diff --git "a/DUC/sent_window_0_clusters/train.source" "b/DUC/sent_window_0_clusters/train.source" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/DUC/sent_window_0_clusters/train.source" @@ -0,0 +1,300 @@ + BUENOS AIRES, Argentina _ Gen. Augusto Pinochet, who ruled Chile as a despot for 17 years, has been arrested in London after Spain asked that he be extradited for the presumed murders of hundreds of Chilean and Spanish citizens , the British authorities announced Saturday. LONDON (AP) _ British police said Saturday they have arrested former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet on allegations of murdering Spanish citizens during his years in power. LONDON (AP) _ British police said Saturday they have arrested former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet on allegations of murdering Spanish citizens during his years in power. Responding to a Spanish extradition warrant , British police announced Saturday they have arrested Pinochet on allegations that he murdered an unidentified number of Spaniards in Chile between Sept. 11, 1973, the year he seized power, and Dec. 31, 1983. Responding to a Spanish extradition warrant, British police announced Saturday they have arrested Pinochet on allegations that he murdered an unidentified number of Spaniards in Chile between Sept. 11, 1973 , the year he seized power, and Dec. 31, 1983. LONDON (AP) _ Eight years after his turbulent regime ended, former Chilean strongman Gen. Augusto Pinochet is being called to account by Spanish authorities for the deaths, detention and torture of political opponents. The Spanish authorities contend that Pinochet may have committed crimes against Spanish citizens in Chile. The Spanish authorities contend that Pinochet may have committed crimes against Spanish citizens in Chile. + The Chilean government immediately demanded his release, arguing that he has diplomatic immunity since he sits in the Chilean Senate. Chile said it would protest to British authorities, arguing that the 82-year-old senator-for-life has diplomatic immunity. LONDON (AP) _ Former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet has been arrested by British police on a Spanish extradition warrant, despite protests from Chile that he is entitled to diplomatic immunity. Chile has protested the arrest, insisting that, as a senator for life, Pinochet enjoyed diplomatic immunity under his diplomatic passport. President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, in Portugal for a summit meeting of Iberian and Latin American leaders, charged that Britain was breaking international law, saying that Pinochet , now an unelected senator for life, carried a diplomatic passport giving him legal immunity. The Chilean government has protested Pinochet's arrest, insisting that as a senator he was traveling on a diplomatic passport and had immunity from arrest. + Pinochet, who is 82 and who stepped down as commander in chief of the Chilean military five months ago, was arrested by the British police on Friday night, little more than a week after he arrived in London for surgery on a herniated disc. The spokeswoman refused to confirm Pinochet's whereabouts, but Pinochet's press secretary in Santiago said he being held in the London clinic where he underwent surgery for a herniated disc on Oct. 9. A regular visitor to Britain, Pinochet underwent surgery Oct. 9 for a herniated disc , a spinal disorder which has given him pain and hampered his walking in recent months. + Chile has protested the arrest , insisting that, as a senator for life, Pinochet enjoyed diplomatic immunity under his diplomatic passport. Pinochet's detention late Friday has left Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labor government seemingly embarrassed by the diplomatic implications of an arrest that has enraged the government of Chile _ which Britain regards as an ally _ and confronted European officials with uncomfortable implications for their handling of human rights violators from closer to home. The Chilean government has protested Pinochet's arrest , insisting that as a senator he was traveling on a diplomatic passport and had immunity from arrest. + LONDON (AP) _ Former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet has been arrested by British police on a Spanish extradition warrant , despite protests from Chile that he is entitled to diplomatic immunity. Pinochet , 82, was placed under arrest in London Friday by British police acting on a warrant issued by a Spanish judge. + BUENOS AIRES, Argentina _ Gen. Augusto Pinochet , who ruled Chile as a despot for 17 years , has been arrested in London after Spain asked that he be extradited for the presumed murders of hundreds of Chilean and Spanish citizens, the British authorities announced Saturday. Pinochet , who ruled Chile as a military dictator from 1973 to 1990 , was granted amnesty in his homeland but was arrested on Friday in London at the request of Spanish authorities, who want him extradited to Spain. + Responding to a Spanish extradition warrant, British police announced Saturday they have arrested Pinochet on allegations that he murdered an unidentified number of Spaniards in Chile between Sept. 11, 1973, the year he seized power , and Dec. 31, 1983. Two Spanish judges are seeking to question Pinochet about the slayings of an unspecified number of Spaniards in Chile between Sept. 11, 1973, the date he seized power , and Dec. 31, 1983. + The warrant said the general was wanted for questioning for ``crimes of genocide and terrorism that includes murder.' ' The warrant on which he was arrested alleges that Pinochet ``did murder Spanish citizens in Chile within the jurisdiction of the government of Spain,'' and was guilty of ``crimes of genocide and terrorism that includes murder.' ' + The warrant said the general was wanted for questioning for ``crimes of genocide and terrorism that includes murder.'' The warrant on which he was arrested alleges that Pinochet `` did murder Spanish citizens in Chile within the jurisdiction of the government of Spain,'' and was guilty of ``crimes of genocide and terrorism that includes murder.'' + Pinochet was placed under arrest after a senior Spanish judge , Baltasar Garzon, sent a request to detain him in connection with possible extradition hearings. Pinochet, 82, was placed under arrest in London Friday by British police acting on a warrant issued by a Spanish judge. + Bin Laden, the Saudi-born Islamic militant who lives in Afghanistan , has long been suspected of involvement in that and other attacks on Americans, including the Aug. 7 bombings of two U.S. Embassies in Africa. Bin Laden is believed to be living in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban , the Islamic fundamentalist movement that rules that country. Bin Laden is believed to be living in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban , the Islamic fundamentalist movement that rules that country. Bin Laden , believed to be in Afghanistan , and a top aide were indicted Wednesday by a U.S. District Court in the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa and are accused of conspiring to kill Americans outside the United States. Bin Laden remains at large and is believed to be living in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban , the Islamic fundamentalist movement that rules that country. + NEW YORK _ Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Wednesday that one of the men accused of conspiring to bomb the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August had met earlier with Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind of the attacks, and ``asked him for a mission.'' WASHINGTON _ Urged on by the Clinton administration, Saudi Arabia's top intelligence official met privately with the leader of the Taliban in late September to try to persuade Afghanistan to deport Osama bin Laden, the Saudi exile suspected of masterminding the August bombings of two American embassies in East Africa, according to U.S. and Arab officials. NEW YORK _ A federal district judge agreed Tuesday to review complaints by lawyers for three men arrested after the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa that their jail conditions in Manhattan are unconstitutional and inhumane. + Bin Laden , the Saudi-born Islamic militant who lives in Afghanistan, has long been suspected of involvement in that and other attacks on Americans, including the Aug. 7 bombings of two U.S. Embassies in Africa. Last month, el Hage was arrested on charges of being part of the Osama bin Laden terror network that is suspected of the bombing of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on Aug. 7. NEW YORK _ A federal grand jury in Manhattan returned a 238-count indictment Wednesday charging the Saudi exile Osama bin Laden with conspiring to bomb two U.S. embassies in Africa in August and with committing acts of terrorism against Americans abroad. + DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania _ In a rare public statement about the August bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa, the FBI said Friday that two vehicles had been used in the attack on the embassy here. They were in a Suzuki Samurai, one of the two vehicles identified Friday , investigators said. Two vehicles were also used in the bombing of the embassy in Nairobi , according to indictments that have been handed down. + The reported meeting between bin Laden and the accused man, Mohamed Rashed Daoud Al'Owhali, which had not previously been described, is the strongest allegation offered so far to link bin Laden to the attacks , in which more than 250 people died. Washington blames bin Laden's group, al Qaeda, for the Aug. 7 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people, including 12 Americans , and injured an estimated 5,000 people. The two other defendants in court Tuesday _ Mohammed Saddiq Odeh and Mohamed Rashed Daoud al-'Owhali _ have each been charged with separate counts of murder in the deaths of more than 200 people in the embassy attacks in Kenya and Tanzania on August 7. + Bin Laden already faces criminal charges in the United States under a sealed indictment handed up by a federal grand jury in New York. NEW YORK _ A federal grand jury in Manhattan returned a 238-count indictment Wednesday charging the Saudi exile Osama bin Laden with conspiring to bomb two U.S. embassies in Africa in August and with committing acts of terrorism against Americans abroad. + In their effort to persuade Afghanistan to deport bin Laden , State Department officials also have spoken to Taliban representatives themselves and have sought the intercession of Pakistan, the only other major ally of Afghanistan in the region. WASHINGTON _ Urged on by the Clinton administration, Saudi Arabia's top intelligence official met privately with the leader of the Taliban in late September to try to persuade Afghanistan to deport Osama bin Laden , the Saudi exile suspected of masterminding the August bombings of two American embassies in East Africa, according to U.S. and Arab officials. + Bin Laden, believed to be in Afghanistan, and a top aide were indicted Wednesday by a U.S. District Court in the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa and are accused of conspiring to kill Americans outside the United States. El Hage has been charged with conspiring to kill Americans abroad and has been described by the government as a former personal secretary to bin Laden. + He has been indicted in the United States , charged with terrorist acts committed before the embassy bombings. Bin Laden already faces criminal charges in the United States under a sealed indictment handed up by a federal grand jury in New York. + Harakat is considered a strong supporter of bin Laden, and several Harakat followers were killed in the U.S. missile attack on alleged bin Laden terror sites in Afghanistan. The United States retaliated Aug. 20, firing Tomahawk cruise missiles at suspected bin Laden training camps in eastern Afghanistan. + JERUSALEM (AP) _ A car bomb exploded Friday in a Jerusalem market crowded with Israelis shopping for the Sabbath. JERUSALEM (AP) _ A car bomb blew up Friday in a Jerusalem market crowded with Israelis shopping for the Sabbath. JERUSALEM (AP) _ Suicide bombers targeted a crowded open-air market Friday , setting off blasts that killed the two assailants, injured 21 shoppers and passersby and prompted the Israeli Cabinet to put off action on the new peace accord. In recent days , suicide bombers have attacked an Israeli school bus in the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem's outdoor market. In recent days , suicide bombers have attacked an Israeli school bus in the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem's outdoor market. Friday's bombing at the open-air Mahane Yehuda market killed the two assailants, injured 21 Israelis and jeopardized the 2-week-old Israeli-Palestinian peace accord. + Israel TV said the two dead were the assailants. The blast killed two assailants , wounded 21 Israelis and prompted Israel to suspend implementation of the peace accord with the Palestinians. Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai said the two dead were the assailants. JERUSALEM (AP) _ Suicide bombers targeted a crowded open-air market Friday, setting off blasts that killed the two assailants , injured 21 shoppers and passersby and prompted the Israeli Cabinet to put off action on the new peace accord. JERUSALEM (AP) _ Suicide bombers targeted a crowded open-air market Friday, setting off blasts that killed the two assailants , injured 21 shoppers and passersby and prompted the Israeli Cabinet to put off action on the new peace accord. + The Islamic militant group Hamas, which has been trying to sabotage the peace accord, claimed responsibility for the 9:45 a.m. (0745 GMT) attack in the Mahane Yehuda market , police said. The Islamic militant group Hamas, which has been trying to sabotage the agreement, claimed responsibility for the 9:45 a.m. (0745 gmt) attack in the Mahane Yehuda market. The radical Islamic group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack , the second suicide bombing since the signing of the land-for-security accord two weeks ago. The radical Islamic group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack , the second suicide bombing since the signing of the land-for-security accord two weeks ago. The radical group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack , but Palestinian security officials blamed members of the militant Islamic Jihad. + The blast killed two, apparently the assailants, and wounded 21 Israelis. The blast killed two assailants, wounded 21 Israelis and prompted Israel to suspend implementation of the peace accord with the Palestinians. It killed the two bombers and injured 21 Israelis. It killed the two bombers and injured 21 Israelis. In an interview published Saturday, President Hosni Mubarak said if Netanyahu wants to change that perception he must boldly face the setback to peace caused by Friday's car bombing in Jerusalem that killed the two bombers and injured 21. + JERUSALEM _ A red Fiat belching smoke sent shoppers fleeing moments before it exploded outside a bustling marketplace on Friday morning, killing the two bombers , injuring 24 other people and disabling the U.S.-brokered peace effort. It killed the two bombers and injured 21 Israelis. It killed the two bombers and injured 21 Israelis. In an interview published Saturday, President Hosni Mubarak said if Netanyahu wants to change that perception he must boldly face the setback to peace caused by Friday's car bombing in Jerusalem that killed the two bombers and injured 21. + The Israelis believe that Islamic Holy War, a militant fundamentalist organization, bears responsibility for the attack at the heavily guarded Mahane Yehuda market , where terrorists have staged several deadly bombings before. However, Palestinian security officials said that it was members of the militant Islamic Jihad group which carried out the attack. However, Palestinian security officials said that it was members of the militant Islamic Jihad group which carried out the attack. The radical group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, but Palestinian security officials blamed members of the militant Islamic Jihad. + The Islamic militant group Hamas, which has been trying to sabotage the peace accord , claimed responsibility for the 9:45 a.m. (0745 GMT) attack in the Mahane Yehuda market, police said. The Islamic militant group Hamas, which has been trying to sabotage the agreement , claimed responsibility for the 9:45 a.m. (0745 gmt) attack in the Mahane Yehuda market. I'm just sorry our Cabinet made such a decision which is exactly the aim of Hamas _ to stop Wye. '' + Palestinian officials condemned the attack, but accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of political blackmail for holding up the agreement that was to give the Palestinians another 13 percent of the West Bank. Palestinian officials condemned the attack, but accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of political blackmail for holding up the agreement that was to give the Palestinians another 13 percent of the West Bank by the end of January. Palestinian officials condemned the attack, but accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of political blackmail for holding up the agreement that was to give the Palestinians another 13 percent of the West Bank by the end of January. + JERUSALEM (AP) _ Suicide bombers targeted a crowded open-air market Friday, setting off blasts that killed the two assailants, injured 21 shoppers and passersby and prompted the Israeli Cabinet to put off action on the new peace accord. JERUSALEM (AP) _ Suicide bombers targeted a crowded open-air market Friday, setting off blasts that killed the two assailants, injured 21 shoppers and passersby and prompted the Israeli Cabinet to put off action on the new peace accord. + Two suicide bombers died in the attack in Jerusalem , which appeared to be an effort to undermine the Wye agreement, named for the Maryland conference center where the settlement was reached last month. JERUSALEM (AP) _ The father of one of the Islamic militants who died in the suicide bombing of a crowded Jerusalem market said Saturday he was sad about his son's death but proud of what he had done. + The Leonid meteors begin as dust or small chunks that break loose from Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle whenever it approaches the Sun. The meteors are fragments, most of them microscopic in size, of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The Leonid meteors , most of them smaller than grains of sand, are fragments knocked loose from Comet 55P/Temple-Tuttle each time it makes a close approach to the Sun every 33 years. But every 33 years , the comet speeds through the inner solar system and sheds swarms of particles as it nears the sun. + This storm of meteors , called Leonid meteors because they come from the direction of constellation Leo, will be the first to hit the Earth since 1966 when the world's space programs were in their infancy, and its effects on satellite systems are uncertain. On Tuesday, the Earth will enter Temple-Tuttle's debris-strewn backwash and will then, according to many scientists, witness the most intense meteor shower in more than three decades. The much-anticipated storm of Leonid meteors swept over Earth on Tuesday , a bit ahead of schedule, leaving many sky watchers disappointed but others dazzled by fireballs as bright as the full moon. + The Earth is hurtling into the path of a comet called Temple-Tuttle. The Earth is hurtling into the path of a comet called Temple-Tuttle. + The Earth is hurtling into the path of a comet called Temple-Tuttle. The Earth is hurtling into the path of a comet called Temple-Tuttle. + The scientists who track Temple-Tuttle do not even call it a shower, they call it a meteor storm. The scientists who track Temple-Tuttle do not even call it a shower, they call it a meteor storm. + But whichever the case, every one of the 600-odd satellites orbiting the Earth _ spacecraft used for communications, military reconnaissance, peace-keeping missions, climate and weather monitoring, astronomy, navigation and science _ will be hit by ultra-high-speed meteor dust. There were no immediate reports of damage to any of the roughly 600 satellites orbiting the Earth that are used for communications, military surveillance, climate and weather monitoring, astronomy and navigation. + But nowhere did the reported rate of meteor sightings greatly exceed 2,000 per hour _ barely one-tenth the rate at which meteors hit the atmosphere during the great 1966 Leonid storm. In 1966 , the Leonids display peaked at 150,000 meteors per hour. + Unfortunately for residents of the United States, the Leonid storm on Nov. 17 is expected to begin at 2:43 p.m. Eastern standard time and is likely to last for only an hour or so. + Periodically for at least the last 1,000 years, a spectacular rain of meteors spawned by a passing comet has lighted up the sky, inspiring fear, wonder and admiration. + The Leonids meteor shower was expected to blaze forth in its entire glory over Asia and the Pacific after midnight and into early Wednesday, regaling millions with a heavenly display of falling stars too numerous to wish upon. + The crash , which killed 230 people , led to the discovery of wiring problems in various older planes. All 229 passengers and crew aboard Flight 111 from New York to Geneva were killed when the airliner plunged into the sea off Peggy's Cove. Benoit Bouchard, chairman of Canada's Transportation Safety Board, predicted it would take longer than the normal 12 months to complete a final report on the crash off the Nova Scotia coast that killed all 229 people aboard the New York-to-Geneva flight. Benoit Bouchard, chairman of Canada's Transportation Safety Board, predicted it would take longer than the normal 12 months to complete a final report on the crash off the Nova Scotia coast that killed all 229 people aboard the New York-to-Geneva flight. The plane crashed on Sept. 2, on a flight from Kennedy International Airport in New York to Switzerland, killing all 229 people aboard. The MD-11 airliner flying from New York to Geneva crashed Sept. 2 off the coast of Canada, killing all 229 people aboard. