diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 136c9e59..d00b0942 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -1,12 +1,25 @@
 GNU tar NEWS - User visible changes.
 Copyright 1994, 1995-1998, 1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 
+version 1.13.9 - Paul Eggert, 1999-08-18.
+
+* `tar' now writes two zero blocks at end-of-archive instead of just one.
+  POSIX.1 requires this, and some other `tar' implementations check for it.
+
+* `tar' no longer silently accepts a block containing nonzero checksum bytes
+  as a zero block.
+
+* `tar' now reads buggy tar files that have a null byte at the start of a
+  numeric header field.
+
+
 version 1.13.8 - Paul Eggert, 1999-08-16.
 
 * For compatibility with traditional `tar', intermediate directories
   created automatically by root are no longer given the uid and gid of
   the original file or directory.
 
+
 version 1.13.7 - Paul Eggert, 1999-08-14.
 
 * --listed-incremental and --newer are now incompatible options.