News In Brief

THE US

Eight F-117 "stealth" fighters from New Mexico's Holloman Air Force Base were to arrive in Kuwait today for possible air strikes against Iraq. And Pentagon officials said two more B-52 Bombers are being sent to Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean, to join two B-52s that were sent there earlier from Guam. President Clinton told reporters that the time for talking with Iraq had ended.

President Clinton declared Puerto Rico and West Virginia disaster areas from hurricane damage. Hurricane Hortense grew to a category 3 storm with winds of 115 m.p.h., leaving behind flash floods and at least 22 deaths in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The National Hurricane Center expected the storm to miss the Bahamas and US mainland and turn north. In North Carolina, residents prepared for possible rains from Hortense while battling widespread flooding.

The House authorized $29.5 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration over the next three years. It also approved tough penalties for those caught stealing trade secrets for a foreign government or company and rejected funding the Overseas Private Investment Corp. for five years. Other House moves: approval for a bill that would pay for at least 48 hours in the hospital for new mothers, reduce discrimination in mental health insurance, and provide benefits to Vietnam War veterans exposed to Agent Orange whose children were born with birth defects.

The Senate rejected a Democratic attempt to deny reimbursement of legal expenses for former White House Travel Office director Billy Dale. Debate on the issue has delayed progress on a $23.5 billion bill financing the IRS and other agencies. Majority leader Trent Lott said he'd pull the bill if senators persist in offering amendments.

Investigators into the crash of TWA Flight 800 are considering blowing up an empty Boeing 747 to see if offers clues to the explosion, The Washington Post reported. The test would take place on the ground and the explosion most likely take place near the center fuel tank.

McDonnell Douglas machinists plan to end a 99-day strike and return to work Monday after they voted for a new contract. They won significant changes in job security, wages, and pension benefits, the union said.

The Federal Trade Commission announced official approval of the $7.5 billion Time Warner-Turner Broadcasting merger. The FTC said the restructured acquisition approved by the commission would protect consumers.

Gillette Company announced the purchase of Duracell International Inc. for more than $7 billion.

Isuzu Motors revealed favorable results of an independent engineering analysis it commissioned on its late-model Isuzu Trooper and Acura SLX at a Washington press conference. The results contradicted Consumer Reports' finding that the vehicles are dangerously unstable in sharp turns. The magazine said the vehicles failed an obstacle-avoidance test.

The Federal Reserve doubled the number of its highest-paid staffers in the last three years, according to data released by Rep. Henry Gonzalez (D) of Texas. Some 72 employees at the Fed's main office make more than $125,000 a year, up from 35 in 1993, the data shows. Chairman Alan Greenspan says the Fed must pay well to compete with the private sector.

Wholesale prices rose 0.3 percent in August, the steepest advance in five months. But excluding volatile food and energy costs, prices actually declined.

Foul weather in America's heartland is taking its toll at the breakfast table. Store prices for dairy goods are rising because too many farmers cut back their herds in response to skyrocketing feed costs, analysts say. In some parts of the US, milk has shot up to $3 a gallon.

The Environmental Protection Agency said it will start reviewing its standards to assess if they adequately protect children. It also released data on the "significant, long-term, and unique" health threats children face from toxins in the environment.

THE WORLD

Iraq and the US appeared to be on a collision course, with Iraq saying it fired three missiles at US jets in the no-fly zone and US warplanes moving within striking distance. Iraq called Kuwait's decision to accept US warplanes "an act of war." Also, oil prices hit a new post-Gulf war high as the oil market braced for another US strike against Iraq.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Yitzhak Rabin had tacitly agreed to return the Golan Heights to Syria in exchange for a peace agreement, but he said Israel wouldn't be held to the "indirect" agreement. Also, Syria said it would reject new US-Israeli proposals to restart peace talks that have been stalled since Israeli elections in May.

The Organization for Security in Europe urged all Bosnian parties to ensure elections were free and fair as Bosnians prepared to vote tomorrow. Earlier, a NATO commander said anyone who attacks voters could be sent to a NATO detention center or removed to a remote area. Also, Bosnian Serb leader Biljana Plavsic urged the breakup of the country, saying there would be no peace until Bosnian Serbs merged their land with Serbia.

Russian President Yeltsin is considering handing over the "nuclear button" to a deputy during his upcoming operation, a spokesman said. Also, Chechen rebel leader Zelimkhan Yanderbiev said he needs two or three days to finalize plans for a post-war regional government, Interfax news agency reported. And Russian soldiers accused rebels of violating a peace agreement by attacking troops and setting up armed checkpoints near villages populated by Russians.

Tamil Tiger rebels opened fire on a civilian bus in eastern Sri Lanka, killing at least 11 Sinhalese and wounding 27 others, military and police officials said.

A group of Hong Kong lawmakers urged China to send warships to guard the disputed Daioyu Islands in the East China Sea. The islands are also claimed by Japan and Taiwan. Meanwhile, Tokyo asked for calm from Beijing and Taipei. The row over ownership escalated this week when Tokyo sent ships to repel Taiwanese fishing boats that tried to approach the islands.

French President Jacques Chirac ringingly endorsed Poland's aim to join the EU by 2000, and also backed Warsaw's goal to join NATO. He said talks on both should begin in a year.

Hurricane warnings were in effect for Mexico's Baja California peninsula as hurricane Fausto, packing sustained winds of 120 m.p.h., headed for the region. The US National Weather Service said the Category 3 storm could get stronger. Gusts were reported at 150 m.p.h.

Japanese Prime Minister Hashimoto pledged $3 million in aid to help reduce Palestinian unemployment. He also promised Palestinian President Yasser Arafat that Tokyo would seek ways to assist peace in the Middle East. Also, an Okinawa court rejected appeals from three US servicemen seeking lighter sentences for last year's rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl.

The Taliban, a rebel militia composed of religious students, tightened its grip on the eastern city of Jalalabad after seizing it from Afghan troops. But government jets struck back, bombing Jalalabad's airport, relief agency officials said.The loss of the city means the government now controls little but the capital, Kabul, and a few northern provinces.

ETCETERAS

"A man I know gets more to drive a ... truck than a new teacher does in many communities in Virginia."

-- Arlington history teacher Peggy Jeens, on a National Commission on Teaching and America's Future report that says unqualified teachers are routinely recruited, and teachers aren't given enough support on the job, adequate salaries, or professional training.

Alanis Morissette tied Whitney Houston for having the best-selling album by a female solo artist, the Recording Industry Association of America announced. Morrissette's debut "Jagged Little Pill" and Houston's debut "Whitney Houston" both have sold 12 million copies in the US.

Scientists have changed their tune about how migrating birds navigate, the journal Nature reported. It was long thought birds charted their course by the stars. While they also sense Earth's magnetic field, scientists believed that was just a backup used on cloudy nights. But an experiment showed young garden warblers need information from both the stars and the magnetic field to set their flight plan.

Tuscaloosa, Ala., handed cat owners a law that's for the birds: The legislation makes it illegal for house pets to stalk and kill wildlife. Owner face a fine of up to $500 if they can't keep Fluffy under control.

THE DAY'S LIST

Pizzas With Pizzazz

Cheese and pepperoni - again? Try turning your pizza into an exotic dining experience. "Food and Wine" magazine shared these topping ideas and the countries where they're popular. Suddenly, anchovies don't seem all that exotic.

Tuna and corn - England

Mussels and clams - Chile

Eggs - Australia

Fresh cream - France

Squid - Japan

- Associated Press

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