News In Brief

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments today on a Georgia law that requires political candidates to submit to drug testing. Opponents say the law violates a candidate's freedom from unreasonable searches and right to free speech. The court also began hearing arguments on whether a sexual harassment lawsuit against President Clinton should be deferred until after he has left office. A decision is expected in June. And it refused to revive lawsuits filed by 42 people over the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in Pennsylvania 18 years ago, saying they were filed too late.

Two of four female cadets enrolled at The Citadel military college in Charleston, S.C., announce they won't return for the spring semester, which begins tomorrow, after male cadets harassed them. The FBI and state police are investigating allegations by Jeanie Mentavlos and Kim Messer that they were sexually harassed, their clothes set on fire, and mouths washed out with cleanser. The women say school officials failed to protect them.

The New England Patriots defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars of Florida, propelling the Patriots to their first American Football Conference championship in over a decade. In the National Football Conference, the Green Bay Packers of Wisconsin defeated the Carolina Panthers of North Carolina, advancing the Packers to the Super Bowl for the first time since Super Bowl II in 1968. The NFC has won the last 12 Super Bowls. The two teams will compete for the Super Bowl title Jan. 26 in New Orleans.

Some 71 percent of Americans want to decide for themselves how their Social Security contributions should be invested, according to a Newsweek poll of 753 adults. And 50 percent would like to see some of it placed in the stock market, rather than government bonds. The poll also found that 61 percent of adults are not confident that Social Security will be available to them when they retire. Only 22 percent were against individual investment, while 40 percent opposed letting the government put the funds in stocks.

Clinton declared a major disaster in North Dakota after winter storms buried the state in snow, making it eligible for federal funding. The eastern Great Lakes region battled lake-effect snow that dumped up to 90 inches in Montague, N. Y. And thousands of people lost power in Texas and Louisiana from ice and snowstorms that closed roads in both states.

School officials in Oakland, Calif., returned to the drawing board to revise details of their controversial plan to use ebonics as a way to teach standard English. They plan to vote tomorrow on dropping any reference to black English being genetically based. Instead, they now say ebonics - a combination of the words ebony and phonics - had its roots in African languages.

Drug offenders accounted for nearly a third of the 872,200 felony convictions in state courts in 1994, the Justice Department reported. Property crimes made up nearly another third. And violent crimes were responsible for less than 1 in 5 state felony convictions.

Jury selection began in Trenton, N. J., for the trial of Jesse Timmendaequas, who is accused of raping and killing young Megan Kanka. The selection is particularly difficult because a well-known law to notify communities of sex offenders in their neighborhoods, called Megan's Law, was named after the child.

The Swiss shipped 280 truckloads of Nazi gold worth between $250 and $500 million to Spain during World War II, Sen. Alfonse D'Amato (R) of New York said, citing recently declassified documents. The Swiss National Bank said last week it profited from business with gold looted by Nazi Germany.

"It's a perfect start," Tiger Woods said after winning the Mercedes Championship in Carlsbad, Calif. It was the first tournament of the year, and the third victory of Woods's young professional career.

THE WORLD

In a key compromise, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat agreed to a delay in redeployment of Israeli soldiers from West Bank rural areas until mid-1998. The compromise breathed life into the Mideast peace process and a self-rule deal for Hebron looks imminent, negotiators said. The decision was reached after an intense push by King Hussein of Jordan (right) who met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) in Tel Aviv, and Arafat earlier in Gaza.

A burst of gunfire was heard from the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, Peru, where Marxist rebels are holding 74 hostages. There were no reports of injuries. The gunfire came only minutes after Red Cross representative Michel Minnig walked out of the compound.

The electoral commission in Serbia's second-largest city, Nis, has refused a government order to reinstate an opposition win, opposition leaders said. The refusal came amid reports that President Slobodan Milosevic will not concede defeat in Belgrade, one of 14 major cities where the opposition won local elections.

