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NPR's Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg reports on the opening of Madame Tussaud's in New York. The famed British wax museum will feature replicas of some real New York types, including Woody Allen, Joe DiMaggio, Donald Trump, and Rudy Giuliani. But it will also have figures that have long attracted attention in its London home, such as Napoleon and Princess Diana. (

NPR's Richard Knox reports on clues to the earth's formation that are falling from the sky. Last January, a real estate agent in Canada witnessed the crash of a meteorite he described as a gigantic white light from the sky. A week later an amateur scientist discovered pieces of the meteorite, collected and preserved them in the freezer. Scientists now say it's the best sample they have yet to study how the earth was formed.

With the debates behind them, the presidential candidates met for a different audience tonight -- both George Bush and Al Gore attended the annual Al Smith charity dinner in New York. Instead of policy statements, this time the candidates traded quips and barbs. NPR's Anthony Brooks reports from New York.

NPR's Sarah Chayes reports from Paris on the Chinese-born writer Gao Xingjian, who was honored today with the Nobel Prize for Literature. Gao -- the first Chinese writer ever to win the literature prize -- has been living in self-imposed exile in France since 1987. The Swedish Academy honored him for his novels and plays about the struggle for individuality in mass culture.

NPR's Jim Zarroli reports that two of the nation's largest oil companies are merging. Chevron is acquiring Texaco in a stock swap valued at more than 35-billion dollars. The deal announced today is seen as an answer to other recent mergers in the oil industry, including the mergers of Exxon and Mobil and British Petroleum with Amoco. The new company will be called Chevron Texaco and will be headquartered in San Francisco.

NPR's Jim Zarroli reports on the expected rise in natural gas prices nationwide this winter. In one New Jersey town, residents could be paying 16% more to heat their homes. Industry experts say seasons of low gas prices are to blame: natural gas producers cut back on production because it was harder to make money. But now there's an increased demand for the resource. (

NPR's Chris Arnold reports on a part of the tax law that allows some companies to avoid paying taxes by writing off their employee's stock options. Cisco Systems paid no federal income taxes for its latest fiscal year because of this break, and Microsoft and America OnLine use stock options to lower their taxes. Some tax experts are saying the law which allows this practice needs to be revamped.

Scott explores the role of the Alien Property Custodian with John Bendix, researcher for the Presidential Advisory on Holocaust Assets, and David Whitman, of U.S. News and World Report. This office of the U.S. Government retained the profits earned on works created by residents of the Axis power nations during --and after-- World War Two, in order to keep those funds out of the hands of the Nazis.

NPR's Andy Bowers reports from the campaign trail. With only two weeks left until the election, Al Gore is now playing catch up with George Bush in many polls. Last week, Gore announced that he will spend the rest of the campaign discussing the big issues. Bush has enlisted the aid of 27 Republican governors in his final pass called Barnstorm for Reform.

South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung has won of the Nobel Peace Prize this morning. The Nobel committee recognized Kim for his promotion of democracy and human rights after years of authoritarian rule in South Korea, as well as his work towards peaceful relations with North Korea. NPR's Eric Weiner reports from Tokyo on the award.