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While the number of Catholics is dwindling in other parts of the world, the figure in Africa has doubled in the past two decades, to more than 100 million. Nearly 30 million Congolese are Catholic, and Pope John Paul II visited the Democratic Republic of Congo twice during his papacy. A look at the pontiff's legacy there.

One debate that never dies is who makes the best cars: the United States, Japan or Germany? U.S. automakers may be closing a perceived quality gap.

For Quincy Mosby, a promising start in high school turned into a cycle of procrastination, denial and self-esteem problems. But the novelty and independence that dropping out of school brought didn't last long.

Alicia Rose Parlette was a copy editor at the San Francisco Chronicle when her doctor told her she had a rare, difficult-to-treat form of cancer. Her journal about her struggle became the basis of a week-long series of articles.

Senate debate over the nomination of Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen to the federal bench enters a second day. Overshadowing her confirmation is the larger battle over the use of the filibuster to block judicial nominees. At the end of 100 hours of debate, the Senate is expected to vote on rules changes to eliminate the filibuster.

Syria's ruling Baath Party opened a congress Monday to discuss political and economic reforms. Syria, which has a centrally planned economy, suffers from a high unemployment rate. Economists and businessmen say they have seen positive changes in recent years, but warn that the government must do more to battle corruption and streamline the inefficient state bureaucracy.

Members of the New York-based band Songs from a Random House, an eclectic combo featuring two ukuleles, a viola and a string bass, join Scott Simon for a live performance and chat.

Volunteer "Minutemen" have spent the past three weeks on Arizona's border with Mexico, trying to deter illegal crossings. The group claims success. But other factors are also at play, including increased warnings by the Mexican government and traditional migration patterns that shift westward this time of year.

Much of the world's cotton comes from Texas, even though it's not a particularly great place to grow the crop. Big subsidies and heavy technology and R&D spending have helped the United States dominate the global cotton trade for two centuries.

The House Judiciary Committee holds hearings on the "Downing Street Memo," notes that suggest the Bush administration decided to invade Iraq months before the conflict began. The memo is from a meeting of British Prime Minister Tony Blair with his aides in July 2002.