News In Brief

The US

Paula Jones's sexual-harassment suit against President Clinton could go to trial within a year. The judge in Arkansas expects Clinton to respond to the suit within two months. But Clinton's lawyers will likely try to get the case dismissed or delayed. Jones's attorneys say they'll file subpoenas in a few weeks.

In Tornado-torn Texas, the search for survivors continues. Some 31 people were killed by the worst twisters in a decade.

There's new proof that a five-mile-wide asteroid doomed the dinosaurs. Scientists who found a two-inch-thick layer of glass beads in New Jersey say it could be what's left of a lethal wave of vapor that killed the dinosaurs.

Some 5,000 people greeted Amelia Earhart emulator Linda Finch in Oakland, Calif., as she finished a 10-1/2 week sojourn around the world in the same model plane that Earhart flew in 1937.

The defense team was set to rest in the Oklahoma City bombing trial after just four days and nearly two dozen witnesses. Earlier, the judge refused to let the defense refer to most of a report criticizing the FBI crime lab, which analyzed bomb evidence.

States and tobacco makers are nearing a deal. Cigarette makers have provisionally agreed to having large warning labels on cigarette packs, funding antismoking campaigns, and more. In exchange, the industry may get immunity from future class-action suits. And damages may be limited to $1 million.

New York Rep. Susan Molinari (R) announced she is quitting Congress to join CBS. She will host a show that aims to compete with NBC's "Today" show.

The trial of Megan Kanka's accused killer was set to go to the jury today. If convicted, Jesse Timmendequas could face the death penalty. The case spawned "Megan's Laws," which require neighbors to be notified when a convicted sex offender moves in to their area.

The US won't talk about northeast salmon until Canada releases four US fishing boats it's detaining. Canada says US fishermen catch 4 million more salmon per year than allowed in a joint agreement, costing its industry $45 million a year.

The Houston Rockets take on the Utah Jazz in Houston tonight as basketball's Western Conference Finals continue. On Tuesday, Karl Malone led Utah to victory, putting it ahead, 3-2, in the best-of-seven series. Chicago was set to play Miami in Chicago last night, trying to sew up the Eastern Conference title.

Children can quickly be taught to be less violent, a government study finds. Second- and third-graders in Washington state were taught the Second Step violence-prevention program for 16 to 20 weeks. Lessons included empathy, problem-solving, and anger management. The children exhibited 30 fewer acts of aggressive behavior every day than kids who weren't trained.

Political correctness doesn't work for the Bible, the International Bible Society has decided. It planned a gender-neutral translation of its New International Version, but scrapped it after protests by Southern Baptists. It would have replaced "men" with "human beings" or "people."

Dr. Jack Kevorkian can sue the American Medical Association for libel, a Michigan county judge ruled. Kevorkian says the AMA defamed him by calling him a "killer." He admits helping 45 people kill themselves.

A carjack victim pulled the plug on perpetrators. New Yorker Bessie Cassaro was thrown in her trunk. As the carjackers started driving, she ripped out wires, disabling the brake and tail lights. Police noticed the non-working lights and pulled the car over, freeing Cassaro and nabbing the suspects.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta can't get a meeting at the White House. He advocates self-determination in East Timor, which Indonesia invaded in 1975. Though he was welcomed in Europe, which is critical of Indonesia, one US official says Ramos-Horta may have ties to pro-violence groups.

The World

President Clinton commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Marshall Plan in The Hague, Netherlands, by calling for the West to help Eastern Europe with an infusion of capital investments. The ceremony was attended by some 50 European leaders. Earlier, Clinton signed an agreement with several EU nations to coordinate standards on testing hundreds of products. The pact would avoid double-testing, cut costs, and help expand transatlantic trade.

NATO's North Atlantic Council plans to meet at a resort outside Lisbon today to lay the groundwork for the expansion of the alliance into territories once ruled by the Warsaw Pact. It is expected to agree on a plan to invite Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic to join at a July summit in Madrid.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin plans to fly to Kiev, Ukraine, tomorrow to sign a much-delayed friendship treaty. His visit follows one by Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, who worked out an imminent deal with the neighboring country on the disputed Black Sea Fleet. Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko said the deal would allow Russia to rent parts of the fleet's infrastructure in Sevastopol and Crimea for 20 years.