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the Swissair crash , which involved smoke in the cockpit and killed all 229 people aboard. ``This is a bit strange for me; I don't really know what to write or how to begin,'' said one posting, by a woman named Mette, who said her father died in the Sept. 3 crash that took 229 lives. The plane bound from New York to Geneva crashed Sept. 2 off the coast of Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people on board. + Some debris from the cockpit area shows signs of extreme heat , but investigators have yet to establish any details about the cause or extent of a possible fire on board. Some debris from the cockpit area shows signs of extreme heat , but investigators have yet to establish any details about the cause or extent of a possible fire on board. WASHINGTON _ Investigators looking into the crash last month of Swissair Flight 111 off the coast of Nova Scotia have found ``heat damage'' in wires from the plane's in-flight entertainment system , prompting the airline to disconnect the system on all of its jumbo jets, Swissair officials said Thursday. Swissair acted voluntarily to disconnect the video-on-demand system, connected to a power supply routed through the cockpit, after Canadian investigators detected signs of heat damage on wiring and other debris from the ceiling around the cockpit of the MD-11. Swissair acted voluntarily to disconnect the video-on-demand system, connected to a power supply routed through the cockpit, after Canadian investigators detected signs of heat damage on wiring and other debris from the ceiling around the cockpit of the MD-11. + The causes of the crash have not been determined. TORONTO (AP) _ Hundreds of thousands of pieces of Swissair Flight 111, representing 60 percent of the plane, have now been retrieved from the ocean floor, but an explanation for the Sept. 2 crash remains far off , investigators said Tuesday. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the Swissair crash , which involved smoke in the cockpit and killed all 229 people aboard. The cause of the crash has yet to be determined. The cause of the crash has yet to be determined. + Swissair acted voluntarily to disconnect the video-on-demand system, connected to a power supply routed through the cockpit, after Canadian investigators detected signs of heat damage on wiring and other debris from the ceiling around the cockpit of the MD-11. Swissair acted voluntarily to disconnect the video-on-demand system, connected to a power supply routed through the cockpit , after Canadian investigators detected signs of heat damage on wiring and other debris from the ceiling around the cockpit of the MD-11. Swissair acted voluntarily to disconnect the video-on-demand system, connected to a power supply routed through the cockpit, after Canadian investigators detected signs of heat damage on wiring and other debris from the ceiling around the cockpit of the MD-11. Swissair acted voluntarily to disconnect the video-on-demand system, connected to a power supply routed through the cockpit , after Canadian investigators detected signs of heat damage on wiring and other debris from the ceiling around the cockpit of the MD-11. + The pilots had reported smoke in the cockpit 16 minutes before the crash. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in a statement that there was not enough information to determine whether the heat damage was a possible source of the smoke that the pilots reported in the cockpit shortly before the crash , or whether it was ``merely the byproduct of other events.'' The crew reported smoke in the cockpit 16 minutes before the crash. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the Swissair crash , which involved smoke in the cockpit and killed all 229 people aboard. + Asked about Swissair Flight 111, a 7-year-old MD-11 that crashed off Nova Scotia on Sept. 2 , she said she was not clear whether planes that age would be covered by the new program. The MD-11 airliner flying from New York to Geneva crashed Sept. 2 off the coast of Canada , killing all 229 people aboard. The MD-11 airliner flying from New York to Geneva crashed Sept. 2 off the coast of Canada, killing all 229 people aboard. The plane bound from New York to Geneva crashed Sept. 2 off the coast of Nova Scotia , killing all 229 people on board. + The entertainment system installed by Swissair is apparently not used by any other airline , although the Federal Aviation Administration _ which approved the installation for Swissair _ said that if it found an airline using the same equipment, it would ask that the system be turned off. Swissair is the only customer for the system , manufactured by Phoenix-based Interactive Flight Technologies Inc. Swissair is the only customer for the system , manufactured by Phoenix-based Interactive Flight Technologies Inc. + ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) _ Swissair ``did everything correctly'' in installing a state-of-the-art entertainment system switched off last month in the wake of the crash of Flight 111 , the airline's chief executive said in an interview published Sunday. ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) _ Swissair ``did everything correctly'' in installing a state-of-the-art entertainment system switched off last month in the wake of the crash of Flight 111 , the airline's chief executive said in an interview published Sunday. + ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) _ Swissair ``did everything correctly'' in installing a state-of-the-art entertainment system switched off last month in the wake of the crash of Flight 111, the airline's chief executive said in an interview published Sunday. ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) _ Swissair ``did everything correctly'' in installing a state-of-the-art entertainment system switched off last month in the wake of the crash of Flight 111, the airline's chief executive said in an interview published Sunday. + The system is installed on the first-class and business-class seats of Swissair's 15 surviving MD-11s and its three 747s. The system is installed on the first-class and business-class seats of Swissair's 15 surviving MD-11s and its three 747s. + China picked up one silver and one bronze medal at the 1997 world championships and won a gold, silver and five bronze medals at the Asian championships this year , the report said. Chinese women swimmers won 12 of the 16 golds at stake in the 1994 Rome world championships and all 15 of their races in the 1994 Asian Games. Chinese women swimmers won 12 of the 16 golds at stake in the 1994 Rome world championships and all 15 of their races in the 1994 Asian Games. + BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ China's women divers expect to clinch Asian Games gold in the platform competition but could face stiff competition from Kazakstan in the springboard. BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ China's women divers expect to clinch Asian Games gold in the platform competition but could face stiff competition from Kazakstan in the springboard. + BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ China's women divers expect to clinch Asian Games gold in the platform competition but could face stiff competition from Kazakstan in the springboard. BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ China's women divers expect to clinch Asian Games gold in the platform competition but could face stiff competition from Kazakstan in the springboard. + SEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ Despite catastrophic hunger at home, North Korea plans to send 317 athletes and officials to next month's Asian Games in Thailand , South Korean officials said Thursday. Chang said North Korea was sending a large delegation to Bangkok to prepare for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. + BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ China's swim team will hit the water at the Asian Games on Monday with a reminder of the darkest chapter in its story of drug shame. BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ China's swim team will hit the water at the Asian Games on Monday with a reminder of the darkest chapter in its story of drug shame. + Only Afghanistan is certain not to participate , said a press release from the organizing committee of the Dec. 6-20 games in Bangkok. Last week , Afghanistan said it would not send a team to the games because it could not afford the expense. + ``If she gives her best in the competition, she has the chance to snatch the gold away from Chinese divers. '' ``If she gives her best in the competition, she has the chance to snatch the gold away from Chinese divers. '' + The South Koreans , who have remained a force in field hockey since winning the gold in the 1986 Asian Games at home , are clearly the favorite. The South Koreans, who have remained a force in field hockey since winning the gold in the 1986 Asian Games at home, are clearly the favorite. + Under those criteria , Xiong would never have had his second chance at an Asian Games. Under those criteria , Xiong would never have had his second chance at an Asian Games. + The team won three gold medals at this year's world championships. The team won three gold medals at this year's world championships. + RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil _ Brazilian voters appeared to re-elect President Fernando Henrique Cardoso in the first round of balloting Sunday , thus maintaining the leadership of a country struggling against economic crisis. RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil _ Brazilian voters gave President Fernando Henrique Cardoso a comfortable lead in the first round of balloting Sunday , apparently maintaining the leadership of a country struggling against economic crisis. Although Cardoso seems to have clinched a first-round win , investors feared that he would put off any announcement of the harsh economic measures deemed necessary until the second round of voting for a number of governors, senators and federal deputies takes place on Oct. 25. ``Cardoso has won in the first round , but the market is thinking that all the measures we are waiting for will only take place after the second round,'' said Fabio Lara, director at Schahin Cury brokerage in Sao Paulo. The New York Times said in editorial for Wednesday, Oct. 7: Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso has little time to savor his apparent first-round re-election victory Sunday. + ``The next thing everybody's going to be watching is whether there is an IMF and World Bank package to support Brazil and whether the Brazilians are starting to take actions to work on the budget deficit,'' he said. ``The next thing everybody's going to be watching is whether there is an IMF and World Bank package to support Brazil and whether the Brazilians are starting to take actions to work on the budget deficit,'' he said. ``The next thing everybody's going to be watching is whether there is an IMF and World Bank package to support Brazil, and whether the Brazilians are starting to take actions to work on the budget deficit,'' he said. ``The next thing everybody's going to be watching is whether there is an IMF and World Bank package to support Brazil , and whether the Brazilians are starting to take actions to work on the budget deficit,'' he said. With a dlrs 41.5 International Monetary Fund -led bailout package , Brazil may have avoided becoming the latest domino to fall in the financial crisis afflicting Asia and Russia, but the outcome of all the fiscal belt-tightening needed to qualify for that aid will almost certainly spell recession in 1999. + It has been negotiating a bailout with the International Monetary Fund , but has been unable to show progress on structural reforms that would cut government expenses over the long term. It has been negotiating a bailout with the International Monetary Fund but has been unable to show progress on structural changes that would cut government expenses over the long term. Though Brazil has not yet submitted a formal request, Brazilian officials have been in Washington negotiating some form of assistance from the International Monetary Fund that will likely total $30 billion or more. + Though Brazil has not yet submitted a formal request, Brazilian officials have been in Washington negotiating some form of assistance from the International Monetary Fund that will likely total $30 billion or more. With Brazil's solvency seen as crucial to maintaining economic stability of Latin America and protecting the United States from recession, the United States and the International Monetary Fund are preparing to chip in toward an aid package of at least $30 billion to shore up Brazil. With Brazil's solvency seen as crucial to maintaining economic stability of Latin America and protecting the United States from recession, the United States and the International Monetary Fund are preparing to chip in toward an aid package of at least $30 billion to shore up Brazil. + RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil _ Brazilian voters appeared to re-elect President Fernando Henrique Cardoso in the first round of balloting Sunday, thus maintaining the leadership of a country struggling against economic crisis. RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil _ Brazilian voters gave President Fernando Henrique Cardoso a comfortable lead in the first round of balloting Sunday, apparently maintaining the leadership of a country struggling against economic crisis. + RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil _ Through the anxious weeks leading up to the national elections here on Sunday, as some $30 billion fled Brazil despite the doubling of domestic interest rates, international financial officials watched for the government to tackle cost-cutting reforms as soon as voting ended. The package was crucial for Brazil to qualify for a backup loan from the International Monetary Fund and other sources, including the U.S. government, and to counter a $30 billion hemorrhage from Brazil's foreign reserves , which have fallen to about $42 billion. + It has been negotiating a bailout with the International Monetary Fund, but has been unable to show progress on structural reforms that would cut government expenses over the long term. It has been negotiating a bailout with the International Monetary Fund but has been unable to show progress on structural changes that would cut government expenses over the long term. + With policy-makers at meetings of the Group of Seven industrial nations and the International Monetary Fund in Washington seeking permanent solutions to ward off the volatility that is threatening Brazil after devastating Asia and Russia, Cardoso is under considerable pressure to put Brazil's accounts in order. Cabinet members gathering at the presidential palace in Brasilia Sunday night called the vote a mandate for the economic measures that the president is under national and international pressure to carry out. + ``And the outcome of the runoff elections will definitely determine just how easy, or difficult, it will be for Cardoso to persuade Congress to approve the austerity measures. '' His victory could have complicated Cardoso's efforts to control state spending and win congressional approval for reforms. + Brazil must also control spending , especially on pensions for the bloated public sector. Caught up in the financial turmoil that began more than a year ago in Southeast Asia, Brazil believes it needs to slash government spending and raise taxes quickly to shore up its flagging economy and restore investor confidence. + For its part, Turkey is complaining ever more loudly about Syria's support for Kurdish insurgents in Turkey. Turkey has amassed troops on the border with Syria and warned of a military confrontation following allegations that Syria is supporting Turkish Kurdish rebels. The Ankara government accuses Syria of aiding the rebels , a charge Damascus denies. Turkish officials have accused Syria of allowing the country to be used as a base for Kurdish rebels who have been fighting for self-rule in southeastern Turkey. The Ankara government accuses Syria of aiding the rebels , a charge Damascus denies. Turkey long has accused Syria of sheltering Kurdish rebels , who have been fighting since 1984 for more autonomy for the Kurdish population in southeastern Turkey. Turkey long has accused Syria of sheltering Kurdish rebels , who have been fighting since 1984 for more autonomy for the Kurdish population in southeastern Turkey. + ISTANBUL , Turkey _ Tension between Turkey and Syria has risen to the point where the top Turkish military commander says the two hostile neighbors have reached ``a state of undeclared war.'' RIYADH , Saudi Arabia (AP) _ President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt will go to Syria and Turkey to help cool tensions between the two countries , which appear to be edging toward a military conflict, a top Egyptian official said Saturday. In an effort to ease escalating tension between Syria and Turkey , Egypt said Saturday that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will travel to Damascus and Ankara for talks. CAIRO, Egypt _ In a sign of Arab concern over growing tensions between Turkey and Syria , Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak flew on short notice to Syria on Sunday in an effort to defuse what is being portrayed in the Middle East as an unsettling crisis. DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) _ Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak flew here on Sunday to try to defuse growing tension between Syria and Turkey. DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) _ Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak flew to Damascus on Sunday to try to defuse growing tension between Syria and Turkey. + Turkish Kurdish rebels fighting for autonomy in southeastern Turkey wage cross-border raids from camps in Iraq, Iran and Syria. Turkish officials have accused Syria of allowing the country to be used as a base for Kurdish rebels who have been fighting for self-rule in southeastern Turkey. Turkish Kurdish rebels fighting for autonomy in southeastern Turkey wage cross-border raids from camps in Iraq, Iran and Syria. Turkey long has accused Syria of sheltering Kurdish rebels, who have been fighting since 1984 for more autonomy for the Kurdish population in southeastern Turkey. Turkey long has accused Syria of sheltering Kurdish rebels, who have been fighting since 1984 for more autonomy for the Kurdish population in southeastern Turkey. + Syria has reacted angrily to Turkey's blossoming friendship with Israel. Damascus in respoonse has accused Turkey and Israel of contriving against Syria through their increased military cooperation. Syria claims the ties are a threat to the Arab world, and on Saturday , Damascus again accused Turkey of plotting with Israel to undermine Syria. For its part, Syria has accused Turkey of forming military alliances with Israel that threaten Arab security and undermine Syria's bargaining position in peace talks with the Jewish state. For its part, Syria has accused Turkey of forming military alliances with Israel that threaten Arab security and undermine Syria's bargaining position in peace talks with the Jewish state. + Turkish military commanders are frustrated by their inability to crush Kurdish guerrillas, and have for years been sending units into northern Iraq to attack their bases. