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Syria's civil war keeps getting more complicated. In the latest twist, fractious rebel groups have united to fight extremists linked to al-Qaida. Both sides oppose the Syrian government, but for now they are pointing their guns at each other and a nasty battle is taking place in the northern city of Raqqa.

The canal is being widened to handle much larger ships. But after five years of building, the project is expected to cost at least $1.6 billion more than planned. The builders and the canal operators both say the other side should pay.

The award is granted once every four years to a pianist with exceptional qualities, chosen by a secretive committee. This time, a young Polish musician who specializes in Chopin has earned the generous $300,000 prize.

Judith Palmer Harik, a retired political science professor at the American University of Beirut, assesses U.S. diplomatic options in the region. She tells John Ydstie that few officials in the Middle East are willing to reign in Hezbollah, or have the influence to do so.

Greg Reyes, the former CEO of Brocade Communications, has been charged, along with two others, in a stock-options backdating scheme. The Securities and Exchange Commission announced the charges Thursday. They are the first in a stock-options scandal that is said to involve dozens of U.S. companies.

Commentator Frank Deford says tennis pros Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal may be the best male players ever. The 2006 French Open offers the two start the possibility of rising above the tournament and entering tennis legend.

Twenty-five years ago, Houston doctor Wayne Shandera co-authored the first official medical report by the Centers for Disease Control of a mysterious sickness afflicting gay men. He's still working with people who have HIV and AIDS.

The organ has been described, along with the clock, as the most complex of all mechanical instruments developed before the Industrial Revolution. Miles Hoffman unravels the complexities and the mysteries of the musical giant.

Philatelists are furious after a limited issue of a new souvenir duck stamp sold out within two hours of its release. The incident took place at a stamp show in Washington last week, the largest U.S. stamp show in history. The likely culprits are larger, wealthier stamp collectors and dealers who are snapping up stamps and selling them on eBay and other after-markets.

The Iraqi government has imposed a mid-day traffic ban in Baghdad and in the town of Baqouba, about 30 miles northwest of the capital. That's near where terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed Wednesday. There are fears Zarqawi supporters will stage reprisal attacks.