Morning Edition

Lawmakers in France's lower house of parliament have voted to ban a controversial gas and oil drilling technique. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is widely used in the United States, but environmentalists say it can pollute ground water.

Wiretaps played an important role in the government's case against a billionaire hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, who was convicted on 14 counts of securities fraud and conspiracy. The guilty verdict is being appealed, and it's expected the legal team will question whether the wiretaps were legal.

Until recently, the whereabouts of a reporter for the Al-Jazeera English-language channel were unknown. Dorothy Parvaz, who was born in Iran, flew to Syria last month. Syria has deported her to Iran.

From Ron Burgundy to Ricky Bobby to his famous George W. Bush impersonation, Will Ferrell is one of the funniest performers in America. His characters are often the butt of some joke — neither as smart, or as hip, as they think they are. That might describe Nick Halsey, the character he plays in his latest movie, Everything Must Go.

The Colorado Board of education has officially appointed the state's new education commissioner.