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The U.N. Relief And Works Agency has suspended operations in the Gaza Strip after one of its drivers was killed by Israeli fire. John Ging, UNRWA's director of operations in Gaza, says the suspension of aid is "a disaster" for the people of Gaza. He says Israel had approved the movement of the aid convoy.

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin says the United Nations should lead the reconstruction and administration of post-war Iraq. At a speech in London, Villepin says the appearance of a U.S. military occupation must be avoided to ease tensions in the volatile Middle East region. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports.

A U.S.-sponsored resolution on Iraq is postponed at the United Nations, despite a flurry of compromises. The resolution sets Dec. 15 as the deadline for submitting an outline of the country's future. The draft also calls for a multi-national military force to help secure the nation. Hear NPR's Michele Kelemen.

NPR's Noah Adams talks to NPR's Don Gonyea about reaction to President Bush's address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday, where the president defended the U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq as key to promoting democracy across the globe.

The United Nations says new HIV infections and deaths from AIDS are continuing to rise in Africa. Although the impact of the disease has leveled off in some countries, southern Africa continues to be the center of the pandemic. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports from the region on how HIV/AIDS affects Africa's families and economies.

The news broke this week: Her controversial tenure as honorary ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls will conclude on Friday.

The first woman to serve as the United States ambassador to the United Nations had died. Jeane J. Kirkpatrick was 80. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, Kirkpatrick distinguished herself as a blunt and forceful advocate of the administration's policies.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani says he will accept a caucus-elected government in July if the United Nations guarantees direct elections will be held in Iraq by 2005. Sistani, Iraq's most prominent Shiite cleric, had previously insisted that elections take place by June 30, the date targeted by the United States for a transfer of power to an Iraqi government. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair meets with President Bush Friday. British officials say Blair hopes to flesh out a role for the United Nations in Iraq's transition. Blair has faced criticism at home for having little influence when it comes to Iraq -- despite Britain's 10,000 troops there. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

At the United Nations, President Bush defends his decision to go to war in Iraq and calls on the international community to help in reconstruction. But some member countries and Secretary-General Kofi Annan still question the legitimacy of the U.S.-led war. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.