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) _ About 10,000 Turkish soldiers have crossed into northern Iraq to attack Kurdish rebels , and the government said it might send forces into Syria to eradicate guerrilla bases there, news reports said Saturday. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) _ The Turkish government , which sent about 10,000 soldiers into northern Iraq to attack Kurdish rebels , has said it might send forces into Syria to eradicate guerrilla bases there, according to news reports. Late last week , Turkey sent 10,000 troops into northern Iraq to hit bases that Turkish Kurds use for their uprising. + Syria has denied supporting Kurdish rebels. Syria denies sheltering the rebels and in a government statement Saturday confirmed ``its keenness for good neighborly relations with Turkey'' as well as its readiness to solve every issue through ``diplomatic ways, in an atmosphere of trust.'' Damascus denies sheltering Kurdish fighters. Damascus denies sheltering Kurdish fighters. + In an effort to ease escalating tension between Syria and Turkey, Egypt said Saturday that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will travel to Damascus and Ankara for talks. In an effort to head off a military conflict, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak flew to Damascus on Sunday for talks with Syrian President Hafez Assad and was expected to visit Turkey on Monday. Turkey's Foreign Ministry said Mubarak also was expected in Ankara, possibly on Monday. Turkey's Foreign Ministry said Mubarak also was expected in Ankara , possibly on Monday. + Turkey has reportedly massed troops and armored vehicles along its border with Syria after stepping up its accusations in recent days that Syria is supporting Turkish Kurdish rebels. Turkey has amassed troops on the border with Syria and warned of a military confrontation following allegations that Syria is supporting Turkish Kurdish rebels. The talks come as Turkey has massed forces near the border with Syria after threatening to eradicate Kurdish rebel bases in the neighboring country. + In a show of force , Turkish jets buzzed along the Syrian border on Friday , daily Radikal reported Saturday. In a show of force on Friday , Turkish jets buzzed the Syrian frontier , a Turkish daily reported. In a show of force on Friday , Turkish jets buzzed the Syrian frontier , a Turkish daily reported. + CAIRO, Egypt _ In a sign of Arab concern over growing tensions between Turkey and Syria, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak flew on short notice to Syria on Sunday in an effort to defuse what is being portrayed in the Middle East as an unsettling crisis. DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) _ Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak flew to Damascus on Sunday to try to defuse growing tension between Syria and Turkey. + Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 , a year after the former Portuguese colony was abandoned by Lisbon. The killings came after several months of relative calm in East Timor's long-running guerrilla war , which broke out in 1975 when Indonesian forces invaded the former Portuguese colony. Indonesia invaded the territory of 800,000 people in December 1975 , a few months after the departure of Portugal's colonial administration. He said the U.N. plan includes ``a proposal for very wide-ranging autonomy for East Timor,'' a former Portuguese colony that Indonesia invaded in 1975 and later annexed. Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 , after the departure of Portugal's colonial administration. In recent days, four other soldiers have been killed in attacks linked to the independence struggle in East Timor, which was invaded by the Indonesian military in 1975. Indonesia annexed East Timor , a former Portuguese colony, after invading during a 1975 civil war that broke out when Portugal colonizers left. East Timor was invaded by Indonesia in 1975 and annexed the following year in a move never recognized by the United Nations. + Indonesia annexed East Timor in 1976 , a year after intervening in a civil war. Indonesia annexed East Timor in 1976 , a year after its troops intervened in a civil war that broke out during the last days of Portuguese rule. Indonesia annexed East Timor , a former Portuguese colony, after invading during a 1975 civil war that broke out when Portugal colonizers left. Portugal's attorney general's office is examining a request from lawmaker Nuno Correia da Silva that Suharto be extradited for alleged human rights abuses committed in East Timor _ a former Portuguese territory annexed by Indonesia in 1976. + Alatas, the foreign minister, is taking part in discussions with the Portuguese under U.N. auspices over the future of East Timor , which Lisbon and Jakarta agree should be given a large measure of autonomy. Indonesia has ruled out the demand, offering instead a measure of autonomy in exchange for recognition of Indonesian sovereignty and the release of jailed East Timorese rebel leader Xanana Gusmao. After the May resignation of authoritarian President Suharto , Indonesia proposed granting some degree of autonomy to the territory of 800,000 people , but insisted on retaining control over its defense, economic and foreign policy. + Citing witness reports, Suratman alleged they were killed by demonstrators who attended a rally organized by the Solidarity Council of Students and Youths, a group that wants a referendum on independence. Portugal and East Timorese pro-independence groups rejected that proposal and insisted a referendum be held inside the territory to decide its future. Portugal and East Timorese pro-independence groups rejected that proposal and insisted a referendum be held inside the territory to decide its future. + The United Nations does not recognize Indonesian rule and is sponsoring peace talks between Indonesia and Portugal , the former colonial master. LISBON, Portugal (AP) _ A U.N. envoy said Wednesday he was making progress in his efforts to mediate a settlement between Portugal and Indonesia on the disputed territory of East Timor , news reports said. + Portugal's attorney general's office is examining a request from lawmaker Nuno Correia da Silva that Suharto be extradited for alleged human rights abuses committed in East Timor _ a former Portuguese territory annexed by Indonesia in 1976. Portugal's attorney general's office is examining a request from lawmaker Nuno Correia da Silva that Suharto be extradited for alleged human rights abuses committed in East Timor _ a former Portuguese territory annexed by Indonesia in 1976. + Three soldiers and one pro-independence activist were killed in the raid Monday on a military post , in which guerrillas stole seven guns, including some M-16 rifles. ``The killings and arrests in the Alas subdistrict have followed the recent buildup of Indonesian troops in the area,'' the report said, adding that the alleged killings may have been in retaliation for an attack on the troops by rebels of the East Timorese Armed Resistance in which three Indonesian soldiers were killed and 13 captured. + The peaceful protest in Kuala Lumpur was to commemorate the anniversary of a 1991 massacre of anti-Indonesian protesters. The peaceful protest in Kuala Lumpur was to commemorate the anniversary of a 1991 massacre of anti-Indonesian protesters. + Human rights activists say about 200 people were killed. Human rights activists say about 200 people were killed. + It annexed the territory, 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) east of Jakarta , a month later. Indonesian troops have been accused of widespread abuses in East Timor, 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) east of Jakarta. + Flying from Gaza for the first time on Saturday , passengers remarked on the simple convenience of going directly from home to their local airport, avoiding Israeli interrogations and security checks at border crossings and at Ben-Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, Israel. RAFAH, Gaza Strip _ Cruising at 19,000 feet on Saturday in the cockpit of the first Palestinian Airlines flight to depart from Gaza's new international airport , Capt. ``Welcome aboard the first flight from Yasser Arafat International Airport , bound for Amman,'' Abdel Salam said over the loudspeaker. Flying from Gaza for the first time on Saturday , passengers remarked on the simple convenience of going directly from home to their local airport, avoiding Israeli interrogations and security checks at border crossings and at Ben-Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, Israel. RAFAH, Gaza Strip _ Cruising at 19,000 feet on Saturday in the cockpit of the first Palestinian Airlines flight to depart from Gaza's new international airport , Capt. ``Welcome aboard the first flight from Yasser Arafat International Airport , bound for Amman,'' Abdel Salam said over the loudspeaker. + Palestinian airport workers refused to allow Israeli security officials to check the identity of passengers who arrived on an Egyptian plane Sunday afternoon, most of whom worked for the Palestinian Authority, according to Civilian Airport Authority Director Nir Yarkoni. Palestinian airport workers refused to allow Israeli security officials to check the identity of passengers who arrived on an Egyptian plane Sunday afternoon, most of whom worked for the Palestinian Authority, according to Civilian Airport Authority Director Nir Yarkoni. Earlier this week , Israel threatened to close down the Gaza airport when Palestinian airport workers refused to allow Israeli security officials to check the identity of passengers who arrived on an Egyptian plane, most of whom worked for the Palestinian Authority. Earlier this week, Israel threatened to close down the Gaza airport when Palestinian airport workers refused to allow Israeli security officials to check the identity of passengers who arrived on an Egyptian plane, most of whom worked for the Palestinian Authority. + DAHANIEH, Gaza Strip (AP) _ Taking a major step toward statehood, the Palestinians on Tuesday inaugurated Gaza International Airport , their first gateway to the world, with cheers, tears and an outpouring of patriotism. DAHANIEH, Gaza Strip (AP) _ Taking a major step toward statehood, the Palestinians on Tuesday inaugurated Gaza International Airport , their first gateway to the world, with cheers, tears and an outpouring of patriotism. RAFAH , Gaza _ Palestinians celebrated with euphoria the long-delayed opening of their international airport Tuesday as a parade of planes swooped down from cottony skies and glided to a literal red-carpet landing in the flatlands of Gaza. + Israel retains security control over flights arriving to Gaza International Airport. Israel retains security control over flights arriving to Gaza International Airport. Israel retains security control over flights arriving at Gaza International Airport, and Palestinian security officials consult with their Israeli counterparts. + Israel retains security control over flights arriving to Gaza International Airport. Israel retains security control over flights arriving to Gaza International Airport. Israel retains security control over flights arriving at Gaza International Airport , and Palestinian security officials consult with their Israeli counterparts. + The Palestinians , in turn, accuse Israel of reneging on an agreement to release Palestinians jailed for anti-Israel activities. The Palestinians , in turn, accuse Israel of reneging on an agreement to release Palestinians jailed for anti-Israel activities. The Palestinians , in turn, accuse Israel of reneging on an agreement to release Palestinians jailed for anti-Israel activities. + JERUSALEM (AP) _ Israel has threatened to close down the Palestinian-run Gaza airport over a security violation , an Israeli official said Tuesday, a move that could further undermine the already fragile peace process. JERUSALEM (AP) _ Israel has threatened to close down the Palestinian-run Gaza airport over a security violation , an Israeli official said Tuesday, a move that could further undermine the already fragile peace process. + Israeli officials also delayed a plane making a stopover from Saudi Arabia to Cairo , it said. JERUSALEM (AP) _ Israeli security officials delayed two planes from taking off from the Palestinian airport on Wednesday , marking the latest tensions in a rare area of Israeli-Palestinian cooperation. + JERUSALEM (AP) _ Israel has threatened to close down the Palestinian-run Gaza airport over a security violation, an Israeli official said Tuesday, a move that could further undermine the already fragile peace process. JERUSALEM (AP) _ Israel has threatened to close down the Palestinian-run Gaza airport over a security violation, an Israeli official said Tuesday, a move that could further undermine the already fragile peace process. + AMMAN , Jordan (AP) _ The first Palestinian commercial flight landed at Amman's Marka Airport on Saturday, inaugurating an air route between Jordan and the autonomous Gaza Strip. AMMAN, Jordan (AP) _ The first Palestinian commercial flight landed at Amman's Marka Airport on Saturday , inaugurating an air route between Jordan and the autonomous Gaza Strip. + Both men were indicted in 1991, and the United Nations imposed sanctions in 1992 to try to force Gadhafi to hand them over. Both men were indicted in 1991, and the United Nations imposed sanctions in 1992 to try to force Gadhafi to hand them over. Libya has been under U.N. sanctions since 1992 to force it to hand over the defendants. African countries voted in June to ignore the U.N. flight ban which was imposed in 1992 to try and force Libya to hand over for trial two suspects wanted in the 1988 bombing of an American airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland. African countries voted in June to ignore the U.N. flight ban that was imposed in 1992 to try and force Libya to hand over for trial two suspects wanted in the 1988 bombing of an American airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland. Libya has been under U.N. sanctions since 1992 to force it to hand over the two defendants in the Lockerbie case. The sanctions, which include an air embargo, were imposed to force Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to turn the men over. The sanctions, which include an air embargo, were imposed to force Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to turn the men over. Farrakhan repeatedly has urged an end to the sanctions, which were imposed to try to force Gadhafi to surrender two Libyans wanted in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jetliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people. Farrakhan repeatedly has urged an end to the sanctions , which were imposed to try to force Gadhafi to surrender two Libyans wanted in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jetliner over Lockerbie , Scotland, that killed 270 people. + Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of Sate Madeline Albright and British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook accused Libya of delaying the case and warned it would face stiffer U.N. sanctions if it did not hand over for trial two Libyans wanted for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 , which killed 270 people in 1988. CAIRO, Egypt (AP) _ Libya has denied U.S._British allegations that it is delaying the hand-over of two men wanted for the blowing up of an American airliner over Lockerbie , Scotland. And yet behind this stubborn facade there are indications that the Libyan leader, Col. Moammar Gadhafi, might at last be close to accepting a compromise that could bring an end to his country's isolation, imposed for its failure to hand over two suspects wanted in the bombing of Pam Am flight 103 over the tiny Scottish village of Lockerbie in 1988, in which 270 were killed. African countries voted in June to ignore the U.N. flight ban which was imposed in 1992 to try and force Libya to hand over for trial two suspects wanted in the 1988 bombing of an American airliner over Lockerbie , Scotland. African countries voted in June to ignore the U.N. flight ban that was imposed in 1992 to try and force Libya to hand over for trial two suspects wanted in the 1988 bombing of an American airliner over Lockerbie , Scotland. The reported jailing of the three officials comes as Gadhafi is under pressure to accept a plan to turn over for trial two other Libyans wanted for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie , Scotland, that led to 270 deaths. UNITED NATIONS (AP) _ Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Wednesday that he may travel to Libya next week in hopes of closing a deal to try two Libyan suspects in the Pan Am Lockerbie bombing. + The United States and Britain have accused Libyans Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah of blowing up a Pan Am jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, killing 270 people. Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of Sate Madeline Albright and British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook accused Libya of delaying the case and warned it would face stiffer U.N. sanctions if it did not hand over for trial two Libyans wanted for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 , which killed 270 people in 1988. And yet behind this stubborn facade there are indications that the Libyan leader, Col. Moammar Gadhafi, might at last be close to accepting a compromise that could bring an end to his country's isolation, imposed for its failure to hand over two suspects wanted in the bombing of Pam Am flight 103 over the tiny Scottish village of Lockerbie in 1988 , in which 270 were killed. The blast killed 270 people. The blast killed 270 people. The reported jailing of the three officials comes as Gadhafi is under pressure to accept a plan to turn over for trial two other Libyans wanted for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie , Scotland, that led to 270 deaths. Farrakhan repeatedly has urged an end to the sanctions, which were imposed to try to force Gadhafi to surrender two Libyans wanted in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jetliner over Lockerbie , Scotland, that killed 270 people. + But after nearly a decade of deadlock , the U.N. Security Council approved a U.S.-British plan in August for a trial of the two Libyans in the Netherlands overseen by Scottish judges following Scottish law. In July , the U.N. Security Council backed a U.S._British plan for the two suspects to stand trial in the Netherlands. For 10 years , the United States and Britain had demanded the two be tried in the United States or Britain, but agreed in August to a trial in the Netherlands in hopes of finally bringing the issue to a close. A Libyan legal team has been meeting regularly with Annan's legal counsel to discuss a U.S.-British proposal to try the suspects in the Netherlands , according to Scottish law and using Scottish judges. A Libyan legal team has been meeting regularly with Annan's legal counsel to discuss a U.S.-British proposal to try the suspects in the Netherlands , according to Scottish law and using Scottish judges. + Although he has sent mixed signals about it, Gadhafi may be carefully weighing a deal, proposed in August by the United States and Britain, that would require Libya to surrender the two suspects for a trial in the Netherlands. African countries voted in June to ignore the U.N. flight ban which was imposed in 1992 to try and force Libya to hand over for trial two suspects wanted in the 1988 bombing of an American airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland. African countries voted in June to ignore the U.N. flight ban that was imposed in 1992 to try and force Libya to hand over for trial two suspects wanted in the 1988 bombing of an American airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland. + But after nearly a decade of deadlock, the U.N. Security Council approved a U.S.-British plan in August for a trial of the two Libyans in the Netherlands overseen by Scottish judges following Scottish law. Both the Guardian and Al-Hayat suggested that the jailing of the three was aimed at blocking their testimony at a trial of the two Libyan suspects which, under a plan approved by the U.N. Security Council, would be heard by Scottish judges in the Netherlands. A Libyan legal team has been meeting regularly with Annan's legal counsel to discuss a U.S.