British Premier Tony Blair planned to honor Clinton's visit to London today by inviting him to say a few words to his assembled Cabinet ministers - a rare show of respect, if not unprecedented. The invitation indicates a revival of strong ties between London and Washington, which waned in former Premier John Major's tenure.

Taliban soldiers fled Afghanistan's northern capital, Mazar-e-Sharif, just four days after the Islamic group took the city. The night of heavy fighting signaled the collapse of the Taliban's new alliance with Uzbek warriors, who had defected from the anti-Taliban alliance over the weekend. A Pakistan-based Afghan news service said opposition forces arrested the Taliban government's Foreign Minister Mullah Mohammed Ghous and its northern military commander Mullah Abdul Razzaq in the city.

Soldiers broke up an opposition march of about 1,000 people in the Congo's capital, Kinshasa. They fired shots into the air and chased protesters. The march was held in defiance of a ban on demonstrations and political activities and to challenge what opposition leaders call self-proclaimed President Laurent Kabila's autocratic rule.

Indonesians go to the polls today to cast votes for 425 parliament seats. The remaining 75 seats in the 500-seat parliament are allotted to the military. President Suharto urged a big voter turnout in an attempt to counter threats of a boycott by opponents pressing for democratic reforms. Preelection violence has has killed nearly 300 people.

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright warned Croat and Serb leaders they risk losing US support if they fail to cooperate with efforts to prosecute Bosnian war criminals. She made the statement after meeting with chief war-crimes prosecutor Louise Arbour in The Hague, Netherlands. She is scheduled to meet with Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic this weekend.

Macedonian Prime Minister Branco Crvenkovski reshuffled his Cabinet amid a deepening crisis caused by the collapse of a pyramid savings scheme. He brought in nine new ministers and three new deputy premiers.

An international civil liberties group criticized Britain for allegedly fueling Northern Ireland strife with repressive laws and poor police work. Helsinki Human Rights Watch criticized its handling of pro-British Protestant marches last year and ensuing widespread rioting, saying police worsened matters.

Etceteras

"Together, America and this new Europe must complete the noble journey that Marshall's generation began."

- President Clinton, suggesting an infusion of capital for Eastern Europe on the 50th anniversary of the Marshall Plan.

Check for doodles on any speeding tickets from Connecticut police officers. Recruits at the New Haven, Conn., police department are taking an artistic expression program designed to help them develop communication skills and tolerance. Some cadets take up watercolor while others put on an original one-act play. One class even studied ballet, but don't expect them to pli while handing you a citation.

Craig Davidson of Phoenix, Ariz., likes to jingle the change in his pocket. Davidson has collected more than $5,170 in loose change over the 120,000 miles he's jogged since 1978. The dropped dimes, nickels, and pennies paid for a second honeymoon in Hawaii. "I asked my tax guy whether I should declare it," said Davidson, "and he said that, one, they wouldn't believe it, and, two, nobody's that honest to report a penny they found on the ground."

Locals in Watsonville, Calif., created the longest shortcake at the Strawberry Dessert Festival for entry into the "Guinness Book of World Records." Some 2,000 people sampled the 170-foot-long dessert made of 52,000 strawberries, 1,800 pounds of shortcake, and 600 pounds of whipped cream.

The Day's List

Few Firms Pitch In With Welfare-to-Work Training

President Clinton is urging companies to create training programs to help move thousands of Americans from welfare to work. But an Associated Press survey of the 100 largest US companies found only eight have such programs in place. Another 15 are considering or working on initiatives, and the remaining 77 aren't planning to create such programs. These are the companies with welfare-to-work programs:

Allstate, Northbrook, Ill.

Chase Manhattan Corp., New York

Citibank, New York

Citicorp, New York

Lockheed Martin, Bethesda, Md.

Sprint, Westwood, Kan.

Travelers Group, New York

United Airlines, Elk Grove Township, Ill.

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