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among Hong Kong residents over with the transfer of power from Britain to China.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reports that House Speaker Newt Gingrich was re-elected as Speaker today, despite his admission that he had violated House rules. Only a handful of Republicans defected, despite doubts raised earlier by a couple of dozen GOP members about the wisdom of putting a tainted Gingrich back in charge. The election marked the opening of the 105th Congress.

NPR's Joe Palca explains the science behind the pop and sparkle of champagne.

to names its own legislature in Hong Kong, prior to its takeover in July.

President Clinton today awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, to Bob Dole. In his speech after the award, Senator Dole said "our challenge is not to question American ideals or to replace them, but to act worthy of them." At the same ceremony today at the White House, Mr. Clinton unveiled the winning design for the World War Two Memorial to be constructed on the National Mall in Washington.

of Wednesday's shootings of Palestinians in Hebron by an off-duty Israeli soldier.

in Havana's restaurants: state-run tourist restaurants, known for high prices and poor services, are now having to compete with family-owned enterprises offering home-cooked food.

Commentator Bill Harley marvels at the recently discovered plant -- the world's oldest. He saves it's amazing that humans haven't gotten to it. He says it survived because its boring. It reminds him of the back of his refridgerator.

Maria Martin reports from Guatemala that the historic peace accord promises full legal and social rights for the nation's long-repressed Mayan Indian majority. The hope this has inspired in the Mayas is especially strong in Quezaltenango, Guatemala's second-largest city. It's the first major Guatemalan city to have a Mayan mayor and a Mayan majority on its city council. The mayor's efforts to improve services are beginning to win over non-Mayans.

stance, and endorsed the controversial decision by the Oakland school board to declare black English a separate language known as Ebonics . The plan is meant to improve comprehension and test scores by giving special attention to students having difficulty with language.

From Chicago, George Ofman (OFF-mun) reports on today's suspension of controversial pro basketball star Dennis Rodman. Rodman, a forward for the defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls, was suspended without pay for at least 11 games and fined 25-thousand dollars for kicking a courtside photographer during a game this week. It is the second-longest suspension in National Basketball Association history.

The conclusion of Robert's interview with Peter Schickele. (8:00) ((ST

about how the Gingrich predicament could affect his ability to run the House in the new Congress and whether it could endanger the Republican agenda.

the situation in Lima where the leftist rebels and their high-profile hostages are now into the 20th day of the siege at the Japanese ambassador's residence.

reports that many of the new AIDS treatments are failing to reach some minority communities. Concern is growing that Latinos and African-Americans find out too late that they are infected with the virus.

NPR's Joe Palca reports on some of the new laws that take effect today, including changes in national park fees, tax credits, and new standards defining the people who are eligible to receive cash welfare assistance.

The Supreme Court heard arguments today on whether to reinstate sexual assault charges against a former Tennessee judge. The judge originally was convicted of depriving several women of their constitutional rights by assaulting them, while acting in his official capacity as a judge. But a federal appeals court threw out the conviction, concluding that freedom from sexual attack is not a constitutional right. The judge was never charged with sexual assault under state law. His brother was the local prosecutor. NPR's Nina Totenberg has a report.

NPR's Ted Clark reports on the appearance made by Madeleine Albright at hearings on Capitol Hill today. President Clinton has nominated her as the next Secretary of State. If she is approved by the Senate, she would be the first woman in U.S. history to hold such a high office.

NPR's Edward Lifson reports from Belgrade where the government of President Slobodan Milosevic has made a major concession to the Opposition. Tonight, on television, the Justice Ministry acknowledged that the Opposition had won local elections last November in Nis (NEESH), Serbia's second largest city. It was the annulment of the election victory in Nis and other cities that prompted daily protests for the past 50 days.

On the steps of the Supreme Court today, activists for both sides of the assisted-suicide issue held demonstrations while the Justices heard arguments. Members of the Hemlock Society, which advocates the right to suicide, debated disabled-rights activists who fear legalized suicide could lead to euthanasia. NPR's Phillip Davis reports.

that went into the 1996 election campaign, the most expensive in American history. Democrats and Republicans alike created new ways to raise and spend millions of dollars. Washington lobbyists say the pressure to contribute was enormous, as were the amounts they were asked to donate.

The Dow Jones industrial average has gone up 500 points in the last six weeks. This rally is causing analysts to ask whether the market is overvalued, as they wonder when these gains will slow down or stop. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

Gillian Sharpe reports from The Hague that the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal has begun considering all the evidence from the first trial. Prosecution and defense attornies wrapped up their arguments today in the case of a Bosnian Serb, Dusan Tadic, who is accused of crimes against humanity.

The FBI has arrested one of its own on charges of spying for Moscow. Earl Edwin Pitts, who has been with the FBI for 13 years, is accused of taking more than 200-thousand dollars to spy for the Soviet Union, beginning in 1987. NPR's Chitra Ragavan reports that Pitts was arrested at work at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, today. Pitts faces attempted espionage and conspiracy charges that could put him in prison for life.

Commentator Bill Harley recounts how his best teacher meandered off the subject at hand and left an indelible impression on him. "Birdwalking" is a term of derision used by educators about this practice.