-British proposal to try the suspects in the Netherlands, according to Scottish law and using Scottish judges. + He also wants the men , if convicted, to serve their sentences in Libya or the Netherlands. He also wants the men, if convicted , to serve their sentences in Libya or the Netherlands. But it is insisting on certain guarantees, including a promise that the suspects would serve their sentences in the Netherlands or Libya if convicted. + Libya had accepted the proposal in theory, but had objected to its call for the suspects to be jailed in a Scottish prison if found guilty. Libya had accepted the proposal in theory, but objected to its call for the suspects to be jailed in a Scottish prison if found guilty. + Libya had accepted the proposal in theory, but had objected to its call for the suspects to be jailed in a Scottish prison if found guilty. Libya had accepted the proposal in theory, but objected to its call for the suspects to be jailed in a Scottish prison if found guilty. + Libya has been under U.N. sanctions since 1992 to force it to hand over the defendants. Libya has been under U.N. sanctions since 1992 to force it to hand over the two defendants in the Lockerbie case. + ISTANBUL, Turkey _ A three-week-old crisis between Turkey and Syria appears to have been at least temporarily defused by the signing of an agreement in which Syria agreed to stop supporting Kurdish rebels , who are demanding a homeland in Turkey. Turkey had demanded that Syria cease all support for the guerrilla force known as the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK , which is fighting for a Kurdish homeland in southeastern Turkey. Ocalan's PKK has been fighting for autonomy in Turkey since 1984 in a war that has claimed 37,000 lives. Turkey officially asked Russia last week to extradite Ocalan, who leads the banned Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK, which has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey since 1984. Turkey officially asked Russia last week to extradite Ocalan, who leads the banned Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK, which has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey since 1984. Turkey has in the past accused Greece of harboring and training Kurdish rebels who have been fighting for autonomy in Turkey's southeast since 1984. The group has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey since 1984. Ocalan leads the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party , PKK, which has been fighting for autonomy in southeastern Turkey since 1984. Ocalan leads the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party , PKK, which has been fighting for autonomy in southeastern Turkey since 1984. + He is on trial in Turkey in absentia on charges of leading a terrorist organization , threatening the country's territorial integrity and ordering killings, charges than can bring the death penalty. Germany also issued an arrest warrant in January 1990 that accuses Ocalan of ordering the killing of PKK deserters and being the head of a terrorist organization. Germany also issued an arrest warrant in January 1990 that accuses Ocalan of ordering the killing of PKK deserters and being the head of a terrorist organization. Ocalan is on trial in absentia in Turkey on charges of leading a terrorist organization , threatening the country's territorial integrity and ordering killings, charges than can bring the death penalty. Germany also issued an arrest warrant in January 1990 that accuses Ocalan of ordering the killing of PKK deserters and being the head of a terrorist organization. Ocalan is on trial in absentia in Turkey on charges of leading a terrorist organization , threatening the country's territorial integrity and ordering killings, charges than can bring the death penalty. + MOSCOW (AP) _ Russia's parliament on Wednesday asked President Boris Yeltsin to offer political asylum to Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is wanted in Turkey on charges of heading a terrorist organization. MOSCOW (AP) _ Russia's parliament on Wednesday asked President Boris Yeltsin to offer political asylum to Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is wanted in Turkey on charges of heading a terrorist organization. Turkey considers the group a terrorist organization. + ROME (AP) _ Abdullah Ocalan , leader of Kurdish insurgents who has been sought for years by Turkey, has been detained in Rome after stepping off a plane from Moscow , Turkish and Italian officials said Friday. Abdullah Ocalan was arrested after stepping off a plane from Moscow , where he had sought asylum after recently fleeing his hideout in Syria, Turkish and Italian officials said Friday. Abdullah Ocalan was arrested after stepping off a plane from Moscow , where he had sought asylum after recently fleeing his hideout in Syria, Turkish and Italian officials said Friday. + Close to 37,000 people have died in the conflict. Nearly 37,000 people have died in the conflict. Nearly 37,000 people have died in the conflict. + He is on trial in Turkey in absentia on charges of leading a terrorist organization, threatening the country's territorial integrity and ordering killings, charges than can bring the death penalty. Ocalan is on trial in absentia in Turkey on charges of leading a terrorist organization, threatening the country's territorial integrity and ordering killings, charges than can bring the death penalty. Ocalan is on trial in absentia in Turkey on charges of leading a terrorist organization, threatening the country's territorial integrity and ordering killings, charges than can bring the death penalty. + He is on trial in Turkey in absentia on charges of leading a terrorist organization, threatening the country's territorial integrity and ordering killings , charges than can bring the death penalty. Ocalan is on trial in absentia in Turkey on charges of leading a terrorist organization, threatening the country's territorial integrity and ordering killings , charges than can bring the death penalty. Ocalan is on trial in absentia in Turkey on charges of leading a terrorist organization, threatening the country's territorial integrity and ordering killings , charges than can bring the death penalty. + Germany also issued an arrest warrant in January 1990 that accuses Ocalan of ordering the killing of PKK deserters and being the head of a terrorist organization. Germany also issued an arrest warrant in January 1990 that accuses Ocalan of ordering the killing of PKK deserters and being the head of a terrorist organization. Germany also issued an arrest warrant in January 1990 that accuses Ocalan of ordering the killing of PKK deserters and being the head of a terrorist organization. + Germany also issued an arrest warrant in January 1990 that accuses Ocalan of ordering the killing of PKK deserters and being the head of a terrorist organization. Germany also issued an arrest warrant in January 1990 that accuses Ocalan of ordering the killing of PKK deserters and being the head of a terrorist organization. Germany also issued an arrest warrant in January 1990 that accuses Ocalan of ordering the killing of PKK deserters and being the head of a terrorist organization. + Turkish officials claim that Ocalan is currently hiding in Russia. Turkish leaders say Ocalan is currently hiding in Russia , but Russian officials have refused to confirm that he is in the country. According to Turkish officials, Ocalan had fled to Russia and sought political asylum from Moscow. + ``The next thing everybody's going to be watching is whether there is an IMF and World Bank package to support Brazil and whether the Brazilians are starting to take actions to work on the budget deficit,'' he said. ``The next thing everybody's going to be watching is whether there is an IMF and World Bank package to support Brazil and whether the Brazilians are starting to take actions to work on the budget deficit,'' he said. ``The next thing everybody's going to be watching is whether there is an IMF and World Bank package to support Brazil, and whether the Brazilians are starting to take actions to work on the budget deficit,'' he said. ``The next thing everybody's going to be watching is whether there is an IMF and World Bank package to support Brazil , and whether the Brazilians are starting to take actions to work on the budget deficit,'' he said. + It has been negotiating a bailout with the International Monetary Fund , but has been unable to show progress on structural reforms that would cut government expenses over the long term. It has been negotiating a bailout with the International Monetary Fund but has been unable to show progress on structural changes that would cut government expenses over the long term. Though Brazil has not yet submitted a formal request, Brazilian officials have been in Washington negotiating some form of assistance from the International Monetary Fund that will likely total $30 billion or more. + And on Tuesday he will speak to the entire IMF , which represents 182 nations , in his second major speech on the world economy in three weeks. The Group of Seven meeting , at historic Blair House across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House was expected to be pivotal in trying to develop strategies to halt a 15-month economic crisis, as are sessions beginning Sunday of the 182-nation IMF and World Bank. The Group of Seven meeting, at historic Blair House across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House was expected to be pivotal in trying to develop strategies to halt a 15-month economic crisis, as are sessions beginning Sunday of the 182-nation IMF and World Bank. + RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil _ Brazilian voters appeared to re-elect President Fernando Henrique Cardoso in the first round of balloting Sunday, thus maintaining the leadership of a country struggling against economic crisis. RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil _ Brazilian voters gave President Fernando Henrique Cardoso a comfortable lead in the first round of balloting Sunday, apparently maintaining the leadership of a country struggling against economic crisis. + RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil _ Brazilian voters appeared to re-elect President Fernando Henrique Cardoso in the first round of balloting Sunday , thus maintaining the leadership of a country struggling against economic crisis. RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil _ Brazilian voters gave President Fernando Henrique Cardoso a comfortable lead in the first round of balloting Sunday , apparently maintaining the leadership of a country struggling against economic crisis. + It has been negotiating a bailout with the International Monetary Fund, but has been unable to show progress on structural reforms that would cut government expenses over the long term. It has been negotiating a bailout with the International Monetary Fund but has been unable to show progress on structural changes that would cut government expenses over the long term. + With policy-makers at meetings of the Group of Seven industrial nations and the International Monetary Fund in Washington seeking permanent solutions to ward off the volatility that is threatening Brazil after devastating Asia and Russia, Cardoso is under considerable pressure to put Brazil's accounts in order. Cabinet members gathering at the presidential palace in Brasilia Sunday night called the vote a mandate for the economic measures that the president is under national and international pressure to carry out. + While President Clinton lobbied Congress for $18 billion to restock the International Monetary Fund this week , with an eye toward assisting Brazil, the team that returned here from the IMF's annual meeting in Washington earlier this month scoured government accounts for politically feasible sources of savings and reform. While President Clinton lobbied Congress for $18 billion to restock the International Monetary Fund this week , with an eye toward assisting Brazil, the team that returned here from the IMF's annual meeting in Washington earlier this month scoured government accounts for politically feasible sources of savings and reform. + With policy-makers at the meetings of the Group of Seven top industrialized nations and the International Monetary Fund in Washington seeking permanent solutions to ward off the volatility that is threatening Brazil after devastating Asia and Russia , Cardoso is expected to start taking steps to put Brazil's accounts in order. With policy-makers at meetings of the Group of Seven industrial nations and the International Monetary Fund in Washington seeking permanent solutions to ward off the volatility that is threatening Brazil after devastating Asia and Russia , Cardoso is under considerable pressure to put Brazil's accounts in order. + A dramatic initiative to stop the financial contagion may come within days as the IMF, the Treasury Department and Brazil's finance minister, Pedro Malan, put the final touches on a package of $30 billion or more to stabilize the Brazilian economy. Though Brazil has not yet submitted a formal request, Brazilian officials have been in Washington negotiating some form of assistance from the International Monetary Fund that will likely total $30 billion or more. + On one side is D'Amato, who, as Schumer said again Sunday, voted to cut Medicare, opposed abortion rights and battled environmentalists. On one side is D'Amato, who, as Schumer said again Sunday, voted to cut Medicare, opposed abortion rights and battled environmentalists. + On one side is D'Amato, who, as Schumer said again Sunday, voted to cut Medicare, opposed abortion rights and battled environmentalists. On one side is D'Amato, who, as Schumer said again Sunday, voted to cut Medicare, opposed abortion rights and battled environmentalists. + ``Although her career has been somewhat obscured by numerous scandals and controversies , those who have noticed her voting record have noticed it is very extreme,'' Fitzgerald said in an interview. He has described her as ``shrill,'' claims she ``has nothing positive to say about her own record'' and that her career has been ``obscured by numerous scandals and controversies. '' + The U.S. Senate race between the incumbent Democrat, Carol Moseley-Braun, and state Sen. Peter Fitzgerald , a conservative Republican, has become one of the most tensely watched campaigns in the country. The U.S. Senate race between the incumbent Democrat, Carol Moseley-Braun, and state Sen. Peter Fitzgerald , a conservative Republican, has become one of the most tensely watched campaigns in the country. + On the other is Schumer, who, as D'Amato likes to say, voted against crime bills, opposed welfare restrictions and supported a series of tax increases. On the other is Schumer, who, as D'Amato likes to say, voted against crime bills, opposed welfare restrictions and supported a series of tax increases. + On the other is Schumer, who, as D'Amato likes to say, voted against crime bills, opposed welfare restrictions and supported a series of tax increases. On the other is Schumer, who, as D'Amato likes to say, voted against crime bills, opposed welfare restrictions and supported a series of tax increases. + But it was by no means decisive , no matter how much the legislators huffed and puffed. It was by no means decisive , no matter how much the legislators huffed and puffed. + As the House of Representatives prepares to debate whether to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Clinton's conduct in the Monica Lewinsky matter , much attention has focused on the plight of House Democrats in swing districts. But as the House prepares to vote on whether to open an impeachment inquiry into the president , Ms. + But the truth behind these ideological caricatures is considerably more complex, despite the best efforts of Schumer and D'Amato to confuse it. But the truth behind these ideological caricatures is considerably more complex, despite the best efforts of Schumer and D'Amato to confuse it. + These two candidates for Senate are, in fact, political hybrids, masters of the fluid school of politics and ideology that has emerged in U.S. elections in the 1990s , and very much in the tradition of such successful politicians as Bill Clinton, Rudolph Giuliani and George Pataki. These two candidates for Senate are, in fact, political hybrids, masters of the fluid school of politics and ideology that has emerged in U.S. elections in the 1990s , and very much in the tradition of such successful politicians as Bill Clinton, Rudolph Giuliani and George Pataki. + The Milosevic government has denounced the war crimes tribunal and consistently denied access to forensic experts , asserting that there was no need for them because no war crimes had occurred. THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) _ The president of the U.N. war crimes tribunal angrily branded Yugoslavia a ``rogue state'' Thursday after Belgrade refused to allow investigators to probe alleged atrocities in Kosovo. President Slobodan Milosevic has defied international pressure to allow prosecutors from the Netherlands-based tribunal to enter Kosovo, where hundreds have died in fighting that erupted in Februrary between separatist ethnic Albanians and Yugoslav forces. + Three miners in the two cars were injured and taken to Pristina hospital , according to police. Three miners in the two cars were injured and taken to Pristina hospital, according to police. Three miners in the two cars were injured and taken to Pristina hospital, according to police. + She said Belgrade's defiance of the tribunal amounted to ``a challenge to the authority of the Security Council'' which has ordered a tribunal investigation of alleged atrocities in Kosovo and told Yugoslav authorities to cooperate. BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) _ Yugoslavia must cooperate with a U.N. war crimes panel investigating allegations of atrocities in the rebellious Yugoslav province of Kosovo , a U.S. official said Saturday. + UNITED NATIONS (AP) _ The General Assembly voted Friday to select three judges to fill a new trial chamber of the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal , whose caseload could grow with atrocities committed during the Kosovo conflict. UNITED NATIONS (AP) _ The General Assembly voted Friday to select three judges to fill a new trial chamber of the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal , whose caseload could grow with atrocities committed during the Kosovo conflict. + GOLUBOVAC, Yugoslavia _ A 42-year-old man who says he is the lone survivor of a massacre in which 13 ethnic Albanians were summarily shot and killed in this village in Kosovo recalled Thursday how he was herded into a garden with other men and told to lie flat on the ground. GOLUBOVAC, Yugoslavia _ A 42-year-old man who says he is the lone survivor of a massacre in which 13 ethnic Albanians were summarily shot and killed in this village in Kosovo recalled Thursday how he was herded into a garden with other men and told to lie flat on the ground. + Authorities in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia confirmed they would not allow Louise Arbour, chief prosecutor of the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal, and a team of investigators to carry out investigations in the troubled region. Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Louise Arbour and a team of investigators planned a weeklong mission in Kosovo to begin last Wednesday but were refused visas. + Because he pleaded innocent to a genocide charge he will still face trial at the U.N. court. Because he pleaded innocent to a genocide charge he will still face trial at the U.N. court. + Hundreds have been killed and hundreds of thousands made homeless in seven months of fighting between Serb forces and secessionist ethnic Albanian rebels in the southern Yugoslav province of Kosovo. ``Since February this year, between 600 and 1,000 people died in Kosovo , many more were wounded,'' Scheffer said. + Until recently, tribunal staff were allowed to carry out investigations in the region, examining reports of atrocities by both sides in the Kosovo conflict. U.N. investigators want to check reports of atrocities on both sides. + She was responding to assertions by Yugoslav government officials that Kosovo is off limits to tribunal investigations. She was responding to assertions by Yugoslav government officials that Kosovo is off limits to tribunal investigations. + Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov said the bodies of four men had been recovered. GROZNY, Russia (AP) _ Chechen officials said the bodies of four kidnapped foreigners had been found Tuesday near a remote village. MOSCOW _ The severed heads of four kidnapping victims _ identified as three Britons and a New Zealander _ were found Tuesday on the side of a road in Chechnya , the breakaway region on Russia's southern border that emerged undefeated from a brutal war two years ago only to be engulfed by a wave of kidnappings and crime. GROZNY , Russia (AP) _ Chechen authorities found the remains of four kidnapped foreigners Tuesday near a remote village in the breakaway region in southern Russia. Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov said the bodies of four men had been recovered , but gave no further details. GROZNY , Russia (AP) _ Chechen authorities found the remains of four kidnapped foreigners Tuesday near a remote village in the breakaway region in southern Russia. Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov said the bodies of four men had been recovered , but gave no further details. GROZNY , Russia (AP) _ Chechen authorities found the decapitated heads of four kidnapped foreigners Tuesday near a remote village after a two-month search in the breakaway region in southern Russia. Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov said in Grozny that the bodies of four men had been recovered. Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov said in Grozny that the bodies of four men had been recovered. + GROZNY, Russia (AP) _ Unknown gunmen abducted three Britons and a New Zealand citizen in Russia's breakaway Chechnya region after a shootout with their bodyguards, a regional official said Sunday. The British Embassy in Moscow identified the four hostages as Britons Peter William Kennedy, Darren Eamonn Hickey, and Rudolf Franz-Joseph Petschi , and Stanley Frederick James Shaw of New Zealand. Three of the kidnaped men, Britons Darren Hickey and Rudolph Petschi and New Zealander Stanley Shaw , worked for Granger. The hostages _ Britons Peter Kennedy, Darren Hickey, and Rudolf Petschi, and New Zealand's Stanley Shaw _ were kidnapped on Oct. 3. One New Zealand and three British engineers were kidnapped. The hostages _ Britons Peter Kennedy, Darren Hickey, and Rudolf Petschi, and New Zealand's Stanley Shaw _ were kidnapped on Oct. 3. The hostages _ Britons Peter Kennedy, Darren Hickey, and Rudolf Petschi, and New Zealand's Stanley Shaw _ were kidnapped on Oct. 3. The hostages _ Britons Peter Kennedy, Darren Hickey, and Rudolf Petschi, and New Zealand's Stanley Shaw _ were engineers. + There was no word on any ransom demand for the four men. No ransom demands have been made for the hostages , said an embassy spokeswoman, speaking on the customary condition of anonymity. British officials said they had not received any ransom demand for the missing men. British officials said they had not received any ransom demand for the missing men. British officials said they had not received any ransom demand for the missing men. + The heads were identified as those of the four foreigners by Umar Makhauri, who had been a bodyguard assigned to the four when they were abducted Oct. 3 by unidentified gunmen in Grozny. The heads were identified as those of the four foreigners by Umar Makhauri, who had been a bodyguard assigned to the four when they were abducted Oct. 3 by unidentified gunmen in Grozny. The heads were identified as those of the four foreigners by Umar Makhauri, who had been a bodyguard assigned to the four when they were abducted Oct. 3 by unidentified gunmen in Grozny. The heads were identified as those of the four abducted foreigners by Umar Makhauri, who had been a bodyguard assigned to the four when they were abducted Oct. 3 by unidentified gunmen in Grozny. + Chechen authorities had been searching for the missing men for the past two months. Chechen authorities had been searching for the missing men for the past two months. Chechen authorities had been searching for the missing men for the past two months. Chechen authorities had been searching for the missing men for the past two months. + Hundreds of Russian and foreign citizens have been abducted by gangs seeking ransom since the 1994-1996 independence war with Russia , and dozens remain held. Chechnya, where rebels fought a bloody independence war against Russia in 1994-96 , conducts its own affairs and has seen a sharp rise in violent crime and hostage-taking, usually by criminal gangs for ransom. Hostage-takings , usually for ransom, have become common in Chechnya since the end of the breakaway republic's two-year war for independence from Russia in 1996. + MOSCOW _ The severed heads of four kidnapping victims _ identified as three Britons and a New Zealander _ were found Tuesday on the side of a road in Chechnya, the breakaway region on Russia's southern border that emerged undefeated from a brutal war two years ago only to be engulfed by a wave of kidnappings and crime. Although the corpses have not yet been found, Chechen officials said Tuesday that they had been able to identify the victims as four employees of a British telecommunications company. + There was no sign of any bodies. There was no sign of any bodies. + Since the beginning of 1998, 176 people have been kidnapped in the North Caucasus region of Russia, including dozens of foreigners, and 90 of them released , officials have said, according to the Interfax news agency. Since the beginning of 1998, 176 people have been kidnapped in the North Caucasus region of Russia, including dozens of foreigners, and 90 of them released , officials have said. + Hundreds of Russian and foreign citizens have been abducted by gangs seeking ransom since the 1994-1996 independence war with Russia, and dozens remain held. More than 100 people are still being held captive in Chechnya , including three Britons, a New Zealander and a Turk, according to Interfax. + The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will release its final report on 2 1-2 years of investigation on Thursday. De Klerk said he would sue to block the long-awaited final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission , which was due for release Thursday. PRETORIA, South Africa _ Following are excerpts from the final report issued by South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Thursday : PRIMARY FINDING On the basis of the evidence available to it, the primary finding of the Commission is that: The predominant portion of gross violations of human rights was committed by the former state through its security and law-enforcement agencies. The New York Times said in an editorial on Sunday, Nov. 1: The 3,500-page report of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission , released on Thursday , is the most comprehensive and unsparing examination of a nation's ugly past that any such commission has yet produced. + JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) _ A panel probing apartheid-era abuses has accused the African National Congress of human rights violations, including torture and bomb attacks , the state broadcaster said Monday. South African Broadcasting Corp. radio said it had been leaked a ``preliminary document '' which condemns the ANC as politically and morally responsible for gross human rights violations during and after the fall of apartheid. Besides accusing the government of assassinations and bombings, the report criticizes the Inkatha Freedom Party for its massacres and collaboration with security forces, and blames the African National Congress for the murder of civilians and other crimes. But it also blamed the ANC for gross human rights violations during its anti-apartheid struggle , saying the group tortured suspected spies and dissidents and killed innocent civilians with land mines and bombs. + Within hours of the commission decision to withdraw its findings on de Klerk, it was facing the possibility of a new suit _ this time from the ruling African National Congress. JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) _ President Nelson Mandela acknowledged Saturday the African National Congress violated human rights during apartheid , setting him at odds with his deputy president over a report that has divided much of South Africa. + CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) _ A panel investigating apartheid-era atrocities said Wednesday it will not implicate the last apartheid president , F.W. CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) _ A panel investigating apartheid-era atrocities said Wednesday it will not implicate the last apartheid president , F.W. + CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) _ A panel investigating apartheid-era atrocities said Wednesday it will not implicate the last apartheid president, F.W. The disagreement stems from Thursday's release of the report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on horrors committed during apartheid. + JOHANNESBURG, South Africa _ The deal that South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission offered was simple enough : Confess your crimes, apply for amnesty and you will go free. JOHANNESBURG, South Africa _ The deal that South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission offered was simple enough : Confess your crimes, apply for amnesty and you will go free. + CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) _ Torturers and bombers who carried out atrocities defending or fighting apartheid need counseling to ensure they do not repeat their crimes , an expert for South Africa's reconciliation body said Thursday. CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) _ Torturers and bombers who carried out atrocities defending or fighting apartheid need counseling to ensure they do not repeat their crimes, an expert for South Africa's reconciliation body said Thursday. + de Klerk, in human rights abuses after he threatened a court challenge. De Klerk said he would sue to block the long-awaited final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission , which was due for release Thursday. + The report will be a broad and detailed summary of South Africa's human rights history , from 1960 to 1994, when all-race elections ended white minority rule. Drawing from the commission's own investigations and the testimony of hundreds of applicants for amnesty and 20,000 victims, the report is a detailed look at the crimes of the apartheid era , and blames successive white governments for the vast majority. + The man who helped negotiate the end of apartheid objected to a finding by the commission that he was ``an accessory after the fact '' to bombings in the 1980s of the headquarters of a church group and of a labor federation. De Klerk, 62, who helped negotiate the end of South Africa's white supremacist government and shared the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with President Nelson Mandela for that work, had objected to a finding by the commission that he was ``an accessory after the fact'' in the bombings of the headquarters of a church group and of a labor federation in the 1980s. + He died at 62 in 1960 while under house arrest following his conviction on charges of collaborating with the Nazis. He died at 62 in 1960 while under house arrest following his conviction on charges of collaborating with the Nazis. He died at 62 in 1960 while under house arrest following his conviction on charges of collaborating with the Nazis. He died at 62 in 1960 while under house arrest following his conviction on charges of collaborating with the Nazis. He died at 62 in 1960 while under house arrest following his conviction on charges of collaborating with the Nazis. He died at 62 in 1960 while under house arrest following his conviction on charges of collaborating with the Nazis. He died at 62 in 1960 while under house arrest following his conviction on charges of collaborating with the Nazis. He died at 62 in 1960 while under house arrest following his conviction on charges of collaborating with the Nazis. + But his beatification , the last step before possible sainthood, is controversial because many Serbs and Jews accuse him of sympathizing with the Nazis. But his beatification , the last step before possible sainthood, is controversial because many Serbs and Jews accuse him of sympathizing with the Nazis. But his beatification , the last step before possible sainthood, is controversial because many Serbs and Jews accuse him of sympathizing with the Nazis. But his beatification , the last step before possible sainthood, is controversial because many Serbs and Jews accuse him of sympathizing with the Nazis. Roman Catholics hail Stepinac as a martyr, but many Serbs and Jews accuse him of sympathizing with the Nazis. Roman Catholics hail Stepinac as a martyr, but many Serbs and Jews accuse him of sympathizing with the Nazis. + MARIJA BISTRICA, Croatia _ Hailing the World War II archbishop of Zagreb as a martyr to ``the atrocities of the communist system,'' Pope John Paul II beatified him on Saturday. MARIJA BISTRICA, Croatia (AP) _ Bestowing on him the ``radiant badge of martyrdom,'' Pope John Paul II on Saturday honored Croatia's World War II cardinal , a hero to Roman Catholics, but long a symbol of divisions in the Balkans. MARIJA BISTRICA, Croatia (AP) _ Bestowing on him the ``radiant badge of martyrdom,'' Pope John Paul II on Saturday honored Croatia's World War II cardinal , a hero to Roman Catholics, but long a symbol of divisions in the Balkans. MARIJA BISTRICA, Croatia _ Hailing the World War II archbishop of Zagreb as a martyr to ``the atrocities of the Communist system,'' Pope John Paul II beatified him Saturday. + Stepinac was hailed as a hero by Catholics for his resistance to communism and refusal to separate the Croatian church from the Vatican. Stepinac was hailed as a hero by Catholics for his resistance to communism and refusal to separate the Croatian church from the Vatican. Stepinac was hailed as a hero by Catholics for his resistance to communism and refusal to separate the Croatian church from the Vatican. Stepinac was hailed as a hero by Catholics for his resistance to communism and refusal to separate the Croatian church from the Vatican. + By 1942, however, Stepinac denounced the regime's genocidal policies , which led to the extermination of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and Croat opponents. By 1942, however, Stepinac denounced the regime's genocidal policies , which led to the extermination of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and Croat opponents. By 1942, however, Stepinac denounced the regime's genocidal policies , which led to the extermination of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and Croat opponents. By 1942, however, Stepinac denounced the regime's genocidal policies , which led to the extermination of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and Croat opponents. + But by paying such homage to Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, who was imprisoned by the Tito regime as a Nazi collaborator , the pope also stepped into one of the most divisive Serbo-Croatian disputes in all the embattled regions of the former Yugoslavia. But by paying such homage to Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, who was imprisoned by the Tito government as a Nazi collaborator , the pope also stepped into one of the most divisive Serbian-Croatian disputes in all of former Yugoslavia. The pope arrived in Croatia, a country of 4 million that is more than 75 percent Catholic, on Friday to beatify one of Croatia's national heros, Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, who was persecuted by Tito after World War II and died under house arrest in 1960. + John Paul appealed to a country that has suffered from war and ethnic divisions ``to forgive and reconcile and to purify one's memory of hatred'' and ` `the desire for revenge.'' John Paul appealed to a country that has suffered from war and ethnic divisions ``to forgive and reconcile and to purify one's memory of hatred'' and ``the desire for revenge.'' John Paul appealed to a country that has suffered from war and ethnic divisions ``to forgive and reconcile and to purify one's memory of hatred'' and ` `the desire for revenge.'' + By 1942 , however, Stepinac denounced the regime's genocidal policies , which led to the extermination of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and Croat opponents. By 1942 , however, Stepinac denounced the regime's genocidal policies , which led to the extermination of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and Croat opponents. By 1942 , however, Stepinac denounced the regime's genocidal policies , which led to the extermination of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and Croat opponents. + It is perhaps not surprising that the Polish-born John Paul, who used his pulpit to help topple Soviet totalitarianism, would revere a church leader who was persecuted by the Communists and died under house arrest in 1960. It is perhaps not surprising that the Polish-born John Paul, who used his pulpit to help topple Soviet totalitarianism, would revere a church leader who was persecuted by the Communists and died under house arrest in 1960. The pope arrived in Croatia, a country of 4 million that is more than 75 percent Catholic, on Friday to beatify one of Croatia's national heros, Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, who was persecuted by Tito after World War II and died under house arrest in 1960. + Half a million od people watched with delight and gratitude as John Paul beatified Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac , elevating him to the last step before possible sainthood, in Marija Bistrica, Croatia's leading Marian shrine to the Virgin Mary. Half a million people watched with delight and gratitude as John Paul beatified Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac , elevating him to the last step before possible sainthood, in Marija Bistrica, Croatia's leading shrine to the Virgin Mary. + ISTANBUL, Turkey _ The government of Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, plagued since its inception 17 months ago by competing pressures from Islamic groups and the rigidly secular military, lost a vote of confidence in Parliament and fell Wednesday. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) _ Turkey's government collapsed Wednesday after losing a confidence vote in parliament over a corruption scandal that tainted the prime minister with allegations of mob ties. President Suleyman Demirel opened talks with party leaders just hours after the corruption-battered coalition of Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz lost a confidence vote in parliament. Parliament toppled Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz's 17-month-old government Wednesday in a no-confidence vote over a mafia scandal , setting off a furious round of deal-making among pro-secular parties to piece together a new governing coalition. Parliament toppled Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz's 17-month-old government Wednesday in a no-confidence vote over a mafia scandal , setting off a furious round of deal-making among pro-secular parties to piece together a new governing coalition. Parliament toppled Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz's 17-month-old government Wednesday in a no-confidence vote over a mafia scandal , setting off a furious round of deal-making among pro-secular parties to piece together a new governing coalition. Ecevit is said to have the support of Turkey's all-powerful military and most analysts say he is the is the most viable replacement for Mesut Yilmaz, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote last week over a mafia scandal. + Turkey's generals pressured the nation's first Islamic-led government out of office last year , after it came to power in a coalition with former Premier Tansu Ciller. Turkey's generals pressured the nation's first Islamic-led government out of office last year , after it came to power in a coalition with former Premier Tansu Ciller. Turkey's generals pressured the nation's first Islamic-led government out of office last year , after it came to power in a coalition with former Premier Tansu Ciller. The military last year forced out the country's first Islamic-led government. The military last year forced out the country's first Islamic-led government. Kutan's Virtue Party is the successor of another Islamic party , Welfare, which was forced to step down from power by the military last year after it tried to increase the influence of Islam in society. Last year , the military ousted Turkey's first Islamic-led government. + Turkish politics have been torn in the 1990s between the choice of an Islamic -led government or fragile, pro-secular coalitions. Parliament toppled Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz's 17-month-old government Wednesday in a no-confidence vote over a mafia scandal, setting off a furious round of deal-making among pro-secular parties to piece together a new governing coalition. Turkish politics have been torn in the 1990s between the choice of an Islamic -led government or fragile, pro-secular coalitions. Parliament toppled Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz's 17-month-old government Wednesday in a no-confidence vote over a mafia scandal, setting off a furious round of deal-making among pro-secular parties to piece together a new governing coalition. Parliament toppled Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz's 17-month-old government Wednesday in a no-confidence vote over a mafia scandal, setting off a furious round of deal-making among pro-secular parties to piece together a new governing coalition. + ANKARA, Turkey (AP) _ One of Turkey's leading politicians warned Sunday that a political vacuum could cripple the domestic battle to keep Islamists at bay and in the fight abroad for the extradition of a Kurdish rebel leader. