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In early 2012, experiments that made H5N1 bird flu more contagious caused an uproar. People feared that mutant viruses could escape the lab and kill people. To prevent a repeat, the government has unveiled a policy describing how scientists should study dangerous pathogens and toxins.

In China, authorities can send people to re-education through labor camps for years without trial. Beijing says it is considering reforms to the notorious system, though it's not clear what that might mean. The people who know the camps best — former prisoners — say closing them is long overdue.

Comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo's populist Five Star Movement is soaring in the polls ahead of elections this weekend. His rallies have attracted tens of thousands of Italians tired of a poor economy, widespread corruption and political patronage. But there are concerns that no one knows what Grillo's movement stands for.

The Amish don't drive and don't connect to the electrical grid. Yet a growing number of Amish people are leaving farming for manufacturing. That means they need tools — and power.

Boeing is formally laying out its case for the 787s to be returned to the sky. The Dreamliner has been grounded since last month when batteries overheated. Senior company officials meet with the FAA administrator Friday.

Activists have long warned about the widening achievement gap between white and minority students. The Equity and Excellence Commission, a federally chartered group of about 30 education experts, is recommending changes to the funding and delivery of education. Steve Inskeep talks to three members of the commission: Chris Edley, dean of University of California, Berkeley, law school; Stanford education professor Linda Darling-Hammond; and Eric Hanushek, a Hoover Institution senior fellow and Stanford professor.

The Olympic and Paralympic sprinter is accused of premeditated murder in the Feb. 14 shooting death of his girlfriend. He says it was a horrible accident. Prosecutors say he knew what he was doing.

In Canada, teachers at a school in Windsor, Ontario, suspected an eighth grader was going through their desks. So they planted brochures for a class trip to Disney World. They even made a presentation, and then said: "just kidding." The snooping student got his comeuppance but other kids and parents were furious. The school apologized.

Since President Obama and congressional Republicans have decided to blame each other for the impending sequester, this week's podcast is dedicated to pointing fingers at everyone, including Jesse Jackson Jr., Pete Domenici and Joe "Buy a Shotgun" Biden.

Winter Storm Q has dumped up to 17 inches in parts of Kansas but brings much-needed relief to the region's drought-stricken farmers.