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Sometime early next year, tons of African ivory will be sold at auction to Japan. Despite the international ban on the trade, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia will be allowed a one-time purge of their stockpiled ivory. Conservationists hope the sale won't reignite widespread demand for elephant tusks.

A new poll shows that the GOP is in danger of losing its dominance in Texas. With its anti-immigration rhetoric, it's losing support among Hispanic voters. Young Republicans also say they're not wedded to voting along party lines.

Life in Baghdad has changed radically in the past few years. A professor who teaches in Baghdad talks about university life in a war-torn country.

Many listeners wrote in about Wade Goodwyn's story on UFO sightings in Texas, and one pointed out that we missed a teaching opportunity about superior mirage phenomenon. Robert Siegel talks with Christine Pulliam, a spokeswoman for the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, to find out more.

The little people of Flores, Indonesia, continue to puzzle scientists and provoke debate. The latest analysis suggests that the tiny humanlike people whose bones were found in a cave five years ago are ancient human ancestors. However, not everyone is entirely convinced of the link.

The festive, sophisticated, magical mystery of wine is explored in a new monumental book, OPUS VINO. The book traces the expanding interest in wine, and the unusual places that now boast successful wineries. We'll also talk about San Diego's vintners, and our exceptional selection of local wines. Before you make the final selection for your holiday table join us for our wine hour.

California likes to brag it has some of the toughest laws on the books when it comes to making sure its people will not run out of water. But critics say the laws are poorly enforced, and the whole sy

Pakistan's once-tranquil Swat Valley is now a battleground in the struggle between Taliban militants and Pakistan's army and Frontier Corps. But it will take more than the Taliban to deter Wahida Begum from doing her job as school principal.

NPR's Alex Chadwick talks with Christian Science Monitor reporter Scott Baldauf, reporting from the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq. Insurgent leader and Islamic cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has rejected an earlier deal calling for him and his followers to disarm and leave the holy site. The interim Iraqi government could respond with military force.

Bobby Jindal takes office as the new governor of Louisiana, becoming the nation's first Indian-American elected to head a state. He faces huge challenges, mainly leading the state's efforts to rebuild from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Gov. Jindal pledges to root out corruption.