Etc...

keep it moving, folks

More than a million riders, among them Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, tried out New Delhi's new subway on opening day last week. The $2 billion rail system is aimed at relieving chronic congestion, but city officials say there are "teething problems." Among them: passengers who use the 7 rupee (16 cent) tickets to ride all day, and a dearth of tokens after commuters kept them as souvenirs.

If you're in Mexico City and have business before the nation's Supreme Court, the department you want may or may not be in its headquarters building downtown. Some operations are moving to a quieter neighborhood. Why? Because of the racket from the thousands of street peddlers outside. It disrupts court sessions, and, despite being asked, city officials have yet to resolve the problem.

There's no runaway favorite, but a Gallup survey found current and ex-first ladies, senators, and celebrities among the most- admired women of 2002. The polling organization asked more than 1,000 Americans to name the living man and woman they admire most. With 28 percent, President Bush topped the men's list for a second year. The top 10 women and the percentage of respondents who chose them:

1. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D) of New York 7%
2. First lady Laura Bush 6
(tie) Oprah Winfrey, talk show host/publisher/actress
4. Barbara Bush, former first lady 3
(tie) Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of Britain
6. Elizabeth Dole (R), senator-elect of North Carolina 2
(tie) Condoleeza Rice, national security adviser
(tie) Jennifer Lopez, singer/actress
9. Maya Angelou, poet 1
(tie) Madeleine Albright, former secretary of State
- Associated Press

'The poison in the air is so pervasive, so I thought ... how would I chart the country toward a bright future?'

- Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, announcing that due to persistent turmoil, she won't run in 2004.