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Jackie talks to Zia Jaffrey about her new book The Invisibles, A Tale of the Eunuchs of India. The history of the Eunuchs or `hijras' as they are called in India, has never been documented. Jaffrey gives readers a glimpse into the culture of these castrated, cross-dressing men. She says even though she spent many months in India interviewing them and collecting information on this closed group of people, Jaffrey says much about the Hijras remains as mystery.

of an upcoming meeting between Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tomorrow in Cairo.

under an old problem -- corruption. Surprisingly it's not of the political variety, but bureaucratic.

Noah talks with Charlie Louvin, longtime Grand Old Opry star, known both for his solo work and his duet singing with his older brother Ira. The Louvins were from Sand Mountain, Alabama, and began as a gospel duo...although they turned to country music in the 1950's. Their harmonies have been an inspiration to many modern country and rock singers, including Emmylou Harris and The Byrds. Ira Louvin died in a car crash in 1965, and Charlie has auditioned many singers over the years, not finding a single one who could sing the high parts of harmonies as well as Ira. Charlie has always used the song "If We Forget God," arranged in the key of E, as a test. Mr. Louvin has a new recording, titled "The Longest Train."

The BBC's Julian Isherwood reports from Denmark that six members of the Hell's Angels motorcycle gang have gone to trial, charged with the murder of a member of a rival gang. The killing is part of a feud between motorcycle gangs that has been plaguing all of Scandinavia for the last two years.

NPR's Adam Hochberg reports that some customers of Avis say the company wouldn't rent them cars because they're black. A class action suit was filed against a North Carolina franchise of Avis for racial discrimination. Some former employees have also joined the suit.

Noah talks to Esquire contributing editor Martha Sherrill about the cover story she wrote for the November issue of the magazine. It is called "DREAM GIRL: The Allegra Coleman that Nobody Knows." It is a parody of the intimate actor interview genre. Sherrill created a profile of a starlet on the cusp of a meteoric rise in Hollywood...but the actor she "interviewed" - Allegra Coleman - doesn't really exist.

are trying to re-invent the car. They are designing and turning out prototypes that are lighter, more fuel efficient and pollute the environment less. The goal is a full-size, affordable car that will get 80 miles to the gallon... that's proving to be impossible with conventional materials and designs.

will react to the new Bosnian mandate.

NPR's Mandalit DelBarco talks to high school students and admissions officials at the University of California system, which has dumped its affirmative action program, or at least the parts of it that gave special status to applicants based on race, ethnicity or gender.

and won't hear any criticism of them.

the former Soviet Central Asia for business and political influence. Trying to sidestep the US-inspired trade boycott, Iran is building a railroad into the former Soviet republic of Turkmenistan in an effort to channel trade from the region through its Persian Gulf ports.

about why economic cooperation between Israel and the Arabs has been slow to develop.

Ron Howard's new suspense thriller starring Mel Gibson is expected to be a box office hit. But it's not without its problems, says our critic Bob Mondello.

The government has charged a veteran CIA agent with spying for Russia over the past two years. The suspect is Harold Nicholson, who has served as a station chief abroad and as a trainer of new agents... but most recently worked in counterterrorism at CIA headquarters. The US Attorney in charge of the case says Nicholson was motivated by greed, not ideology. He is accused of selling Russia information in exchange for more than 100-thousand dollars. The FBI says Nicholson may have revealed to the Russians the identities of all new CIA agents trained during the last two years. NPR's Martha Raddatz has a report.

is causing problems for local telephone companies, and their customers. The telephone networks were designed for relatively short voice communication, not the lengthy data transfers common on the internet. The local phone companies have complained to the FCC that the internet access providers should be treated just like long-distance carriers.

to China this week. Over the last two years, the Clinton administration has placed less emphasis on human rights, in an effort to improve relations. Among other topics important to the U.S. are: trade, arms proliferation, the future of Taiwan, and the change in Hong Kong.

He developed a new line of stories for Batman aimed at helping children in war-torn countries learn the dangers of landmines that are used so indiscriminately around the globe.

Robert talks with former Central Intelligence Agency director Robert Gates, about the recent arrest of CIA agent Harold Nicholson, on charges of counter-espionage for Russia. Gates says there were significant reforms at the CIA after Aldrich Ames was caught spying for the Soviet Union, making it faster and easier to catch spies. Gates was director of the CIA from November 1991 to January 1993.

Commentator Elissa Ely is very pregnant, and living in terror of labor...thanks to all the words of wisdom she's gotten from women who've gone through the experience.

NPR's Tom Gjelten reports that Western powers are getting closer to agreeing on the creation of a multinational force to provide security for the delivery of aid to a million refugees in eastern Zaire. Canada has apparently offered to lead such a force. The Clinton administration agrees that some sort of military intervention will be necessary, but it won't participate until numerous details about the size and mandate of the force are worked out. Some countries, notably France, have sharply criticized the US go-slow attitude, accusing Washington of dragging its feet.

Robert talks to Jan Vansina, a professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, about possible political ends to the crisis in Zaire. Vansina says that the difficult problem to resolve is how to return Hutu refugees to a Rwanda ruled by Tutsis...who may very well exact some kind of retribution agains the returning refugees.

The Democratic National Committee today announced new procedures to screen campaign contributions and to help it comply with federal election law. The DNC was criticized during the election for accepting contributions from foreigners and foreign companies and for dismantling similar screening procedures in 1994 for budgetary reasons. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

between the big-3 carmakers to accelerate research into "smart" airbags. The new systems, tentatively planned to be installed starting in 1999, would use sensors to tell the airbag how fast and with how much force to deploy. Public hearings on airbag safety will be held today in Washington.

The victims of the Oklahoma bombing last year are eager to attend the trials of the two men accused of the crime. But the judge, citing federal rules of evidence, has barred them from attending because they may be witnesses in the sentencing phase of the trial. The victims and their families have filed suit to overturn the judge's ruling. NPR's Mark Roberts reports.