The Week October 17-23

By Ginia Bellafante, Christine Gorman, Michael Quinn, Jeffery Rubin, Sophfronia Scott Gregory, David Seideman, Sidney Urquhart

NATION

Standing Firm in Haiti

With an economic embargo imposed by the U.N. firmly in place and U.S. warships blockading the island, Washington offered the military rulers of Haiti terms for lifting sanctions. Among the demands are the retirement of army commander Lieut. General Raoul Cedras, an end to human-rights abuses and the disarming of the "attaches," a ganglike auxiliary police force that has terrorized citizens. At week's end a U.S. Coast Guard cutter fired warning shots at a merchant ship that refused to change course.

Standing Down in Somalia

The Clinton Administration reversed course in Somalia, saying it now seeks a political solution to the problems there. Shifting to what he called a "stand-down position" and signaling that the U.S. would no longer try to apprehend Mohammed Farrah Aidid, President Clinton ordered the withdrawal of 750 U.S. Army Rangers from Mogadishu.

Still Commander in Chief

Back on Capitol Hill, President Clinton won a fight over war powers that involved the question of sending U.S. troops to Haiti and Bosnia. The Senate passed a resolution stating that the President should seek approval from Congress before committing troops but that he is not required to do so. The legislation was a weak version of a proposal made by minority leader Bob Dole, who wanted such approval to be required.

Russian Summit Planned

In a show of support, President Clinton will fly to Moscow in mid-January for a summit with Russian leader Boris Yeltsin.

Greenhouse Hot Air

Businesses and individuals should help prevent global warming, according to President Clinton, who last week unveiled his plan to reduce the nation's emissions of greenhouse gases. The Climate Change Action Plan is designed to reduce the gas levels to match 1990 measurements by the year 2000, but participation is largely voluntary, which disappointed environmentalists. In another move, Clinton ordered federal agencies to buy paper made from at least 20% recycled fiber by the end of 1994.

Verdicts in Denny Trial

On trial for beating white truck driver Reginald Denny during the Los Angeles riots last year, Damian Williams and Henry Watson, both black, were acquitted of attempted murder and a dozen other felony counts. The defendants were convicted on five misdemeanor charges, and Williams was convicted of felony mayhem. The victim said he approved of the verdicts, but many wondered whether the jury was lenient out of fear of causing another round of unrest.

Violence to Free Speech?

Attorney General Janet Reno put TV executives on notice that she is willing to use her power to make networks behave more responsibly in regard to the violence in their fare. She insisted the industry "acknowledge" its role by Jan. 1 or face government regulation, which she said was "constitutionally permissible."

Drug-Policy Testimony

White House drug-policy director Lee Brown presented the President's national drug strategy to the Senate Judiciary Committee, only to be met with impatience and testiness. Brown provided a cursory plan in which the Clinton Administration promised to focus on providing treatment for hard-core drug users and decreasing the occurrence of drug-related violence. "You are being hamstrung by an Administration that doesn't give a damn," said Senator Orrin Hatch.

Threatening Japan

U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor warned Japan that Washington would impose trade sanctions if Tokyo did not open up bidding for Japanese government construction projects to U.S. firms. Kantor set a deadline of Nov. 1.

One Minute a Hero ...

The State Department announced last week that special envoy to Somalia Robert Oakley, who had been basking in praise after negotiating the release of an American prisoner, is under investigation for a possible conflict of interest. The case involves an airline on whose behalf Oakley may have lobbied the State Department after he left there in 1985; while at State, Oakley had worked on issues of concern to the airline.

Twenty Years to Death

A grim tug-of-war between Oklahoma and New York ended last week when a federal judge ordered Thomas Grasso returned to New York to serve a prison term of 20 years to life. Oklahoma had planned to execute Grasso for the 1990 murder of an elderly Tulsa woman, but the judge determined that Grasso, who wanted to be executed, was obligated first to serve his sentence for killing a New York man in 1991.

Failing Ethics

According to a study released last week by Who's Who Among American High School Students, most successful teenagers cut corners. Researchers polled 2,000 high-achieving 16- and 17-year-olds and found that 78% admitted to cheating and 67% to copying someone else's homework.

