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Water has been restored to Harbin in northeast China, five days after a chemical plant accident polluted a river that runs past the city toward Russia. The toxic slick is expected to reach the Russian city of Khabarovsk in about two weeks.

A new book uncovers the research of John Work, who accompanied folklorist Alan Lomax on a trip to the Mississippi Delta in the early 1940s. They documented the music heard in churches, blues joints and cotton fields of the South.

Hear the Washington National Opera perform George Gershwin's legendary musical in its entirety. The full performance originally webcast live on NPR.org from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Two years ago, singing herdsmen from Mongolia traveled to Nevada for a musical exchange with a group of singing cowboys. In September, the herdsmen hosted their American counterparts on the Mongolian steppe.

The Bayou Classic, the traditional Thanksgiving football rivalry between historically black universities Grambling State and Southern University, will be played in Houston this year, instead of its usual site, New Orleans. It's just one of events forced to seek a new home because of Hurricane Katrina. Karen Henderson of member station WRKF in Baton Rouge reports.

A car bomb explodes outside a mosque in northern Baghdad, killing at least 14 people. In southern Baghdad, insurgents attack a police station, killing at least six police officers and freeing more than 50 prisoners. Both attacks came around dawn. NPR's Mike Shuster reports.

Lily Tuck's novel of 19th century Paraguay wins the National Book Award for fiction. Tuck, awarded the prize for her novel The News From Paraguay, was one of five New York women authors nominated for the fiction award. Kevin Boyle won the nonfiction prize for Arc of Justice and Jean Valentine's Door in the Mountain won in the poetry category. Hear NPR's Lynn Neary.

Explosions and sirens remain part of a regular daily soundtrack in Baghdad, as insurgent attacks continue in parts of the country. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

Two of the nation's oldest and best-known retailers -- Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart -- agree to merge in a deal worth an estimated $11 billion. The proposed merger would create a new entity called Sears Holdings, but will be mainly controlled by Kmart executives. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

With major fighting in Fallujah over, attention now turns to the civilian population. Saa'id Hakki, chairman of the Iraqi Red Crescent, talks about the current humanitarian situation in and around the war-torn city. Hear Hakki and NPR's Steve Inskeep.