News Currents

UNITED STATES

President Bush said Sept. 8 he will ask Congress for $7.6 billion in emergency aid for Hurricane Andrew victims.... Sen. Quentin Burdick (D) of North Dakota died Sept. 8. Over three decades he combined liberal politics and avid pursuit of federal funds....

In teacher strikes across the nation:

* Philadelphia teachers reached agreement before their contract expired Sept. 7.

* Tentative settlements with two small school districts in New Jersey and Rhode Island were reached early Sept. 8.

* Week-old talks in Detroit ended in deadlock Sept. 7, while East. St. Louis, Ill., teachers struck Sept. 8.

After a government report released Sept. 4 showed the private sector shed 83,000 jobs in August, the Federal Reserve lowered its federal funds rate, the amount banks charge each other for overnight loans, from 3.25 percent to 3 percent.... Jesse Jackson was named Sept. 7 to lead a Democratic grass-roots voter-registration drive. EUROPE

The environmental group Greenpeace said Sept. 8 Britain is dumping tons of unused bombs and grenades in the Atlantic to beat a forthcoming ban on sea pollution. Britain confirmed the dumping but denied the charges. AFRICA

The commander of the West African peacekeeping force said Sept. 7 that for security reasons he is pulling out of areas of Liberia controlled by rebel leader Charles Taylor.... Angola's ruling MPLA party and the former rebel movement UNITA will form a coalition government, Portuguese television reported Sept. 8.