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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.

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.

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.

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.

could soon be used to help Alzheimer's patients...a disease that causes irreversible memory loss in about five million people. The new drug was designed in a laboratory, and it's been shown to improve memory in rats and now in humans.

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.

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.

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.

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.

that convenes for the first time today. It begins work today tackling some of the most controversial issues of the day, including human experimentation and use of new genetic technologies.