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NPR's Julie McCarthy in London reports on the European Union decision to lift sanctions against Yugoslavia, now that Slobodan Milosevic is no longer in charge.

NPR's Larry Abramson reports on a study that shows fewer people are falling victim to gunshot wounds during the commission of crimes. The Justice Department says the number of gunshot wounds fell almost 40 percent from 1993 and 1997. Experts credit a number of factors, including the aging of the population and longer prison sentences for violent criminals.

There is growing concern among gun control advocates that mandated background checks for weapons purchasers are inadequate. A report by the Los Angeles Times last week revealed that in Texas, hundreds of felons were granted permits to carry concealed weapons. The paper said the state had failed to carry out complete background checks. However, more than 30 other states allow people to carry concealed weapons, and researchers say it is almost impossible to find out information about crimes committed by permit holders. It's also hard to find out if criminals are slipping through the background check. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

Kate Seelye in Beirut reports on diplomatic efforts aimed at securing the release of three Israeli soldiers, seized by Hizbollah guerrillas in a border clash last Saturday.

NPR's Robert Smith reports from Seattle on the decision by principals at several suburban schools to restrict the delivery of flowers, balloons, and other gifts to students during the school day. At homecoming, Valentine's Day, prom, and graduation, the large volume of deliveries has become a nuisance to school employees and a distraction to students.

Joshua Welsh of South Dakota Public Radio begins our two part series looking at the Homestake Mining Company. The company has announced it will end its gold mining operation in the Black Hills of South Dakota by 2002. The mine is the largest gold mine in North America, and has produced more ore than any other. Its also where most people in the small town of Lead South Dakota report for work.

(Update) NPR's Anthony Brooks reports from St. Louis, the site of tonight's third and final Presidential debate. Despite the informal "town hall" style, the stakes are again high, with Vice President Al Gore and Governor George Bush still in a statistical dead heat with only three weeks left until the election.

MORNING SATIRE: Ever miss those simple times of yesteryear when dining out meant dining out, with no pesky cares about who grew your salad or who caught your entre? Well...you can keep missing them thanks to this skit from the NPR program Rewind, produced at member station KUOW in Seattle. (1:27

(Update) Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan died last night in a plane crash that also killed his son and a senior aide. Carnahan had served two terms as governor and was locked in a close Senate race with freshman Republican John Ashcroft. Host Bob Edwards talks with NPR's David Welna in St. Louis.

In part two of our series on the "Megatransect", an attempt by wildlife biologist Mike Fay to walk from the center of Africa to its eastern coast, Fay describes his journey through the Congo Basin. The region is filled with dense jungles and swaps. And it harbors some of the deadliest diseases known to man. Through his recorded field diary, Fay relates the difficulty his team faced as it trekked through a part of the world no human has seen in more than a century. (8:49

NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports on how American venture capitalists are now investing in companies overseas, particularly in Western Europe. Some credit more flexible rules in stock markets there, others cite a cultural shift in attitudes toward making money this way.

NPR's Elaine Korry reports on the proposed merger of the second and third largest U.S. oil companies, Chevron and Texaco. Some analysts say ChevronTexaco will be better able to compete with other oil giants, but others say it's hard to predict how profitable the new company will be.

(Update) Host Bob Edwards talks with NPR's Michael Sullivan in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, about what hope is left for a ceasefire between Israelis and Palestians. Middle Eastern leaders are still meeting with President Clinton at the resort, but no accord has yet been reached.

(Update) Weeks of violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have sparked a resurgence by the Israeli right. Ariel Sharon, the right-wing leader whose visit to a contested holy site set off the current conflict, may even be invited to join the government. NPR's Linda Gradstein reports from Jerusalem.

Baxter Black unveils his new collection of cowboy poems both prolific and profound in a conversation with Morning Edition's Bob Edwards. It's a cowful of cowboy poetry.

Writer and desert lover Craig Childs talks about the humbling experience he had watching a sure-footed ram negotiate the steep rocks in the Grand Canyon.

In the third part of a month-long series on leadership, NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg talks to Academy Award winning movie director Sydney Pollack, who reveals his leadership secrets. Pollack talks about what he's learned from other directors and actors. He says a leader should be knowledgeable, trustworthy, truthful, authentic, patient, persistent, and be able to live with frustration.

NPR's Michelle Kelemen reports that Russian officials, desperate to end rampant tax evasion, created a special police force to combat the problem. And in order to ensure future candidates will be ready to take on the roll of "tax police", they've begun training teens, at a cadet school in Moscow.

Host Bob Edwards shares listener comments about our recent stories in our weekly letters segment.

Commentator Elissa Ely, a psychiatrist in Massachusetts tells us about a patient with sleep apnea, who felt he was fighting a "holy war" inside the hospital where she works.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from Camp Zeist that a special Scottish court reconvened today in the Netherlands -- only to announce another recess in the trial of two Libyans accused of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Prosecutors told the court they needed more time to investigate what they termed "sensitive" information from a foreign government. This latest recess follows a poor performance by the prosecution's star witness. There is a growing feeling the prosecution case may not be strong enough to convict the two Libyans.

Noah talks with Richard Ben Cramer, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of the new book Joe DiMaggio: The Hero's Life, about two personalities of the man known as The Yankee Clipper, Joltin' Joe DiMaggio: the elegant athlete and national icon, and the intensely private man, distant and eaten up by resentments of Mickey Mantle and others. (7:45) Joe DiMaggio: The Hero's Life, by Richard Ben Cramer is published by Simon and Schuster, ISBN # 0-684-85391-4.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden in Jerusalem reports it is too early to tell whether the latest Israeli-Palestinian agreement will put an end to the bloody clashes in the West Bank and Gaza. The two sides have sharply intensified their propaganda war over the past two-and-a-half weeks.

Frank Browning reports on the number two cancer killer in America -- colon cancer. More than 45-thousand Americans die from it every year. A study in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association confirms that screening people over 50 for colorectal cancer saves lives. Malignancies are detected earlier, at a more treatable stage. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health and several private groups have launched an aggressive colon cancer prevention campaign. But it's been difficult to get people over 50 to get tested.

Despite an air crash that claimed the life of Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan last night, the two major presidential candidates decided to hold their debate tonight in St. Louis as planned. Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush are each taking time to remember Carnahan during the 90 minute meeting, which features a town hall format. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.