USA
Secretary of State Powell pressed reluctant nations to be ready to act on Iraq if a UN report Jan. 27 finds Saddam Hussein hasn't disarmed as required, officials said. At a counterterrorism conference in New York, Powell met with counterparts from China, France, and Mexico, and was due for talks at the UN with the Russian, German, and Bulgarian foreign ministers. In TV talk show appearances Sunday, Powell and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld welcomed purported offers for the Iraqi leadership to go into exile, saying that could avoid a war.
Several hundred demonstrators opposed to possible war with Iraq sang, danced, and marched near the White House and FBI headquarters Sunday. Sixteen people were arrested after crossing police barricades near the presidential residence. Some participants invoked the nonviolence legacy of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the day before the holiday in his honor. A larger antiwar rally the previous day on the National Mall in Washington drew a crowd estimated in the tens of thousands.
In early campaigning for their party's presidential nomination, three Democrats took aim at President Bush, not each other, at a fund-raiser in Iowa Saturday. "Bush's tax cuts and economic plan haven't created a single job," US Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri said in calling for repeal of the $1.65 trillion tax-cut bill approved by Congress two years ago. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts called the measure "a transfer ... to the wealthiest of Americans," while Vermont Gov. Howard Dean told party activists, "you had better elect a Democrat, because the Republicans cannot manage money." Next January, Iowa holds party caucuses that begin the process of selecting a candidate.
The Oakland Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off in the Super Bowl after winning their respective NFL divisional playoffs. Oakland defeated the Tennessee Titans 41-24 for the AFC title. The Buccaneers beat the favored Philadelphia Eagles, against whom they had previously struggled, 27-10 for the NFC championship. The Super Bowl will be played Sunday in San Diego.
At the Golden Globe Awards, Nicole Kidman won best actress for "The Hours" and costar Meryl Streep took best supporting actress for her work in another film - "Adaptation." The musical "Chicago" took three awards at the ceremonies in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sunday night. Presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Golden Globes are regarded by some sources in the industry as a dress rehearsal for the Academy Awards in March.
