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about the defection of an important North Korean official. Hwang Jang Yop, is the highest official ever to desert the Ruling Workers party.

After the return of millions of refugees, some of them responsible for the genocide, hundreds of people who witnessed the slaughter have been killed.

Robert talks with Stephen Linton, chair of the Eugene Bell Foundation and a research associate at Columbia University, about the defection of Hwang Jang Jop (HWAHNG JAHNG JOPP) from North Korea. They discuss his role in the North Korean government, and what his defection means politically.

ever to be charged with espionage is in jail after being caught trying to sell secrets to the Russians.

Some of the most common diseases in the United States are sexually transmitted: syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and hepatitis. But they're difficult to track and to treat. About a fourth of the 12 million cases that occur each year affect adolescents. The most serious consequences are born by women of child-bearing age who may become infertile or develop cancer as a result of untreated infections. NPR's Vicky Que (KWAY) reports that an Institute of Medicine study concludes that not enough is being done by either the private or the public sector to prevent these infections.

how people's personalities change as they age.

Heart disease is one of the main killers of African-Americans, who have a higher mortality rate than whites. But there are variations in the occurrence of heart disease among African-Americans from different regions of the country and different parts of the world. Those who immigrated to New York from the South had a much higher death rate from heart disease, and blacks from the Caribbean had a much lower rate...a lower rate even than whites. NPR's Joanne Silberner says the report suggests that factors ranging from diet to cultural and social conditions are more important than genes.

who have seized control of large areas of eastern Zaire and driven out the Hutu militias.

the troubled Seattle public school system. John Stanford has widespread support in the community, but the question remains whether he can translate his 'can do' attitude into concrete results.

From Jerusalem, Laurie Neff reports on a new Israeli airstrike in Lebanon's Bekaa (beh-KAH) Valley, as a major debate on the wisdom of Israel's occupation of a "security zone" in southern Lebanon reaches a crescendo. The debate began in the wake of a helicopter crash in which 73 Israelies died. Some critics now say that the government should withdraw the troops it has maintained in Southern Lebanon since 1978. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is opposed to a withdrawal; many, including some from his own party, believe occupation of the Lebanese border area is no longer worth the cost in Israeli lives.

Critic Bob Mondello reports on the "indefinite postponement" of the Broadway premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest musical, "Whistle Down the Wind." This latest problem with a Lloyd Webber musical has many people asking if Sir Andrew's lost his touch. Mondello says that Lloyd Webber's overdue for a monster hit...and not to count him out just yet.

to the Australian Parliament in Canberra and an earlier news conference.

Vice President Al Gore met with the families of airline crash victims today and said the airline industry is making an effort to deal with their concerns. Seven US airlines have agreed to quickly hand over passenger lists to the government after crashes of international flights. Also, the National Transportation Safety Board now has the authority to deal directly with families. The NTSB used that authority following last night's fatal collision of two airplanes in Quincy, Illinois. NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports.

NPR'S MaryKay Magistad reports that Secretary Warren Christopher met today with China's top leaders to forge a better relationship between the United States and China. Though there was no official statement made, progress was made on several issues, including nuclear non-proliferation.

Music reviewer Tom Manoff has been swept away by a new recording of Alexander Borodin's String Quartet Number Two. Many people may have heard some of the familiar melodies in the musical "Kismet." Manoff reminds us that the musical was composed 70 years after the death of Borodin, and says that this new performance of the composer's work by the Takacs Quartet is magnificent.

After appearances by Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin before House and Senate committees yesterday and today, the parameters of the budget debate are beginning to emerge. There's likely to be agremeent on changing the way the Consumer Price Index is calculated, for example, but disagreement over a capital gains tax. Still, NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports that this budget negotiation is likely to be much easier than in previous years.

still haven't been decided two weeks after polling day -- that's because election officials haven't finished verifying thousands of so-called provisional ballots.

NPR's Tovia Smith reports on a move by the state of Massachusetts to require high school students to pass a 'GED' test before receiving a diploma. The equivalency test is usually administered to dropouts or prisoners trying to get a diploma but some in the state want to use it as a check on what students are learning in their schools.

National Transportation Safety Board officials are investigating the collision of two airplanes that occurred last night at an airport in Quincy, Illinois. NPR's Cheryl Corley reports that the fire from the collision left little behind, but earlier today federal officials located a cockpit voice recorder from one of the planes.

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about the implications of the latest spy charged in the CIA.

From Moscow, NPR's Andy Bowers reports that Russian President Boris Yeltsin has appeared on television, fifteen days after heart bypass surgery. He said he is in what he called "a fighting mood". He also told Kremlin officials they will be held accountable for their actions while he has been away.

Edward Lifson is in Belgrade, where police stopped students from marching, but an estimated 60,000 anti-government demonstrators rallied. The coalition of opposition parties, which has sponsored marches for more than five weeks, got a psychological boost today from a report issued by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The OSCE report was released following a week of investigating poll results from the November 17th municipal elections that were annulled by the government and Yugoslav courts. The OSCE today said the opposition parties won those elections fair and square.

Linda talks with Charles Gasparino, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal . They discuss the strong stock market of the last ten years, and how investors who have never experienced a "bear market" may react when the economic indicators experience a downward turn.

The World's small tribal languages are disappearing; of the 174 native american languages in the U.S., all but twenty are currently endangered. Reporter Mary Losure, of Minnesota Public Radio, visits the Mille Lacs reservation in central Minnesota where the Ojibwe are using money from gambling to develop a new program of teaching language to their children. The kids are learning Ojibwe on computer and by singing popular songs written especially for them.