News In Brief
The US
The US was going ahead with its military buildup in the Gulf, with President Clinton saying "we will wait and see" whether Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein permits UN inspectors - including Americans - to search for prohibited weapons. Six B-52 strategic bombers left bases in the US for deployment within range of Iraq despite a deal reached between Baghdad and Russian Foreign Minister Primakov on the resumption of inspections.
The White House is at work on a new strategy to win the cooperation of Latin American countries in the fight against illegal drugs, administration officials said. The plan was designed to "bury" the controversial US system of certifying countries such as Colombia and Mexico on the effectiveness of their antidrug efforts, they said. It was scheduled to be presented to other hemisphere leaders at a summit in April.
The White House denied a report that Democratic Party donors with no military background had been granted burial plots in Arlington National Cemetery. The report, in the Dec. 8 issue of Insight magazine, is based on "anonymous sources and innuendo," special counsel Lanny Davis said. Cemetery superintendent John Metzler told a Washington TV station he had objected to nine waivers granted for burial but was overruled.
The crew of space shuttle Columbia activated scientific experiments but was ordered to postpone release of an independent solar observatory because of an unanticipated spike in voltage. The unit, nicknamed Spartan, is designed to fly free of Columbia for two days before it's retrieved. But it shut itself down, causing a 24-hour delay while scientists worked to restore full operation.
The US trade deficit unexpectedly rose 17 percent in September - the highest level in eight months, the Commerce Department said. The $11.07 billion deficit, blamed largely on imports from Asian nations, was more than $1 billion higher than economists had forecast. Analysts warned that turmoil in Asian financial markets and currency devaluations in that region would likely depress US exports in the months ahead.
Also rising unexpectedly were first-time applications for unemployment benefits, the Labor Department reported. It said 20,000 Americans had filed such claims in the week ending Nov. 15, for a seasonally adjusted total of 333,000. Economists had predicted the claims would be about 311,000.
Women members of the Nation of Islam may now serve as mosque leaders, the Rev. Louis Farrakhan said. He also announced plans for a 50-nation "friendship tour" beginning Dec. 1 that would feature stops in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Cuba. He has drawn heavy criticism for earlier visits to Iraq, Iran, Sudan and Libya, all of which are on the US government's list of terrorism sponsors
Four boys and three girls were born to a Carlisle, Iowa, couple who have been the focus of worldwide attention for weeks. Bobbi McCaughey delivered the septuplets at Blank Childrens Hospital in Des Moines - the first such birth in the US since 1985.
