jennifer Ludden talks with Jacquiline Johnson, the executive director of the National Congress of American Indians, which heads the effort. Johnson says the goal is to have a place for tribal governments to negotiate as a sovereign nation with U.S. and foreign leaders.

Doctors in Vienna say Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned by dioxin. The opposition leader has suffered from stomach ulcers, severe acne and terrible pain since the fall. What are the effects of dioxin? Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden and Dr. Arnold Schecter, of the University of Texas School of Public Health.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden talks with Dr. Paul Antony, chief medical officer for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. He offers the drug industry's perspective on the rising costs of prescription drugs, and responds to charges made Saturday by Dr. Marcia Angell, who accuses pharmaceutical companies of spending too much on advertising and making undue profits.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein remains a mystery. If he's still alive, some analysts believe he might have retreated to Tikrit, his hometown, and from which most of his inner circle derives. Other analysts suggest he would not go there. There are rumors that senior Iraqi leaders have crossed the border into Syria.

A sharp drop in share prices sent Wall Street to its worst week since last August. Joel Naroff, chief economist for Commerce Bank, tells Jennifer Ludden the decline has been under way for months, and in part reflects investors' concerns about high oil prices.

Jennifer Ludden talks to Edward McPherson about his new biography of silent film star Buster Keaton, known as the "Great Stone Face." He says Keaton handcrafted every aspect of his movies in a way that would be unimaginable today