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Skip cloying, bottled salad dressings and store-bought croutons. Preparing terrific salad toppings at home, in less than five minutes, is much easier than you think. Food writer Bryan Miller shows you how.

Pakistanis vote in a parliamentary election Monday, ending a campaign that has been overshadowed by violence — including the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. The vote could empower a new civilian government. But many say they believe the country's army will not go away quietly.

NPR has learned that the Bush administration is pushing for increased military action along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The plan is part of an effort to kill or capture Osama bin Laden and other top al-Qaida leaders by the time the president leaves office.

Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration have recommend that drugs Serevent and Foradil no longer be used for asthma. Top-selling Advair was not affected by the recommendation.

The Colombian military on Wednesday freed 15 people held by the FARC rebel group. The hostages include Ingrid Betancourt, who was running for president when the FARC kidnapped her six years ago, and three American military contractors. Carolina Barco Isakson, Colombia's ambassador to the U.S., talks about the rescue operation.

Very few insurers around the country are offering top-of-the-line platinum insurance plans. Policymakers predicted less expensive but more restrictive bronze and silver plans would prove more popular than high-end options, and it looks like insurance companies think so, too.

Funeral directors in 15 states can now offer "water cremation," in which bodies are dissolved in a chemical solution. Some see it as more eco-friendly and less traumatic than consumption by flame.

In their 2004 book, Gary Stern and Ron Feldman, top executives at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, cautioned the world about systemic financial risk and the need for more oversight. They admit to a fleeting sense of "I told you so."

The U.N. protested Israeli fire on its warehouse in Gaza. Israel said Hamas militants were launching rockets from the U.N. compound. Israel also killed a top Hamas leader in its operations in the Gaza Strip. And there was speculation that Israel and Hamas are close to an agreement on a cease-fire.

Gunmen in Mumbai are thought to still be holding a number of foreign hostages. Indian commandos have been trading fire with the attackers. On Wednesday, gunmen armed with assault rifles and grenades fanned out across Mumbai and attacked popular tourist sites, including the city's top two luxury hotels.