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) _ One of Turkey's leading politicians warned Sunday that a political vacuum could cripple the domestic battle to keep Islamists at bay and in the fight abroad for the extradition of a Kurdish rebel leader. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) _ One of Turkey's leading politicians warned Sunday that a political vacuum could cripple the domestic battle to keep Islamists at bay and the fight abroad for the extradition of a Kurdish rebel leader. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) _ One of Turkey's leading politicians warned Sunday that a political vacuum could cripple the domestic battle to keep Islamists at bay and the fight abroad for the extradition of a Kurdish rebel leader. + Gunes Taner, the Cabinet minister who was to have led Turkey's delegation, was implicated in the corruption scandal that brought down the government. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) _ Turkey's government collapsed Wednesday after losing a confidence vote in parliament over a corruption scandal that tainted the prime minister with allegations of mob ties. In the midst of Turkey's uphill battle to get Italy to hand over a Kurdish rebel leader, the government collapsed Wednesday under the weight of corruption scandals. A pro-secular alliance replaced Welfare, but it collapsed last week over corruption charges ,. + Few believe the all-powerful, staunchly secular military would agree to that. Few believe the all-powerful, staunchly secular military would agree to that. Few believe the all-powerful, staunchly secular military would agree to that. Ecevit is said to have the support of Turkey's all-powerful military and most analysts say he is the is the most viable replacement for Mesut Yilmaz, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote last week over a mafia scandal. + No party has a majority in parliament. No party has a majority in parliament. No party has a majority to govern alone in the deeply divided parliament. No party has a majority to govern alone in the deeply divided parliament. + By tradition, the job of establishing a new government should go to the Islamic Virtue Party since it is has the most seats in Parliament. By tradition, the job of establishing a new government should go to the Islamic Virtue Party since it has the most seats in Parliament. By tradition, the job of establishing a new government should go to the Islamic Virtue Party since it has the most seats in Parliament. Traditionally, the job of forming a new government should go to Kutan, as his party has the largest number of seats in Parliament. + Acting Deputy Premier Bulent Ecevit on Sunday called on Turkey's two center-right parties, led by arch-rivals acting Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and former Premier Tansu Ciller, to join him in a governing coalition. Acting Deputy Premier Bulent Ecevit on Sunday called on Turkey's two center-right parties , led by arch-rivals acting Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and former Premier Tansu Ciller, to join him in a governing coalition. Acting Deputy Premier Bulent Ecevit on Sunday called on Turkey's two center-right parties, led by arch-rivals acting Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and former Premier Tansu Ciller, to join him in a governing coalition. Acting Deputy Premier Bulent Ecevit on Sunday called on Turkey's two center-right parties , led by arch-rivals acting Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and former Premier Tansu Ciller, to join him in a governing coalition. + ANKARA , Turkey (AP) _ The head of Turkey's pro-Islamic party said Thursday he would not insist on his rightful chance to lead Turkey's next government , heading off a confrontation with the military that would only deepen the nation's political crisis. ANKARA , Turkey (AP) _ The head of Turkey's pro-Islamic party said Thursday he would not insist on his rightful chance to lead Turkey's next government , heading off a confrontation with the military that would only deepen the nation's political crisis. ANKARA , Turkey (AP) _ The head of Turkey's pro-Islamic party said Thursday he would not insist on his rightful chance to lead Turkey's next government , heading off a confrontation with the military that would only deepen the nation's political crisis. + In Poland, 32 people died, most of them homeless or others who passed out in the cold after drinking alcohol , police said. In Poland, 36 people died, most of them homeless or others who passed out in the cold after drinking alcohol , police said. The majority of victims are homeless people or alcoholics who pass out on the street. The majority of victims are homeless people or alcoholics who pass out on the street. Most victims have been the homeless or men who passed out from drinking. Most victims have been the homeless or men who passed out from drinking. Most victims have been the homeless or men who passed out from drinking. Most victims have been the homeless or men who passed out from drinking. + WARSAW, Poland (AP) _ An Arctic cold wave that hit Poland a week ago has killed 32 people, police said Monday. The cold wave hit on Nov. 16 , making it one of the coldest Novembers in Poland in recent years. The cold wave hit on Nov. 16 , making it one of the coldest Novembers in Poland in recent years. The cold front arrived on Nov. 16 with temperatures dipping as low as minus 26 Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit). The cold front arrived on Nov. 16 with temperatures dipping as low as minus 26 Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit). Poland's extreme cold began Nov. 16 , with temperatures dropping to minus 26 Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit). + Police said a 40-year-old man was found frozen to death in central Poland on Thursday morning. Police said a 40-year-old man was found frozen to death in central Poland on Thursday morning. Police said a 40-year-old man was found frozen to death in central Poland on Thursday morning. WARSAW , Poland (AP) _ The death toll from almost three weeks of sub-zero temperatures has reached 83 , after a homeless man froze to death in a Warsaw park. On Friday , a man identified as Adam S. , 47, was found frozen to death in a Warsaw park. + BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) _ An Arctic cold wave and accompanying blizzards have killed at least 62 people throughout Europe, police and media reported Monday. &UR; Eds: UPDATES with four more deaths in Poland &UR; AP Photo &UR; By ALISON MUTLER &QC; &UR; Associated Press Writer &QC; BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) _ An Arctic cold wave and accompanying blizzards have killed at least 65 people throughout Europe, police and media reported Monday. The weather played a role in at least 24 deaths in Romania and Bulgaria over the past three days. The frigid Arctic air that moved in last week has claimed more than 90 lives across Europe, including 30 in Romania and some in France, Bulgaria and Italy. + WARSAW, Poland (AP) _ An Arctic cold wave that hit Poland a week ago has killed 32 people , police said Monday. In Poland , 32 people died , most of them homeless or others who passed out in the cold after drinking alcohol, police said. Earlier police said 32 people throughout Poland had died of cold exposure thus far , but by evening more deaths were reported. + WARSAW , Poland (AP) _ Two more victims of Poland's prolonged cold front were found Thursday , raising the death toll from more than two weeks of freezing temperatures to at least 74. WARSAW , Poland (AP) _ Two more victims of Poland's prolonged cold front were found Thursday , raising the death toll from more than two weeks of freezing temperatures to at least 74. WARSAW, Poland (AP) _ The death toll from almost three weeks of sub-zero temperatures reached 85 on Saturday , after two men froze to death in their unheated homes in northeastern Poland. + MOSCOW (AP) _ Unusually cold weather in Moscow killed at least 39 people in November , medical officials said on Monday. Police say the number of cold-related deaths in recent weeks is 29 more than the number for all of last winter. + Most of the victims were middle-aged men who had been drinking alcohol and passed out in the cold, according to Grazyna Puchalska of the national police headquarters. Many of the victims were homeless, and most had been drinking alcohol, which lowers the body temperature. + Other victims included homeless people , according to police. Many of the victims were homeless , and most had been drinking alcohol, which lowers the body temperature. + Temperatures have dropped well below freezing, with minus 26 Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit) recorded in Poland on Sunday. The cold front arrived on Nov. 16 with temperatures dipping as low as minus 26 Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit). + MANILA, Philippines (AP) _ Typhoon Babs headed toward southern China Friday after battering the central and northern Philippines with heavy winds and rain that killed at least 82 people, flattened crops, and drove more than 100,000 people from their homes. More than 100,000 people in the area were forced to flee their homes , Red Cross officials said. SAN MIGUEL, Philippines (AP) _ Typhoon Babs raced toward southern China on Saturday, leaving behind a trail of destruction on the Philippines' main island where at least 129 people died and hundreds of thousands were forced to flee their homes. More than 320,000 people in the area were forced out of their homes , disaster relief officials said. TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) _ Typhoon Babs brought torrential rains and landslides to Taiwan and lashed Hong Kong with strong winds Sunday after killing more than 150 people in the Philippines and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) _ Typhoon Babs brought torrential rains and landslides to Taiwan and lashed Hong Kong with strong winds Sunday after killing at least 156 people in the Philippines and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. The storm earlier killed at least 156 people in the Philippines and left hundreds of thousands homeless. The storms left at least 370 people dead, more than 200,000 others homeless and millions of dollars worth of crops and property destroyed. + TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) _ Typhoon Babs brought torrential rains and landslides to Taiwan and lashed Hong Kong with strong winds Sunday after killing more than 150 people in the Philippines and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) _ Typhoon Babs brought torrential rains and landslides to Taiwan and lashed Hong Kong with strong winds Sunday after killing at least 156 people in the Philippines and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. TAIPEI , Taiwan (AP) _ Typhoon Babs weakened into a severe tropical storm Sunday night after it triggered massive flooding and landslides in Taiwan and slammed Hong Kong with strong winds. + Philippines President Joseph Estrada declared Catanduanes and three other other provinces and a city in the worst hit area on the southern tip of Luzon under a state of calamity. In the Philippines , President Joseph Estrada has declared four provinces and a city in the worst hit area on the southern tip of Luzon under a state of calamity. In the Philippines , President Joseph Estrada has declared four provinces and a city in the worst hit area on the southern tip of Luzon under a state of calamity. + At least 53 people were killed in landslides on Catanduanes island , where Babs first hit land Thursday, Office of Civil Defense director Renato Arevalo said. Of the 129 deaths reported so far in the Philippines, 67 were attributed to landslides on Catanduanes island where Babs first landed on Thursday, the Office of Civil Defense said. The fatalities included 71 people who died in landslides in hard-hit Catanduanes island and 41 people who drowned, were electrocuted or died in landslides in nearby Camarines Sur province. + The fatalities included 18 drownings, three people hit by falling trees, two people electrocuted by power lines, two children killed by a landslide in central Iloilo province, and a fireman crushed to death after his van overturned on a slippery road, officials said. The fatalities included 71 people who died in landslides in hard-hit Catanduanes island and 41 people who drowned , were electrocuted or died in landslides in nearby Camarines Sur province. The fatalities included 71 people who died in landslides in hard-hit Catanduanes island and 41 people who drowned , were electrocuted or died in landslides in nearby Camarines Sur province. + MANILA, Philippines (AP) _ Typhoon Babs headed toward southern China Friday after battering the central and northern Philippines with heavy winds and rain that killed at least 82 people, flattened crops , and drove more than 100,000 people from their homes. MANILA, Philippines (AP) _ Typhoon Babs headed toward southern China Friday after battering the central and northern Philippines with heavy winds and rain that killed at least 82 people, flattened crops, and drove more than 100,000 people from their homes. + ``Catanduanes received the first punch and it was a hard hit,'' said Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado, who is overseeing the relief and rescue work. The island province was the first hit by the typhoon , which stalled directly above it for nearly 12 hours. + Coconut oil is the main ingredient in cooking oil manufactured in the Philippines. Coconut oil is the main ingredient in cooking oil manufactured in the Philippines. + At least 69 people from the province died, most of them buried in landslides. Several domestic airports were closed, and landslides had halted traffic and trapped hundreds of people in mountains in central Taiwan , they said. + At least 53 people were killed in landslides on Catanduanes island, where Babs first hit land Thursday , Office of Civil Defense director Renato Arevalo said. Of the 129 deaths reported so far in the Philippines, 67 were attributed to landslides on Catanduanes island where Babs first landed on Thursday , the Office of Civil Defense said. + Then he stepped into his kitchen, where a sniper's bullet crashed through a back window and struck him in the chest , police said. Then he stepped into his kitchen, where a sniper's bullet crashed through a back window and struck him in the chest , police said. Slepian , a 52-year-old gynecologist and obstetrician who lived in this suburb of Buffalo, was shot fatally in the back Friday night as he stood in the kitchen of his home chatting with his wife, Lynne, and his 15-year-old son, Andrew. The sniper attack that killed Slepian left many women here, most of them poor or working-class, expressing outrage that a bullet had deprived them at least temporarily of one of the few options they had to end an unwanted or unhealthy pregnancy. As the staff at the clinic scheduled appointments for the rest of the week _ one staff member said the clinic was fully booked for Thursday and Friday _ local and federal investigators reported little progress in their search for the sniper who shot Slepian , 52, through an undraped window as he stood in his kitchen in the nearby suburb of Amherst. Short -staffed even before Slepian was fatally shot by a sniper who hid in a wooded field behind his home, the clinic, Buffalo Women's Gynecological Services, scrambled to find doctors to cover his schedule. + In each case, police said a gunman, using a high-powered rifle, fired through a window into the home of the doctors. Then he stepped into his kitchen, where a sniper's bullet crashed through a back window and struck him in the chest, police said. Last November, a doctor in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was shot in the shoulder by a bullet fired through a window. In each case, police said a gunman, using a high-powered rifle, fired through a window into the home of the doctors. _ Dr. Hugh Short, 62, is at home watching television with his wife in a rear, second-floor den at about 9:30 p.m. when a bullet comes through a window , shattering his right elbow. + Susan Ward, a spokeswoman for Buffalo GYN Women's Services, the private clinic where Slepian performed abortions , said the National Abortion Federation had faxed a warning to the clinic Friday morning reminding them about the four-year pattern of attacks. Susan Ward, a spokeswoman for Buffalo GYN Women's Services, the private clinic where Slepian performed abortions , said the National Abortion Federation had faxed a warning to the clinic Friday morning reminding them about the four-year pattern of attacks. AMHERST, N.Y. _ Some of those whom knew him said Dr. Barnett Slepian continued to perform abortions in the face of death threats because he had what one friend called ``a stubborn kind of courage.'' The killing of Dr. Barnett Slepian, a gynecologist in Buffalo who performed abortions , has become a factor in at least two campaigns in New York, say political consultants and some campaign advisers. + Dr. Barnett Slepian , an obstetrician with a practice in suburban Buffalo, N.Y., returned home from synagogue Friday night with his wife, Lynn, and greeted his four sons. Dr. Barnett Slepian , an obstetrician with a practice in suburban Buffalo, N.Y., returned home from synagogue Friday night with his wife, Lynn, and greeted his four sons. He had just returned home from synagogue with his wife and greeted his four sons. + Law enforcement officials from federal, state and local agencies who met with Canadian investigators here Sunday would not comment on their inquiry into the death of Slepian, the gynecologist and obstetrician who was killed by a sniper as he sat in his kitchen. The obstetrician , Dr. Barnett Slepian, was killed by a sniper on Friday night at his home in a Buffalo suburb. Oct. 23 , 1998, Amherst, N.Y. _ Dr. Barnett A. Slepian , 52, is shot and killed when a bullet crashes through a kitchen window at the back of his home, in a suburb of Buffalo , at about 10 p.m. + He fell to the floor, calling for help , but he would die within two hours. He fell to the floor, calling for help , but he would die within two hours. He nearly bleeds to death, but makes a tourniquet from his bathrobe belt and calls for help. + Slepian , 51, is the third abortion doctor killed in the United States since 1993. Slepian , 51, is the third abortion doctor killed in the United States since 1993. Since 1993 , three doctors, including Slepian, three clinic employees and a clinic escort have been murdered. + In the past four years , three Canadian doctors and a doctor in Rochester , N.Y., all of whom performed abortions, have been wounded by snipers. Five sniper attacks against abortion doctors in Canada and the United States have occurred in the last four years within a few weeks of Nov. 11 , or Veterans Day, a date observed as Remembrance Day in Canada, but which some anti-abortion activists are said to call ``Remember the Unborn Children Day.'' + Slepian, a 52-year-old gynecologist and obstetrician who lived in this suburb of Buffalo, was shot fatally in the back Friday night as he stood in the kitchen of his home chatting with his wife , Lynne, and his 15-year-old son, Andrew. Slepian was shot in the back on Friday night as he stood in his kitchen. + Slepian was one of a handful of doctors who provide abortions in the Buffalo area, and law-enforcement officials said Saturday that his slaying was the most deadly example of what they described as an annual pattern of anti-abortion violence in Canada and western New York. Slepian was one of a handful of doctors who provide abortions in the Buffalo area, and law-enforcement officials said Saturday that his slaying was the most deadly example of what they described as an annual pattern of anti-abortion violence in Canada and western New York. + Firefighters and police said they