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NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from London that new cases of foot-and-mouth disease have been reported throughout Britain. Ireland is throwing up its defense against the spread, deploying troops along the border with Northern Ireland, where cases have turned up.

Alix Spiegel reports on a phenomenon happening in the backyards of teenage boys around the country -- wrestling. They are re-enacting the wrestling they see on TV, that strange mix of violence and theatre and sport. Spiegel visits Littleferry, N.J., where a group of high school students have put together a backyard stage with rope and plywood and mattresses. They videotape the event, where they kick, slam and bruise each other; occasionally they draw blood. The boys say most matches are choreographed so no one gets seriously hurt, but they say the pain they inflict actually bonds them to one another.

Robert Siegel speaks with Imam Kamad Ahmad Chebly. Chebly is an American Muslim cleric who is now in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, preparing for the Islamic pilgrimage, the Hajj. The Hajj officially begins tomorrow.

Linda Wertheimer speaks with Stefan Fatsis of the Wall Street Journal about the financial juggling that takes place every year in the National Football League. NFL payrolls are subject to mandated salary caps, resulting -- this year -- in a purge of veteran football stars. They also discuss how pro-baseball player salaries have become the story at this year's spring training.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden in Jerusalem reports Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon is mulling over options for dealing with the escalating violence in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel's Labor Party today chose the man who is to be defense minister in Sharon's unity government -- 65-year-old Binyamin Ben-Eliezer. Ben-Eliezer said he would try to persuade Palestinians to return to the negotiating table. At the same time, he said Israel would not "sit quiet" in the face of continued Palestinian attacks. Sharon has vowed to improve security for Israelis, though has not detailed how.

NPR's John Ydstie reports that Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told lawmakers today that inflation is still well-contained and that recent increases in wholesale and consumer prices are mere blips on the screen. Greenspan was asked whether the Fed had waited too long before moving to cut interest rates in late January. Greenspan defended the central bank's actions and said the answer to the question is "No."

NPR's Guy Raz in Ankara reports on the financial crisis that has gripped Turkey ever since a public spat between the president and the prime minister sparked fears of a government collapse. Underlying the crisis is Turkey's endemic corruption.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service has granted asylum to a severely disabled boy from Pakistan on grounds he would face persecution because of his autism if he returned home. NPR's Mary Ann Akers reports that some say this Chicago case will not ease asylum claims for other disabled people.

NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports the Bush administration's plan to do away with the estate tax is worrying many in the philanthropic community. They are concerned that charitable giving will fall dramatically without the estate tax. Others argue that getting rid of the tax could prompt more philanthropy, not less.

Brooke Gladstone, co-host of the NPR program On the Media, reports on the national fascination with DVD players -- the DVD has penetrated the market twice as fast as the CD and almost three times faster than the VCR. The high-quality image and sound of the DVD allow home viewers to enjoy an experience much closer to the filmmaker's original vision -- special features include parts of the original film that were left out, background comments from the director or editor -- and all this is changing the average movie-goer.