WORLD

NATO Seeks Closer Relations

Defense ministers from the 16 members of nato agreed to a vague U.S. plan which would provide closer cooperation with the former Soviet republics and East bloc countries without offering these nations the immediate membership in the alliance they are seeking.

Chernobyl to Keep Operating

Ukraine's parliament voted 221 to 38 to reverse its earlier decision to close the Chernobyl nuclear power station by the end of 1993. Chernobyl was the site in 1986 of the world's worst civilian nuclear accident. The energy-strapped country, which spends more than 10% of its national budget on cleaning up Chernobyl, also lifted a moratorium on building more nuclear plants.

Arab Prisoners to be Freed

Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed on the release of four different categories of Palestinian prisoners -- women, the sick, those younger than 18 and those older than 50 -- expected to total more than 700 people.

Russian Troops to Georgia

After Georgia promised to join the Commonwealth of Independent States, dominated by Russia, Moscow agreed to send troops to defend a vital railway in the western part of the republic, where fighting between rebels and government forces persists. Georgian leader Eduard Shevardnadze has accused the Russian military of helping the Abkhazian separatists.

Ukraine May Keep Missiles

In a sharp change of position, President Leonid Kravchuk said that Ukraine may retain the 46 modern SS-24 nuclear missiles it inherited from the former Soviet Union.

Bosnian Prisoners Exchanged

The three warring armies in Bosnia began a massive exchange of prisoners, most of them civilians, organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross. More than 1,000 Muslims and Croats were freed in the first group, and the Red Cross hopes in the near future to negotiate the release of more than 6,400 prisoners who are still being held in 60 detention centers across the country.

Milosevic Dissolves Parliament

Serb President Slobodan Milosevic, facing a confidence vote in parliament, ! dissolved the legislature and announced elections to be held Dec. 19.

Iran and Iraq in Talks

Deputy Foreign Ministers from Iran and Iraq met in Baghdad to discuss an exchange of prisoners from the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, the first talks between the two countries since 1990.

Bhutto and the Bomb

Newly elected Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said Pakistan would continue pursuing its nuclear program, which American officials believe has already produced nuclear weapons. "We will not allow our national interest to be sacrificed," said Bhutto.

Czar Nicholas' Revenge

The Russian government announced that 75 years after they were shot by Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg, Czar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra and three of their children will receive a proper burial. The bones were discovered in a pit outside the town in 1991. Meanwhile, one week after honor guards ended their 69-year watch outside the tomb of Vladimir Lenin, the fate of his embalmed corpse remains undetermined.

BUSINESS

Prudential Settles Charges

At least $371 million will be shelled out by Prudential Securities to settle charges that it defrauded investors who were bilked in $8 billion worth of partnership deals. Prudential admitted no wrongdoing.

Drug Company Layoffs

Pressure to contain costs has led major drug companies Pfizer, American Cyanamid and Upjohn to announce layoffs of 7,000 employees, to take place over three years. Price limits enforced by managed health-care systems have cut into profits for the firms.

The New Lloyd's

Members of Lloyd's of London, the insurer that has lost $8 billion in the past three years, voted to profoundly revamp the way business is done at the 300- year-old institution. For the first time, Lloyd's will invite corporate investors, with limited liability, into the market alongside the traditional investors with unlimited liability known as Names.

Sorry, Wrong Continent

With attendance still below anticipated levels and 1993 losses predicted to exceed $300 million, Euro Disney announced it would shed 950 administrative and staff positions. The layoffs reduce the employee roster to 11,000, down from 19,000 during the theme park's first summer season last year.

SCIENCE

Life Discovered on Earth

To date, space probes have flown by more than 60 planets, moons and other heavenly bodies without turning up any evidence of life. But a planetary inspection in 1990 was different: the Galileo spacecraft found the chemical signature of something more complex than rocks and minerals. After ruling out all plausible alternatives, astronomer Carl Sagan has concluded that the planet under investigation -- Earth -- contains living organisms. Sagan's point is that if life does exist elsewhere, we can be confident that modern technology will find it.