still had not determined the fire's cause. Firefighters and police said they still had not determined the fire's cause. The cause of the fire had not been determined as of Friday evening. The cause of the fire had not been determined as of Friday evening. ''As long as the technicians haven't established the cause of the fire , we don't know if it's arson or not,'' Goteborg chief prosecutor Ulf Noren said Saturday evening. + GOTEBORG , Sweden (AP) _ A fire turned a dance hall jammed with teen-age Halloween revelers into a deathtrap , killing 60 people and injuring 162 others in Sweden's second-largest city. GOTEBORG , Sweden (AP) _ A fire turned a dance hall jammed with teen-age Halloween revelers into a deathtrap , killing 60 people and injuring 162 others in Sweden's second-largest city. GOTEBORG , Sweden (AP) _ A fire turned a Swedish dance hall jammed with teen-age Halloween revelers into a deathtrap , killing 60 people and injuring 155. GOTEBORG, Sweden (AP) _ After clinging to life for three days, two youths trapped in a dance-hall fire died early Monday , bringing the death toll in the inferno to 62. + GOTEBORG, Sweden (AP) _ A fire turned a Swedish dance hall jammed with teen-age Halloween revelers into a deathtrap, killing 60 people and injuring 155. Police said another 173 people were injured, 20 of them severely , in the explosive fire that engulfed the plain brick two-story building just before midnight Thursday and turned a boisterous disco dance into a screaming terror in a matter of moments. GOTEBORG, Sweden (AP) _ A panicky telephone call in poor Swedish was the first word that authorities got of a fire racing through a dance hall crowded with immigrant teen-agers, delaying fire squads' response to the blaze that killed 60 and injured 162 , officials said Saturday. + The only way out was a small door at the front, and there were 400 people. '' Although an estimated 400 people, most aged 13 to 18 , were at the dance on the upper floor , the facility had approval for a maximum capacity of 150, Hans Carlsson, the detective leading the disaster investigation. The dead, as young as 12 and none older than 20, were among an estimated 400 people who were at a disco dance in a rented second-floor hall when an explosive fire broke out shortly before midnight Thursday. + Of the 162 people who suffered non-fatal injuries in the Thursday night fire , 76 remain hospitalized. The newspaper Expressen reported Sunday that police were told just hours after the devastating blaze that one of the 162 injured claimed to know who set the fire. The newspaper Expressen reported Sunday that police were told just hours after the devastating blaze that one of the 162 injured claimed to know who set the fire. + Of the injured , at least 57 were in intensive care, according to Sven Martinell, spokesman for the local medical authorities. Of the injured, at least 57 were in intensive care , according to Sven Martinell, spokesman for the local medical authorities. Of the injured, at least 57 were in intensive care , according to Sven Martinell, spokesman for the local medical authorities. + The dance was attended mostly by immigrants or children of immigrants. Most of the victims were immigrants or of immigrant parentage , from countries including Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Ethiopia and current and former Yugoslavia. Most of those at the dance were immigrants or children of immigrant parents. + Almost all of the victims were teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17, who had packed into a Halloween hip-hop party at a hall owned by a Macedonian civic organization. GOTEBORG, Sweden (AP) _ Hundreds of teen-agers jammed into an upstairs hall planning to dance the night away, but by the time the sun rose Friday they were dead, clinging to life in hospitals or weeping in disbelief at a fire that killed 67 of them. + GOTEBORG, Sweden (AP) _ Forensic experts examining heavily burned bodies were able Saturday to identify more of the 60 young people who died in a dance hall fire , but the catastrophe's most tormenting question was still unanswered. GOTEBORG, Sweden (AP) _ Officials offered no word Sunday on what might have caused the dance-hall fire that killed 60 young people, but reports of grim possibilities abounded in newspapers. + GOTEBORG, Sweden (AP) _ A panicky telephone call in poor Swedish was the first word that authorities got of a fire racing through a dance hall crowded with immigrant teen-agers, delaying fire squads' response to the blaze that killed 60 and injured 162, officials said Saturday. The first call alerting authorities to the fire was made in heavily accented Swedish and that, combined with noise and the caller's distress, delayed the fire squads' response by several minutes. + Friday's election is for the 86-seat Assembly of Experts , whose job is to oversee the work of the supreme leader , a post currently held by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Iran's official media boasted about a huge turnout in elections Friday for the council that oversees the country's supreme leader. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Conservative Muslim clerics were leading in national elections for a key assembly that elects and oversees Iran's supreme leader , according to partial results Saturday. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Conservative Muslim clerics were leading in national elections for a key assembly that elects and oversees Iran's supreme leader , according to partial results Saturday. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Iran's conservatives won a decisive victory in elections for a clergy-based assembly that oversees the country's supreme leader , official results showed Sunday. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Iran's conservatives won a decisive victory in elections for a clergy -based assembly that oversees the country's supreme leader , official results showed Sunday. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Iran's conservatives won a decisive victory in elections for a clergy-based assembly that oversees the country's supreme leader , official results showed Sunday. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Iran's conservatives won a decisive victory in elections for a clergy -based assembly that oversees the country's supreme leader , official results showed Sunday. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Iran's conservatives won a decisive victory in elections for a clergy-based assembly that oversees the country's supreme leader , official results showed Sunday. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Iran's conservatives won a decisive victory in elections for a clergy -based assembly that oversees the country's supreme leader , official results showed Sunday. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Iran's conservatives won a decisive victory in elections for a clergy-based assembly that oversees the country's supreme leader , official results showed Sunday. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Iran's conservatives won a decisive victory in elections for a clergy -based assembly that oversees the country's supreme leader , official results showed Sunday. + TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Iranians voted Friday to elect a key assembly expected to be dominated by hard-line clergymen who favor unhindered powers for Iran's supreme leader. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Iranians voted Friday to elect a key assembly expected to be dominated by hard-line clergymen who favor unhindered powers for Iran's supreme leader. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Conservative Muslim clerics were leading in national elections for a key assembly that elects and oversees Iran's supreme leader, according to partial results Saturday. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Conservative Muslim clerics were leading in national elections for a key assembly that elects and oversees Iran's supreme leader, according to partial results Saturday. TEHRAN , Iran (AP) _ Iran's conservatives won a decisive victory in elections for a clergy-based assembly that oversees the country's supreme leader, official results showed Sunday. TEHRAN , Iran (AP) _ Iran's conservatives won a decisive victory in elections for a clergy-based assembly that oversees the country's supreme leader, official results showed Sunday. TEHRAN , Iran (AP) _ Iran's conservatives won a decisive victory in elections for a clergy-based assembly that oversees the country's supreme leader, official results showed Sunday. TEHRAN , Iran (AP) _ Iran's conservatives won a decisive victory in elections for a clergy-based assembly that oversees the country's supreme leader, official results showed Sunday. Among the hard-liners who won in the capital were Mohammad Yazdi, head of the powerful judiciary, and Ahmad Jannati, who leads the council that vetted the candidates. + The Council of Guardians , which is dominated by political hard-liners, has rejected 214 candidates out of 400 who wanted to run in Friday's election to the 86-member Assembly of Experts. The Council of Guardians, which is dominated by political hard-liners , has rejected 214 candidates out of 400 who wanted to run in Friday's election to the 86-member Assembly of Experts. Despite the urging, the lackluster election campaign has failed to draw much excitement because of lack of competition: most of the 161 candidates _ all clergymen _ are hard-liners who were selected by a supervisory Council of Guardians controlled by conservatives. The candidates were selected by a Council of Guardians that is controlled by conservatives. The results came as no surprise since most moderates had been dropped from the ballot in advance of Friday's election by a council that reviews candidates's eligibility and is dominated by hard-liners. The results came as no surprise since most moderates had been dropped from the ballot in advance of Friday's election by a council that reviews candidates's eligibility and is dominated by hard-liners. The results were expected since most moderates had been dropped from the ballot in advance of Friday's election by a council that reviews candidates's eligibility and is dominated by hard-liners. The results were expected since most moderates had been dropped from the ballot in advance of Friday's election by a council that reviews candidates's eligibility and is dominated by hard-liners. + Khatami's followers want to make the supreme leader more accountable to the people while the hard-liners prefer a much more hands-off approach. But moderate clerics led by President Mohammad Khatami are calling for a more accountable leader in a political tug-of-war that has gripped Iran since his election last year. The moderates, led by popular President Mohammad Khatami , want to make the supreme leader more accountable to people by installing an assembly that is more balanced in its composition. The moderates, led by popular President Mohammad Khatami , want to make the supreme leader more accountable to people by installing an assembly that is more balanced in its composition. + Hard-liners won 11 of the 16 seats in Tehran and moderates only five. Hard-liners won 11 of the 16 seats in Tehran and moderates only five. Hard-liners won 11 of the 16 seats in Tehran and moderates only five. Hard-liners won 11 of the 16 seats in Tehran and moderates only five. + Some moderate leaders had said in advance they did not expect to win the balloting but still hoped to use the assembly to focus on the growing powers granted to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's top Shiite Muslim cleric. The outcome is a blow to moderates who had hoped to use the Assembly of Experts to curb the absolute powers of the supreme leader and broaden social and political freedoms for the average Iranian. The outcome is a blow to moderates who had hoped to use the Assembly of Experts to curb the absolute powers of the supreme leader and broaden social and political freedoms for the average Iranian. + But Khatami's camp appeared to have lost this battle even before the polls: a conservative supervisory council that vetted a list of 396 prospective candidates approved 161 contestants, only about 30 of them moderates. The elections were marked by a low turnout, and many Iranians said they stayed away to protest the lack of choice: a conservative council that vetted a list of 396 prospective candidates had rejected all but about 30 moderate candidates. The elections were marked by a low turnout, and many Iranians said they stayed away to protest the lack of choice: a conservative council that vetted a list of 396 prospective candidates had rejected all but about 30 moderate candidates. + ``The people, by their huge turnout at the elections of the Assembly of Experts will inject a new life into the revolution ,'' he said. TEHRAN , Iran (AP) _ Iran's official media boasted about a huge turnout in elections Friday for the council that oversees the country's supreme leader. + TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Conservative Muslim clerics were leading in national elections for a key assembly that elects and oversees Iran's supreme leader, according to partial results Saturday. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Conservative Muslim clerics were leading in national elections for a key assembly that elects and oversees Iran's supreme leader, according to partial results Saturday. + TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Iranians voted Friday to elect a key assembly expected to be dominated by hard-line clergymen who favor unhindered powers for Iran's supreme leader. The trend offered no surprise since most of the 167 candidates in Friday' elections were hard-liners who want to maintain the authority of the supreme leader , the country's top Shiite cleric who has the final say in all matters. + For 11 days last month , Hurricane Georges plowed across the Caribbean, killing at least 500 people and inflicting property damage estimated at more than $5 billion as it weaved through nearly a dozen countries before expiring as an early fall rainstorm over Georgia. For 11 days last month , Hurricane Georges plowed across the Caribbean, killing at least 500 people and inflicting property damage estimated at more than $5 billion as it weaved through nearly a dozen countries before expiring as an early fall rainstorm over Georgia. For 11 days last month , Hurricane Georges plowed across the Caribbean , killing at least 500 people and inflicting property damage estimated at more than $5 billion as it weaved through nearly a dozen countries before expiring as an early fall rainstorm over Georgia. But Hurricane Georges , which hit the island last month and caused several billion dollars in damages, has brought out one big difference: while nearly every home in the 50 states is insured, insurance executives and government officials estimate that only 30 percent or 40 percent of those here are covered. + And U.S. taxpayers are sure to foot most of the bill. And U.S. taxpayers are sure to foot most of the bill. + Aside from killing three people on the island, Georges destroyed nearly 30,000 houses and damaged at least another 60,000 , the local Housing Department estimates. But Hurricane Georges , which hit the island last month and caused several billion dollars in damages, has brought out one big difference : while nearly every home in the 50 states is insured, insurance executives and government officials estimate that only 30 percent or 40 percent of those here are covered. + It swept past island after island in the northern Caribbean, causing billions of dollars in destruction and killing at least 400 people. In all , Georges killed at least 430 people throughout the Caribbean. + Aside from killing three people on the island, Georges destroyed nearly 30,000 houses and damaged at least another 60,000, the local Housing Department estimates. With no forest cover to absorb Georges' torrential rains, storm runoff crashed through the town, destroying dozens of homes and buildings. + In Puerto Rico , where three people were killed , the squatter community of Diamond Point kept its dazzling hilltop view of the sea but little else. Aside from killing three people on the island , Georges destroyed nearly 30,000 houses and damaged at least another 60,000, the local Housing Department estimates. + MANAGUA, Nicaragua _ A natural disaster as terrible as Hurricane Mitch, which killed more than 10,000 people in Central America in the past two weeks and left nearly 1 million more homeless , teaches a lot about the way a society does or does not work. + SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) _ It plowed over and past 17 Caribbean islands , crashing into the lives of more than 30 million people. + PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) _ Haiti has only dlrs 23 million to rebuild roads, bridges and irrigation canals destroyed by Hurricane Georges , less than half of what is needed for just the hardest-hit areas, the government says. + PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) _ Haiti has only dlrs 23 million to rebuild roads, bridges and irrigation canals destroyed by Hurricane Georges, less than half of what is needed for just the hardest-hit areas, the government says. + WASHINGTON _ With just five days until money for the new fiscal year runs out , President Clinton and Congressional Democrats on Monday escalated their criticism of Republican leaders for not moving faster on the 13 spending bills needed to keep the government running. The federal fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. The federal fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. + WASHINGTON _ With three days until temporary financing of the government expires, Republican leaders met Wednesday night with White House officials in their first high-level attempt to resolve dozens of spending issues and avoid a government shutdown. Republican leaders vowed they would not let the government shut down. Republican leaders vowed they would not let the government shut down. + If they neither met the deadline nor extended it, parts of the government would shut down. There would have been a massive shutdown of federal agencies on Oct. 1 , except that Congress voted for a ``continuing resolution'' that supplies emergency funding until Oct. 9. There would have been a massive shutdown of federal agencies on Oct. 1 , except that Congress voted for a ``continuing resolution'' that supplies emergency funding until Oct. 9. + And at least three of the bills yet to be voted into law have been threatened with a presidential veto because of the anti-environmental riders attached to them. And at least three of the bills yet to be voted into law have been threatened with a presidential veto because of the anti-environmental riders attached to them. And at least three of the bills yet to be voted into law have been threatened with a presidential veto because of the anti-environmental riders attached to them. + WASHINGTON _ With four days until temporary financing for the government runs out , House Republican leaders Tuesday demonstrated a new willingness to resolve several of the spending issues that had pointed toward a government shutdown. WASHINGTON _ With three days until temporary financing of the government expires , Republican leaders met Wednesday night with White House officials in their first high-level attempt to resolve dozens of spending issues and avoid a government shutdown. + WASHINGTON _ Budget negotiations faltered Friday, prompting Congress to delay until midnight Monday its deadline for passing a spending bill to keep the government open. WASHINGTON _ Budget negotiations faltered Friday , prompting Congress to delay until midnight Monday its deadline for passing a spending bill to keep the government open. + The federal government is now running on borrowed time. The federal government is now running on borrowed time. + So far, Congress has completed work on only four of those bills. As of Oct. 2 , only four of 13 appropriations bills had been passed. + They indicated Tuesday that they intended to drop their hard-line positions on matters ranging from less money for the International Monetary Fund to a weakened Federal Election Commission to a denial of political amnesty for 40,000 Haitians. The unresolved issues include financing for the International Monetary Fund , how to conduct the 2000 census, and billions of dollars in extra spending for items that the administration deems emergencies, like the peacekeeping mission in Bosnia, the year 2000 computer bug, and disaster relief for farmers. + There would have been a massive shutdown of federal agencies on Oct. 1, except that Congress voted for a ``continuing resolution'' that supplies emergency funding until Oct. 9. There would have been a massive shutdown of federal agencies on Oct. 1, except that Congress voted for a ``continuing resolution'' that supplies emergency funding until Oct. 9. + The antitrust suit , initiated last October, originally focused on Microsoft's linking of its Internet Explorer World Wide Web browser with the industry-dominant Windows 95 operating system. After Netscape spurned the offer, the government contends, Microsoft embarked on a strategy intended to thwart competition in the Internet software market by crushing Netscape, bundling its browser into its Windows operating system and making restrictive deals with personal-computer makers, online services and other companies. In his third day cross-examining James L. Barksdale, Netscape's president and chief executive, the Microsoft lawyer, John Warden, suggested that the market-division allegation stemmed from anger on the part of Netscape executives when they learned at that meeting that Microsoft intended to bundle its own browser with its Windows operating system. When Netscape refused , the government further charges, Microsoft decided to bundle its own Web browser, Internet Explorer, with the Windows system to drive Netscape out of the browser business. + SAN FRANCISCO _ In a recent move that indicated he has no intention of backing away from his company's aggressive business tactics, Microsoft Corp.'s chairman , Bill Gates, has proposed acquiring the software business behind 3Com Corp.'s popular Palm Pilot hand-held computer , according to people who have been briefed on the discussions. SAN FRANCISCO _ In a recent move that indicated he has no intention of backing away from his company's aggressive business tactics, Microsoft Corp.'s chairman , Bill Gates, has proposed acquiring the software business behind 3Com Corp.'s popular Palm Pilot hand-held computer , according to people who have been briefed on the discussions. + The e-mail message, written by James Clark , the chairman and cofounder of Netscape, was submitted in court Wednesday by Microsoft as part of its defense in the sweeping antitrust suit filed by the Justice Department and 20 states. WASHINGTON _ Attempting to refute a central allegation in the government's antitrust case, Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday produced a secret e-mail message from the chairman of Netscape Communications Corp. seeking Microsoft's cooperation, offering to stay out of its way and suggesting that Microsoft invest in Netscape. + In his 127 pages of written testimony, released Monday afternoon, Barksdale supplied new details and a firsthand perspective of a disputed meeting between Microsoft and Netscape on June 21, 1995, at Netscape's offices in Mountain View, Calif. At the meeting, the government contends , Microsoft executives proposed that the two companies divvy up the emerging market for software used to browse the Internet's World Wide Web. According to the government , Microsoft offered to make an investment in Netscape and give Netscape's software developers crucial technical information about the Windows operating system if Netscape would agree not to make a browser for Windows 95 operating system, which Microsoft released two months later. + If the court accepts Barksdale's version of the meeting, it will represent a big victory for the Justice Department and the 20 states suing Microsoft. That meeting and the charge of an illegal offer to divide the market for Internet browsers, the software used to navigate the World Wide Web, are central elements of the antitrust suit by the Justice Department and 20 states being heard in United States district court here. + ``My only knowledge is the Wall Street Journal article; it surprised me'' Gates said of reports of a meeting in which his company had offered its chief competitor in Internet software a chance to divide the market. Such a collusion to divide markets would be a violation of federal antitrust law. + As to its central charge, illegal collusion to divide software markets , Gates said only: ``I think somebody said that was in there.'' That meeting and the charge of an illegal offer to divide the market for Internet browsers , the software used to navigate the World Wide Web, are central elements of the antitrust suit by the Justice Department and 20 states being heard in United States district court here. + In the case of Microsoft , the government has invoked the Sherman Act to file a civil suit that seeks to change the company's business practices, not a criminal suit that seeks financial penalties. In the case of Microsoft, the government has invoked the Sherman Act to file a civil suit that seeks to change the company's business practices, not a criminal suit that seeks financial penalties. + But certainly, Gates is said to have dangled an alluring kingmaker's deal: If 3Com were willing to sell off its software business, a market favorite compared with Microsoft's Windows CE operating system , Gates would make the company's remaining Palm Computing hardware business, ``the Compaq Computer of the hand-held market.'' But certainly, Gates is said to have dangled an alluring kingmaker's deal: If 3Com were willing to sell off its software business, a market favorite compared with Microsoft's Windows CE operating system , Gates would make the company's remaining Palm Computing hardware business, ``the Compaq Computer of the hand-held market.'' + But certainly, Gates is said to have dangled an alluring kingmaker's deal: If 3Com were willing to sell off its software business, a market favorite compared with Microsoft's Windows CE operating system, Gates would make the company's remaining Palm Computing hardware business , ``the Compaq Computer of the hand-held market.'' But certainly, Gates is said to have dangled an alluring kingmaker's deal: If 3Com were willing to sell off its software business, a market favorite compared with Microsoft's Windows CE operating system, Gates would make the company's remaining Palm Computing hardware business , ``the Compaq Computer of the hand-held market.'' + DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania _ In a rare public statement about the August bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa, the FBI said Friday that two vehicles had been used in the attack on the embassy here. They were in a Suzuki Samurai, one of the two vehicles identified Friday , investigators said. Two vehicles were also used in the bombing of the embassy in Nairobi , according to indictments that have been handed down. + He is still at large after being indicted in the United States under an alias , Haroun Fazil, which he apparently used in Kenya. He is still at large after being indicted in the United States under an alias , Haroun Fazil, which he apparently used in Kenya. Bin Laden already faces criminal charges in the United States under a sealed indictment handed up by a federal grand jury in New York. + A total of 248 people, including a dozen Americans , were killed in the Nairobi bombing on Aug. 7. The simultaneous blast in Nairobi killed more than 250, including 12 Americans. The simultaneous blast in Nairobi killed more than 250, including 12 Americans. + WASHINGTON _ The United States has obtained new evidence to link the owner of a Sudanese factory destroyed in a U.S. cruise missile strike last month to a terrorist group backed by Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind of the bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa, according to U.S. intelligence officials. NEW YORK _ Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Wednesday that one of the men accused of conspiring to bomb the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August had met earlier with Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind of the attacks , and ``asked him for a mission.'' + MORONI, Comoros _ The man accused of directing the bomb attack on the American Embassy in Kenya came of age in this impoverished Indian Ocean archipelago, a land where gifted teen-agers leave home to enroll in the radical Islamic academies of Libya, Sudan and Pakistan. MORONI, Comoros _ The man accused of directing the bomb attack on the American Embassy in Kenya came of age in this impoverished Indian Ocean archipelago, a land where gifted teen-agers leave home to enroll in the radical Islamic academies of Libya, Sudan and Pakistan. + NEW YORK _ Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Wednesday that one of the men accused of conspiring to bomb the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August had met earlier with Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind of the attacks, and ``asked him for a mission.'' Last month, el Hage was arrested on charges of being part of the Osama bin Laden terror network that is suspected of the bombing of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on Aug. 7. + In their effort to persuade Afghanistan to deport bin Laden , State Department officials also have spoken to Taliban representatives themselves and have sought the intercession of Pakistan, the only other major ally of Afghanistan in the region. WASHINGTON _ Urged on by the Clinton administration, Saudi Arabia's top intelligence official met privately with the leader of the Taliban in late September to try to persuade Afghanistan to deport Osama bin Laden , the Saudi exile suspected of masterminding the August bombings of two American embassies in East Africa, according to U.S. and Arab officials. + He was transformed into a killer who could coolly execute a bombing that left 250 people dead. The reported meeting between bin Laden and the accused man, Mohamed Rashed Daoud Al'Owhali, which had not previously been described, is the strongest allegation offered so far to link bin Laden to the attacks , in which more than 250 people died. + Sometime over the next few years, American authorities assert, he fell under the sway of terrorists waging what they call a holy war against the United States. Sometime over the next few years, American authorities assert, he fell under the sway of terrorists waging what they call a holy war against the United States. + He was transformed into a killer who could coolly execute a bombing that left 250 people dead. He was transformed into a killer who could coolly execute a bombing that left 250 people dead. + PAL shut down its operations on Sept. 23 after the ground crew union turned down a management-proposed recovery plan that included a 10-year suspension of labor's collective bargaining agreement in exchange for 20 percent ownership of the airline. PAL closed for nearly two weeks on Sept. 23 after failing to persuade its largest union to accept a management-proposed recovery plan under which its collective bargaining agreement would be suspended for 10 years in exchange for a 20 percent share of the company's stock. Estrada appeared unwilling to give up on PAL , which stopped flying in a labor dispute in September but soon got back into the air. When a labor dispute prompted Tan to shut down the 57-year-old airline in September , provoking tears from nostalgic Filipinos, it was Estrada who brokered an agreement that got the planes flying again. + It has since accepted an investment offer from Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific and the two airlines are drawing up a plan to rehabilitate the Philippine carrier. PAL officials have accepted an investment offer from the Hong Kong-based carrier and the two companies are drawing up a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate PAL. PAL earlier accepted a preliminary investment offer from Cathay Pacific, and the companies announced Nov. 10 that they would draw up a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate the Philippine flag carrier. + It has since accepted an investment offer from Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific and the two airlines are drawing up a plan to rehabilitate the Philippine carrier. It has since accepted an investment offer from Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific and the two airlines are drawing up a plan to rehabilitate the Philippine carrier. PAL officials have accepted an investment offer from the Hong Kong-based carrier and the two companies are drawing up a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate PAL. + Debt-laden PAL reopened Wednesday with domestic flights after a 13-day shutdown caused by disagreements with its largest labor union over a management recovery plan. Workers agreed to accept the plan nearly two weeks after the shutdown, and the airline resumed domestic flights Oct. 7 and international flights to the United States on Oct. 26. PAL resumed domestic flights Oct. 7 and started restoring international flights last month after settling its labor problems. + PAL , Asia 's oldest airline, has been unable to make payments on dlrs 2.1 billion in debt after being devastated by a pilots' strike and by Asia's currency crisis. Cathay Pacific has said it wants management control of the Philippine flag carrier, which has been mired in debt and labor unrest. PAL says it is unable to make payments on its debts because of mounting losses worsened by labor problems and Asia's currency crisis. + PAL , which has been unable to make payments on dlrs 2.1 billion in debt, was devastated by a pilots' strike in June and by the region's currency crisis , which reduced passenger numbers and inflated costs. In June , PAL was embroiled in a crippling three-week pilots' strike that brought the company close to financial ruin. In June , PAL was embroiled in a crippling three-week pilots' strike that brought the company close to financial ruin. + PAL shut down its operations on Sept. 23 after the ground crew union turned down a management-proposed recovery plan that included a 10-year suspension of labor's collective bargaining agreement in exchange for 20 percent ownership of the airline. PAL closed for nearly two weeks on Sept. 23 after failing to persuade its largest union to accept a management-proposed recovery plan under which its collective bargaining agreement would be suspended for 10 years in exchange for a 20 percent share of the company's stock. PAL closed for nearly two weeks on Sept. 23 after failing to persuade its largest union to accept a management-proposed recovery plan under which its collective bargaining agreement would be suspended for 10 years in exchange for a 20 percent share of the company's stock. + Cathay Pacific has said it wants management control of the Philippine flag carrier , which has been mired in debt and labor unrest. MANILA, Philippines (AP) _ Ailing Philippine Airlines and prospective investor Cathay Pacific Airways have clashed over the laying off of PAL workers, prompting PAL to revive talks with another foreign airline , an official said Tuesday. + MANILA, Philippines (AP) _ Ailing Philippine Airlines and prospective investor Cathay Pacific Airways have clashed over the laying off of PAL workers , prompting PAL to revive talks with another foreign airline, an official said Tuesday. MANILA, Philippines (AP) _ Philippine Airlines said Thursday it will attempt to rebuild alone after Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airlines pulled out of talks on acquiring a stake in the ailing Philippine flag carrier. + Philippine officials said Cathay Pacific and PAL disagreed over who would manage PAL and how many of the more than 8,000 employees would lose their jobs. Philippine officials said Cathay Pacific and PAL disagreed over who would manage PAL and how many of the more than 8,000 employees would lose their jobs. + A third leading advocate of the China Democracy Party who has been in custody for a month, Wang Youcai, was accused of ``inciting the overthrow of the government ,'' the Hong Kong-based Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China reported. BEIJING _ One leader of a suppressed new political party will be tried on Dec. 17 on a charge of colluding with foreign enemies of China ` `to incite the subversion of state power ,'' according to court documents given to his wife on Monday. Qin, 44, and Wang , 31 , are accused of inciting the subversion of state power , apparently for helping to organize the China Democracy Party. They are accused of inciting subversion of the state , charges that carry a minimum prison sentence of five years on conviction, although neither trial has come to a verdict. + BEIJING _ In response to criticism from home and abroad, Chinese officials broke their silence Wednesday to defend their arrest this week of a prominent dissident who was trying to form an opposition political party. Qin Yongmin's and Wang Youcai's families were running out of options Wednesday to help the pair, leading organizers of a budding opposition political party. But it also provided a vigorous, if indirect, defense of the government's recent decision to try three of the country's most prominent democracy activists on criminal charges for their efforts to organize an opposition political party. Xu is the third leading member of a would-be opposition political party put on trial for subversion in a three-week crackdown that has seen 30 dissidents arrested or interrogated. + ``Xu Wenli is suspected of involvement in activities damaging to national security and has violated relevant criminal codes of the People's Republic of China,'' said a statement from the Foreign Ministry, which on Tuesday declined to comment on the arrest. BEIJING (AP) _ China's government said Thursday that two prominent dissidents arrested this week are suspected of endangering national security _ the clearest sign yet Chinese leaders plan to quash a would-be opposition party. Xu and Qin were ``suspected of involvement in activities endangering state security' ' and their ``behavior breached relevant provisions of the criminal laws of the People's Republic of China,'' Zhu said at a twice-weekly briefing. + Wang was a student leader in the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy demonstrations. Wang was a student leader in the pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Wang was a leader of student demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989 and served two years in prison after they were put down by military force. + BEIJING _ In response to criticism from home and abroad, Chinese officials broke their silence Wednesday to defend their arrest this week of a prominent dissident who was trying to form an opposition political party. BEIJING (AP) _ China's central government ordered the arrest of a prominent democracy campaigner and may use his contacts with exiled Chinese dissidents to charge him with harming national security, a colleague said Wednesday. + BEIJING (AP) _ With attorneys locked up, harassed or plain scared, two prominent dissidents will defend themselves against charges of subversion Thursday in China's highest-profile dissident trials in two years. The trials of Wang Youcai and Qin Youming opened on Thursday. + BEIJING _ One leader of a suppressed new political party will be tried on Dec. 17 on a charge of colluding with foreign enemies of China `` to incite the subversion of state power,'' according to court documents given to his wife on Monday. Last week the Chinese government arrested 10 members and sympathizers of the China Democracy Party, one of whom , Wang Youcai, is to go on trial Dec. 17. + The sudden arrest on Monday night of Xu, as well as several other activists involved with him in trying to form the China Democratic Party , set off strong protests from human rights groups, other Chinese dissidents and Washington. The sudden arrest on Monday night of Xu, as well as several other activists involved with him in trying to form the China Democratic Party , set off strong protests from human rights groups, other Chinese dissidents and Washington. + A third leading advocate of the China Democracy Party who has been in custody for a month , Wang Youcai, was accused of ``inciting the overthrow of the government,'' the Hong Kong-based Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China reported. Xu has been detained since Nov. 30 , after the police raided his house and confiscated documents about the new opposition group, the China Democratic Party. + And Friday the family of China's most senior dissident, Xu Wenli, another organizer of the opposition party, was told that he would stand trial on Monday, facing an even more serious charge of subverting state power, which could bring a sentence of life imprisonment. And Friday the family of China's most senior dissident, Xu Wenli , another organizer of the opposition party, was told that he would stand trial on Monday, facing an even more serious charge of subverting state power , which could bring a sentence of life imprisonment.