News In Brief

US troops should leave Bosnia after a year regardless of whether war or peace prevails, President Clinton told CBS's "60 Minutes." He said the mission is designed to give Bosnians "a taste of ordinary life again" while offering a stable environment for implementing the peace plan. A recent Time Magazine-CNN poll suggests Americans are split on Clinton's work on Bosnia.

The US welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Peres, who is on a mission to restart Israeli-Syrian peace talks. He told reporters he's considering stating publicly for the first time the price Israel is willing to pay for a peace accord with Syria. It's his first visit to the US since Yitzhak Rabin's assassination.

US Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary is under fire for traveling with too much panache. Records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and other sources show she has spent far more than other Cabinet members on overseas travel and often travels in grand style, the Los Angeles Times reported. She also hired an old friend in a new $93,000-a-year "conflict resolution" position. Earlier this year, she outlined large budget cuts for her department.

A conventional-wisdom-bucking, head-butting congressman is the NAACP pick for president and chief executive officer. Congressman Kweisi Mfume of Maryland plans to leave Congress in February to assume the post. Mfume is perhaps best known for turning the Congressional Black Caucus into a formidable voting bloc to influence Capitol Hill and the White House.

Clinton defended his refusal to turn over notes of a 1993 meeting to Senate Whitewater investigators in an interview with his hometown newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He said even a president should be allowed to have a private relationship with a minister, doctor, or lawyer. Meanwhile, the Senate Whitewater committee received phone records from the White House that they had requested months ago.

Clinton urged lawmakers to set aside narrow interests and extreme ideology to reach a budget deal. Meanwhile, GOP frontrunner Bob Dole, who was in New Hampshire adding his name to the presidential primary ballot, said Clinton needs to make dramatic concessions to strike a deal before the temporary spending measure expires Friday. A recent poll shows voters favor Clinton over Dole.

And now, the news from Jupiter.... NASA scientists hope to unlock some of the secrets of Jupiter as they sift through first data on the planet sent from Galileo. But the sun could cause radio interference, and transmission of the material could be spotty, they cautioned.

A day after a black man set a Harlem store ablaze, organizers of a boycott of the white-owned clothing store denied they were motivated by race. Eight people died in the blaze, including the gunman.

Haiti may ask the UN to keep troops there after its mandate ends, said Rene Preval, Haiti's leading presidential candidate. Two weeks ago, the US asked President Aristide for a signed agreement to let troops stay on, sources say. But Aristide refused. The US Embassy denies it made such a request.

The nation's Asian and Pacific Islander population tends to earn less than other Americans do, despite being better educated. The group grew to 8.8 million in 1994, up from 7.3 million in 1990, the US Census Bureau shows.

The Christian Coalition kicked off a campaign in Boston aimed at attracting Roman Catholics to its cause. It was the first of a series of gatherings across the nation.

Most Montanans say they favor the recent uncapping of daytime speed limits, but some concerned about abuses are having second thoughts. The new speed must be "reasonable and proper" on the "Montanabahn." Even under federal speed limits in the past, most speeders, unless deemed truly reckless, were fined just $5.

THE WORLD

The US and France sought more information on two French pilots held by Bosnian Serbs as Thursday's formal signing of the Balkan peace treaty, in Paris, approaches. Also 2,600 NATO troops are likely to enter Bosnia Friday. And the US got a promise from Bosnian President Izetbegovic that all militant Islamics, who have been training Bosnian Muslims, will leave by January. And, at a weekend conference in London, 40 nations agreed that rebuilding Bosnia - everything from fixing water pipes to holding elections - will cost $4.9 billion. The US share: $600 million.

Palestinians took full control of Tulkarm, a West Bank town. Also, 13 PLO policemen arrived in Hebron to open a liaison office. Israel is expected to hand over most of Hebron to the PLO by mid-March. And Jordan expelled an Iranian diplomat for "activities incompatible with his status." Iran responded likewise.

French Premier Alain Juppe was set to appear on national TV and break his silence about the 2-1/2 week strike that has frozen Paris's public services. Though the government said Saturday it was ready to negotiate, Juppe has refused union demands that he personally discuss their grievances. Unions want to block the government's plan to retool its cradle-to-grave social security system. (Story, Page 6.)

The Communists are likely to win the Dec. 17 Russian parliamentary elections, capturing 25 percent of the vote, polls showed. And, the election commission asked Russia's top prosecutor to investigate ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky for allegedly inciting ethnic hatred.

China sealed a $520 million deal to build railroads in Nigeria and called the contract a "starting point in Sino-Nigerian cooperation." Meanwhile two ex-US attorney generals have offered to defend China's leading dissident, Wei Jingsheng, who is charged with sedition. His trial starts Wednesday.

Despite the presence of a large paramilitary force, violence rocked Karachi, Pakistan. Rioting was set off by the slayings of the brother and nephew of Altaf Hussain, a leading opposition activist. Hussain said the men were killed in police custody. International rights groups have accused Karachi police of violating civil liberties and resorting to extra-judicial killings.

In elections worldwide: The Polish Supreme Court validated President Alexander Kwasniewski's election. And Belarus tried for the third time Sunday to fill the Parliament, and by noon only 28.5 percent of voters reported. At least 50 percent of registered voters must turn out for the vote to be valid. In Kazakhstan, only 43 of 67 parliamentary seats were filled in Saturday's voting, two seats short of the two-thirds needed for a quorum and make the parliament valid. Turnout was low in Ukrainian elections that that aimed to fill 45 parliamentary seats vacant since the spring of 1994. The Egyptian elections, with 40 deaths, were the most violent in the nation's history, observers said. (See list, at right.)

Leaders of Southeast Asian countries will seek to create a Free Trade Area at their fifth summit, in Bangkok, Thailand, this week. The agenda includes signing a treaty banning the possession and production of nuclear weapons, which the US and other nuclear powers refuse to recognize. The countries: Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, and new inductee, Vietnam.

Some 90 percent of Greece's citzens feel ailing Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou should resign,opinion polls showed.

ETCETERA

There might be a lot of radar detectors at the pawnshops today."

- Montana Highway Patrol Lt. Janet Baker, joking about her state's reverting to a "reasonable and proper" daytime speed limit.

Ohio State running back Eddie George won the Heisman Trophy as the best college football player in the US. George outdistanced quarterbacks Tommie Frazier of Nebraska and Danny Wuerffel of Florida.

Sixteen Boy Scouts have made a field trip to the world of diplomacy, crossing into the Gaza Strip in armored vehicles to play soccer with Palestinian Scouts. The boys are students at the American International School in Tel Aviv. The US Embassy arranged the trip.

The rock band the Grateful Dead announced its retirement. Four months after the death of its leader, Jerry Garcia, one influentiall corner of the popular music world is now no more.

The Nobel prizes, announced earlier this year, were handed out. British physicist Joseph Rotblat received the Peace Prize in Oslo. The other five prizes were bestowed in Stockholm.

Democracy Walks a Tightrope Worldwide

Opinions on democracy around the globe vary widely, a 16-nation poll found.

Satisfied Dissatisfied

United States 64% 27%

Canada 62 24

Germany 55 27

Iceland 54 23

Thailand 54 27

Costa Rica 52 25

Chile 43 31

France 43 32

Dominican 40 38

Republic

Britain 40 43

Japan 35 32

India 32 43

Spain 31 30

Venezuela 28 59

Hungary 17 50

Mexico 17 67

- The Gallup Organization (Princeton, N.J.)/AP