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An Italian perfume maker was commissioned to create the pope's cologne. The exact formula is top secret but it's rumored to have hints of lime, verbena and grass — reflecting the pontiffs love of nature.

A top Japanese diplomat says indirect negotiations to free a captive journalist from the militant Islamic State group have reached a "state of deadlock."

In the NHL, the Buffalo Sabres and the Arizona Coyotes are battling for the title of the worst in the league. The loser would get better odds of landing a top draft pick.

The top spot on the American Library Association's annual list of most challenged books goes to The Adventures of Captain Underpants — for the second year in a row.

The drivers were told no more shorts, even though the heat in the cabs can top 95 degrees. They are permitted to wear just long pants or skirts. So many of the male engineers are now wearing skirts.

Yale economics student Sam Dorward reviewed career statistics of newly drafted NFL quarterbacks. He says new draft picks have better careers if they wait a year to start at quarterback. But the teams with the top picks are unlikely to be patient.

Code breaker Leo Marks died January 15th at the age of 80. He served as one of Britain's top code makers during WWII. There he revolutionized the military's code making methods. He wrote about his experiences in Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's War 1941-1945. Marks was also a screenwriter. His most famous film was the 1960's cult-classic Peeping Tom.

President Bush today tried to keep the focus on the tax cut plan he will submit to Congress tomorrow. But the shooting just off the White House grounds got most of the media attention. Earlier in the day, top aides to the president had scrambled to deny stories that said they were shutting down White House offices devoted to AIDS research and to promoting better race relations. NPR's White House correspondent Don Gonyea reports.

The Bush administration condemns the assassination of a top commander of the Kurdish resistance in northern Iraq. A State Department spokesman says the United States had been working closely with Gen. Shawkat Haji Mushir. Mushir's death is blamed on a Kurdish Islamist movement with al Qaeda ties. NPR's Ivan Watson report.

NPR's Anne Garrels reports from Belgrade that the French foreign minister visited the Yugoslav capital today. He told president Vojislav Kostunica that assistance to Yugoslavia's new leadership is Europe's top priority. The West has been waiting to see some positive signs from Kostunica on Kosovo. The new president today raised the issue of a possible exchange of ethnic Albanian and Serb prisoners. Ironically, Kostunica's easiest task now seems to be dealing with the West. He has yet to consolidate control over the police and governmental bodies in the Serbian republic.