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This year flu shots are hard to find in the United States, so some companies are coming up with creative ways to transport people to Canada. The vaccine is plentiful there and the exchange rates are low in case you want to pack in a day of shopping, too. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne and NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Starting next spring, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina will offer some of the most extensive coverage for obesity treatment in the nation. The insurer is betting that the cost of helping people slim down will be lower than that of treating obesity-related diseases. NPR's Patricia Neighmond reports.

Wisconsin is a swing state in the middle of a fierce presidential campaign, where the undecided voter is the most coveted prize. The state has been deluged with political ads, as many as 500 in a week. While many people say they pay the ads no mind, scholars suggest that things may not be as they seem. NPR's John McChesney reports.

For a second day, insurgents in Iraq target Shia Muslims as they observed the holy day of Ashoura. At least 30 people were killed. Despite the violence, tens of thousands of Iraqis took part in religious processions to commemorate the death of Hussein, grandson of the prophet Mohammed.

John Garang is leader of the People's Liberation Movement in southern Sudan. He will soon be vice president in a new Sudanese government of national unity. He tells NPR's Scott Simon that he hopes the new government will be able to end the widespread human rights abuses in the Darfur region.

The World Health Organization is appealing for emergency aid in fighting an outbreak of deadly Marburg virus in Angola and southwestern Africa. So far the virus has infected 200 people, killing 173, but health workers fear there are more undocumented cases.

Egyptian officials say just over 300 people have been rescued from a ferry carrying some 1,400 passengers that sank Thursday night in the Red Sea. The ferry was traveling from Saudi Arabia to Egypt, mainly carrying Egyptian workers.

From Philadelphia's Liberty Bell to the streets of downtown Los Angeles, pro-immigrant rallies are taking place in most major cities across America. In New York and elsewhere, marchers formed human chains. In Chicago, authorities estimated some 500,000 people marched.

Hurricane Wilma is moving farther out into the Atlantic Ocean, but the United States isn't quite done with the storm yet. Residents in northeastern states are getting a lot of rain, and in Florida, 6 million people are without power.

The House and Senate are expected to pass a measure that would make it harder for debtors to avoid their obligations through federal bankruptcy laws. Bill backers say too many people abuse the practice. But critics say the legislation makes no distinction between those who truly need relief and those who have been irresponsible.