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The Swedish furniture store Ikea is sending a $2.6 million aid package. China is sending aid worth $1.6 million. It first offered $100,000.

The online retailer is premiering its first original show — a comedy about four senators bunking together in D.C. NPR's Eric Deggans says the series, which stars John Goodman, isn't quite the sharp comedy you might expect from creator Garry Trudeau.

The EPA proposed a new standard on Friday for how much biofuel must be mixed into the nation's gasoline. The portion of vehicle fuel that comes from plants has increased dramatically over recent years to about 10 percent. But most of it comes from corn. Congress hoped that, by now, a billion gallons would be coming from advanced biofuels, which have much smaller greenhouse gas footprints. That hasn't happened. But the nascent cellulosic fuel industry says don't count it out. Several plants are on the verge of opening and more will be on the way.

In Philomena, the British comedian plays a journalist helping an older woman track down the son she was forced to give up for adoption. Coogan tells NPR's Robert Siegel about the project — one with a bit more weight than his usual work.

President Obama's proposal — designed to help reverse the recent cancellation of some health policies — seems to leave the decision up to insurance companies. But there are other decision-makers in the mix who are just as important: state regulators.

Each of the young women in Laura van den Berg's The Isle of Youth is searching for significance in her life, troubled by the choices she's made. Their tales make up a collection of short stories written with cool aloofness. Critic Rosecrans Baldwin says that this book won't be for everyone — but for fans of detached prose, it's spectacular.

Several states are moving or looking to move to a new primary election system that could force members of Congress to pay more attention to general election voters than to their base voters on the right or left.

The White House has been fighting to prevent the disastrous rollout of the health care law from defining President Obama's second term. This week, diplomats from the U.S. and other countries are meeting for a second round of negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, and a breakthrough there could shape history's view of this president.

The Syrian army has been gaining significant ground against the rebels around the capital and in the north city of Aleppo. Analysts say the regime has better allies, superior fire-power and in this sectarian battle, has finally integrated Shiite forces from Hezbollah into a formidable force that is effective against disunited rebels.

Steve Inskeep talks to Robert Cribb, a reporter with the Toronto Star, who for the past year followed a sweeping investigation into a child pornography ring. The three-year investigation, made public last week, began with a Toronto-based website and led to the arrest of dozens of producers and clients and the rescue of nearly 400 children.