EVENTS
CHINESE LEADER MEETS WITH CASTRO Chinese President Jiang Zemin ended a visit to Cuba on Nov. 22 with a message of support for President Fidel Castro, saying his stay would lead to more cooperation between the two communist countries. Jiang is the first Chinese leader to travel to the Caribbean island. Cuba, committed to preserving the gains of the 1959 revolution that brought Castro to power but suffering economic crisis, has recently begun a process of cautious economic reform. In related news, the official Xinhua news agency reported China announced Nov. 23 it had achieved ``satisfactory results'' with its first experimental device for controlled thermo-nuclear fusion. ``This has prepared China to catch up with countries most developed in the nuclear sciences in searching for the source of energy after the 21st century,'' a spokesman said. Israeli assassinations
In the first official acknowledgment of responsibility, the former chief of Israeli military intelligence said in an interview released Nov. 22 that the Israeli secret service Mossad systematically killed Palestinian guerrilla leaders during the 1970s in retaliation after the guerrilla group Black September killed 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in September 1972. The third round of Israeli-PLO secret talks resumed Nov. 23 in Cairo, focusing on prisoners. Azerbaijan economy
In Azerbaijan, bread prices were hiked by 850 percent Nov. 23 as part of drastic government measures to try to stabilize the economy that has been weakened by war with neighboring Armenia. The increase followed a government decision Nov. 22 to raise domestic fuel prices by up to 600 percent. British economy
Increasing speculation that Britain will be Europe's recession-recovery leader, the nation announced a half percentage point cut in its interest rate to 5.5 percent Nov. 23. The last time the British minimum lending rate was below 5.5 percent was in 1972. US deficit down
The government opened its new fiscal year with an October deficit down 7.1 percent from a year ago, it reported Nov. 22. This compared with a surplus of $8.30 billion in September. The surplus helped shrink the deficit for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30. It was the first decline since 1989, and the lowest since 1990. Black talon pulled
Winchester Ammunition removed the popular Black Talon high-powered bullet from stores Nov. 22, saying it made the unprecedented move because the bullets had become a rallying point for gun-control proponents. The 9mm. bullets break upon impact into razor-like claws. They were condemned by doctors who risk cuts while removing them. American youth
Despite a surge in violence and single-parent families, American teenagers are doing slightly better in school than their older brothers and sisters did, the Education Department said Nov. 23. But its report ``Youth Indicators 1993: Trends in the Well-Being of American Youth'' noted progress since the late 1970s has been too slow. On the positive side, the study found that a much higher proportion of students are completing high school than in the 1950s and college attendance is at an all-time high. Bill Bixby
Actor Bill Bixby was remembered Nov. 23 by colleagues as a gifted performer and director. Bixby, who died Nov. 21, directed the NBC series ``Blossom'' up until his passing. His own television work included ``The Courtship of Eddie's Father'' and ``The Incredible Hulk''. Family planning
The Clinton administration will help the International Planned Parenthood Federation with birth-control programs and rejoin similar UN programs for the first time since 1984, US AID administrator Brian Atwood said Nov. 22. Atwood said the US will be the second largest contributor, after Japan, and that other countries, looking to US leadership, will provide more money. Funds were halted by former President Reagan who opposed abortion.
