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NPR's Joe Neel reports that scientists have developed the first simple test for mad cow disease and its human equivalent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Until now, the only way to diagnose these incurable diseases was to look at a sample of brain tissue, something doctors are reluctant to do before a patient dies. The new test uses spinal fluid and will likely prevent the needless slaughter of animals that have symptoms of the disease but are actually healthy. The test will also permit doctors to distinguish between mind-robbing symptoms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and a more common syndrome, Alzheimer's disease.

Adam Hochberg reports from Raleigh, North Carolina that people are still struggling with the aftermath of Hurricane Fran. Hundreds of thousands of people in the state are still without power, stores are facing huge losses and nerves are fraying.

Commentator David Brooks discusses the difference between President Clinton's and Bob Dole's views on school choice. Brooks says that Catholic schools have proven to be especially effective at educating at-risk inner city students, and the needs of these kids should outweigh the concerns of the National Education Association.

where Hurricane Fran has destroyed crops and devastated farms throughout the region. Many of the crops were just about ready to be picked when the storm hit last week.

who has been given permission by the European Commission on Human Rights to challenge a 1933 British law that permits caning. Britons are weary of Europeans telling them how to discipline their children.

NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports on the debate over how to train and certify the next generation of teachers. An estimated 2 million new teachers will enter the nation's schools in the next decade, and many educators favor national standards and other measures as a way of ensuring that the next generation of teachers is qualified. But others say a state and local approach is more appropriate, and some feel making we need to loosen up the rules for teacher certification as a way of encouraging people to get on the job training in the profession.

Argentina agrees to pay a settlement decided by a Los Angeles court this week to compensate a victim of its "dirty war." NPR's Mandelit Del Barco reports.

reports on the redevelopment of the Potsdamer Plots the central business area in Berlin.

While the overwhelming majority of black voters vote Democratic, some feel that the Democratic party takes them for granted and does not address all of their concerns. At the same time, the Republican presidential ticket -- Bob Dole and Jack Kemp -- says it will make a special effort this year to reach out to black voters, who have sometimes been written off by the Republican Party. NPR's Cheryl Corley reports.

which threatens to derail the Dayton peace process. The names of candidates for local office have been removed from ballots on the grounds that municipal elections are 'not feasible' at present. Under the Dayton accords, local elections were to take place at the same time as national elections. The elections begin today with the casting of absentee ballots by Bosnian refugees. Voting inside Bosnia is scheduled for September 14th.