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NPR's Eric Weiner reports on some of the less-than-classic items for sale in the marketplaces of Jerusalem. Tourists can buy Jesus pens, Jesus key chains, even a glow-in-the-dark Jesus. Those who want to take a bit of Jerusalem home with them can buy a Holy Kit, complete with such items as olive oil supposedly taken from the Church of the Sepulchre.

Outside the Chicago Museum of Science and History, you can actually walk through U505, the only remaining intact German U-boat, captured by the Allies on the high seas during World War II. But Chicago's winters have taken a toll on the U505. NPR's Rick Karr reports that its caretakers are trying to find the ways and the means to bring it in out of the elements for good.

Consumer advocates are warning the public to stay away from a new type of home-equity loan, which many homeowners are finding attractive. Traditional home-equity loans require the borrower to have an equity stake of at least 10% before using the home as collateral. The new loans throw out such restrictions and allow homeowners to borrow tens of thousands of dollars without having any equity. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.

The House has voted to punish Speaker Newt Gingrich with a reprimand and a penalty of 300-thousand dollars. The action was recommended by a special counsel who investigated charges that Gingrich gave false statements to the ethics committee, and failed to seek legal advice on the use of tax-free contributions for partisan political activities. NPR's Brian Naylor reports that Congresswoman Nancy Johnson, who chairs the Standards of Official Conduct Committee, calls the punishment "tough" but "appropriate."

NPR's Mary Kay Magistad (MAGG-stadd) reports that the Chinese government has begun a new campaign to change the dominant cultural ideology. There is concern among government leaders that the last few years of economic reform have made the citizens forget the basic tenets of Socialism. Some analysts see this as a way President Jiang Zemin (JONG-zuh-MINN) is trying to make the Communist party more stable in light of the emerging free-market reforms that are pumping money into the country.

NPR's Edward Lifson reports from Germany on the preparations for Christmas in Berlin. There's a huge Christmas fair in the eastern part of the city. Visitors can see the Weihnachtsman (VY-nawks-mahn) who is nothing like the jolly old elf we know here...buy ornaments and carved nativity scenes the size of match boxes, or listen to a huge calliope and ride a giant ferris wheel.

NPR's David Baron reports that the Department of Health and Human Services completes three days of hearings on the way that donated livers are distributed for transplants. There are deep disagreements among health care professionals and the people who need transplants about the way these organs are allocated, and some critics allege that the centers that perform liver transplant procedures are making profit their number-one priority, rather than life-saving.

Jon Miller reports from Lima on today's talks between the government negotiator and the second-in-command of the leftist rebels holding 72 hostages at the Japanese ambassador's residence. The discussions were expected to focus mostly on setting an agenda for future negotiations, but the fact that they occurred at all was noteworthy. This is only the second face-to-face meeting between the two sides since the crisis began eight weeks ago today, and the first such encounter in six weeks.

Turkey's Islamic Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan will send a high-ranking ministerial envoy to Washington to reassure the Clinton administration that Turkey's recent economic and political rapprochement with Iran is nothing the US, as Turkey's long-time ally, should "be afraid of." The decision was made in the wake of a state visit to Turkey by Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani. Ted Clark reports.

Mike Shuster reports on the geopolitics of the recently independent states of a region that once hosted the caravan trade routes of the Silk Road. Iran, the U.S. and the Central Asian countries themselves are the new players in a rivalry vying for political and commercial dominance over the oil-rich region.