Pushing for a Russia-Belarus union, Russian President Boris Yeltsin suggested holding a referendum in both countries over unification. A Russia-Belarus merger could be the best response to NATO's expansion plans, Kremlin officials said. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko backs the idea.

Feuding Afghan factions met in Islamabad, Pakistan, to discuss a cease-fire, UN officials said. The UN-brokered talks are also seeking an exchange of prisoners and formation of a committee to oversee the truce. Success could lead to talks on forming a coalition government.

The Bulgarian government agreed to discuss early elections, but thousands of workers continued to strike and students boycotted classes demanding immediate action. The opposition blames the Socialists for the country's economic decline, and says voters should not have to wait until the 1998 elections to express their dissatisfaction.

Japan's Nikkei stock average rose nearly 5 percent, its biggest one-day rise since July 1995. Experts said that the surge could be temporary. Concerns about the Japanese economy fueled a nearly 11 percent drop in the stock index last week.

A million South Korean workers are expected to go on strike today, after President Kim Young Sam rejected calls to modify a controversial law. It was passed Dec. 26 in a pre-dawn parliamentary session with no opposition lawmakers present. Among other things, it allows mass layoffs.

Irish peace talks resumed with some Protestant leaders calling for the expulsion of politicians tied to outlawed Protestant paramilitary groups. The leaders argued that if "loyalist paramilitaries and their front people" cannot commit themselves to peace, then they too must not be allowed in the talks like IRA's political wing, Sinn Fein.

Mother Teresa has decided to step down as head of the Missionaries of Charity order, which she started 47 years ago, her friend Sunita Kumar said. A vote for Mother Teresa's replacement will be held Feb. 2.

Sudanese opposition groups joined forces and reportedly took control of two towns near the Ethiopian border. The government blamed Ethiopia for the attacks and called for a mobilization of the Army and civilian reserve forces. Rebels have been fighting the Islamic north since 1983 to win autonomy for the South's Christians and animists.

Defending champion Boris Becker tumbled out of the Australian Open, losing to Spain's Carlos Moya 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, in a sensational first-round upset. The German let a 2-1 lead in sets slip away as his feared forehand caved in under Moya's blistering passing shots.

ETCETERAS

"Even as the daughter of a former Secret Service agent, I cannot imagine needing to have someone responsible for my safety on a 24-hour-a-day basis."

- Jeanie Mentavlos, who accused male cadets at the Citadel of harassment, on offers to increase safety for women cadets there.

College freshmen are busier than ever before, and their career interests have shifted, a nationwide UCLA survey shows. Some 41 percent work while in school, a 6 percent increase from 1989, the annual survey found. And 38 percent spend at least one hour a week volunteering. More students want to enter "helping" professions, such as teaching or medicine. Interest in business has decreased, and the pursuit of law careers dropped to an all-time low.

In the impoverished Siberian village of Klyuchi, a movie theater is accepting bottles for admittance because poor farmers there can't afford the 800-rubles admission - or 15 cents. The cinema had accepted two eggs per picture, but a winter shortage prompted the switch to bottles.

A clay pot inscribed with the name Euripides and dating from his lifetime was unearthed in a cave at Peristeria, south of Athens. Archaeologists concluded the playwright probably wrote some of his masterpieces in the cave. Among his works: "Medea" and "Hecuba." Euripides was known for his love of solitude during a time when sociability was valued.

THE DAY'S LIST

Annual PGA Tour Awards

Tom Lehman, who won the British Open golf and set a money-winning record in 1996, was voted player of the year by PGA Tour members. Others honored at the annual PGA Tour awards dinner in Carlsbad, Calif., were:

Tiger Woods: Rookie of the year.

Jim Colbert: Top player on the Senior PGA Tour.

Stewart Cink: Top player on the Nike Tour.

John Bland: Rookie of the year on the Senior PGA Tour.

Steve Jones: Comeback player on the PGA Tour.

Al Geiberger: Comeback player on the Senior PGA Tour.

Lehman and Colbert: The Arnold Palmer Award given to the leading money winner.

Byron Nelson: PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award.

- Associated Press