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Opera singer Deborah Voigt will be reprising the title role in "Ariadne auf Naxos" at London's Royal Opera House next week. The role is one from which she was fired in 2004 because of her weight.

A couple's legal battle may presage future conflicts between religious groups and gay couples who want to get married. As same-sex couples in California begin getting legally married on Monday, there are signs of a coming storm.

NATO troops and Afghan government forces are battling Taliban militants on the outskirts of the southern city of Kandahar. Taliban fighters seized villages in the Arghandab valley, just north of Kandahar earlier this week.

As floods soak the Midwest states, the Federal Emergency Management Agency says it's trying to honor reforms put in place after Hurricane Katrina. These include coordinating more closely with state and local officials for a quicker response.

In Iowa, devastating floodwaters are beginning to inch their way down the southern part of the state. The next city that's in jeopardy of being swamped is the railroad hub of Burlington. Residents are digging in to try to save their town.

In California, two elderly women were one of the first same-sex couples to marry in the state. Their marriage begins a busy week for county registrars around the Golden State. The state's Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage took effect Monday.

A quarter-century ago, swimmer Hodding Carter just missed qualifying for the Olympic trials. Now 45, he is training for a long-shot bid at qualifying for the Beijing Olympics. Carter chronicles his quest in a new book, Off the Deep End.

The FBI says it has arrested more than 400 people in the last three months on charges related to mortgage fraud. Agents have arrested real estate agents and others. On Thursday, the FBI arrested two Bear Stearns investment fund managers. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston and Michelle Norris discuss the arrests.

In Zimbabwe, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew Sunday from the upcoming runoff election. Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, said he's stepping down because he can no longer watch his supporters being killed for the sake of power.

Numerous levees have already failed to hold back floodwaters in parts of the Midwest this week. The federal government says many more are likely to be topped. Engineering experts agree the nation's levee system needs a second look. Adriene Hill of Chicago Public Radio reports.