February 17, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

Indonesia’s Economy -- NPR's John Ydstie reports that the International Monetary Fund and Indonesia are at odds over that nation's plan to implement a "currency board" while pegging its currency at a fixed rate to the U.S. dollar. (3:00)

Breast Cancer and Alcohol -- NPR's Patricia Neighmond reports on a new study showing that women who have 2 to 5 alcoholic drinks each day have a high risk for breast cancer. (3:00)

El Niño Storms -- NPR's Richard Gonzales provides an update on the storms that have been soaking much of California this month. (3:00)

U.S. Women Win Hockey Gold -- The United States today captured the first-ever women's hockey gold medal, beating Canada, 3-1. It was the second time in four days that the Americans beat the World Champion Canadians. Finland, who beat China, 4-1, earlier in the week, won the bronze. NPR's Tom Goldman reports.

Martha Gellhorn Obituary -- Journalist and fiction writer Martha Gellhorn has died at her home in London at age 89. The American-born writer covered the Spanish Civil War, World War Two, the Korean War, Vietnam and other conflicts. (4:00)

Iraq Special Report - Part I -- As part of NPR's ongoing coverage of the crisis in Iraq, All Things Considered has invited a group of experts, officials and interested citizens to discuss the current standoff with Saddam Hussein. In this half-hour we hear reaction to President Clinton’s speech today from Nizar Hamdoon, Iraqi Ambassador to the United Nations. We also talk with NPR's Mike Shuster about the support or hesitation of other countries concerning airstrikes in Iraq.

Iraq Special Report - Part II -- In this half-hour NPR talks to Bruce Reidel, Sr., the Director of the National Security Council for the Near East and Southeast Asia. He talks about the administration's policy and goals for resolving the standoff with Iraq. We also discuss the various military options with Tom Keeney, of the National War College, and NPR's Martha Raddatz. Finally, we hear from Richard Butler, of the United Nations' UNSCOM, about what is known of Iraq's ability to manufacture weapons of mass destruction.

Iraq Special Report - Part III -- In the third and final half-hour of our special report we hear more questions from our studio audience about the options available for resolving the Iraqi standoff, and what the risks and consequences of those options might be. The answers will come from our roundtable of experts.