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As Shanghai's World Expo readies to open May 1, the final countdown is on. And after an eight-year build-up, Shanghai is suffering from the tyranny of high expectations.

Nevin Harrison, 19, became the first woman from the U.S. to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport of canoe sprint.

James Rebanks' new book Pastoral Song urgently conveys how the drive for cheap, mass-produced food has impoverished both small farmers and the soil, threatening humanity's future.

Dutch fashion designer and engineer Anouk Wipprecht distinctive "fashion tech" designs combine couture, interactive technology and artificial intelligence.

NPR's Elaine Korry reports on today's Labor Department announcement that first-time claims for jobless benefits took a dramatic drop last week. That put the four-week jobless claims average at an eight-year low. The nation's unemployment rate fell to 5.3% in February, amid strong job creation. The survey of business payrolls showed a net increase of 339,000 jobs for the month, far more than was expected. The stock and bond markets reacted favorably because there was little hint of any inflation in the new numbers.

GOP leaders unveiled their list of legislative priorities today, two months after the start of the congressional session. Speaker Newt Gingrich and other top leaders were trying to answer claims that, compared to the start of the last session in 1995, this Congress has done little. The list of Republican priorities begins with balancing the federal budget, and also includes tax relief and a ban on certain late-term abortions. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

, the U.N. Security Council continues it debate over the Israeli decision to build new homes in Arab East Jerusalem. So far, Israel has been criticized for the move...while the Palestinians enjoy nothing but support. European representatives have lashed out against the Netanyahu government, but Israel defiantly plans to go ahead with the construction.

NPR's David Welna reports on delicate diplomatic talks between the U.S. and Mexico about drugs. Congress is moving to overturn President Clinton's decision last week to certify Mexico as "fully cooperating" in the drug war, and the administration is pressing the Mexicans to take several steps to stregthen their anti-drug fight. In particular, the U.S. wants Mexico to reverse its policy of not allowing DEA agents to carry sidearms in Mexico.

Connections between two on-going investigations, one by Whitewater special prosecutor Kenneth Starr and the other by the Justice Department and Congress into possible illegal campaign contributions, appeared to grow with revelations that former Associate Attorney General Webster Hubbell had received large payments from companies involved in the contributions scandal after he left the administration. Many of those involved are longtime friends and backers of President Clinton. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

about the complicated process of naming newly created chemical elements. Dr. Becker is the Secretary-General of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the body that decides disputes between laboratories each proposing their own chemical names.