The Week November 28 - December 4

By Sophfronia Scott Gregory, Michael Quinn, Jeffery C. Rubin, Alain L. Sanders, Anastasia Toufexis, Sidney Urquhart

NATION

North Korea Strategies

President Clinton met with Defense Secretary Les Aspin and General John Shalikashvili, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to discuss options for dealing with North Korea's refusal to allow international inspection of its nuclear facilities. Possible actions include sending an aircraft carrier and reinforcing Army troops on the Korean peninsula. The White House insisted that the review was only a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency stated that it could no longer guarantee that North Korea was not constructing nuclear weapons.

Marking Another Year of AIDS

On World AIDS Day, President Clinton defended his Administration's efforts to - increase funding for AIDS research and to raise awareness of the disease. He responded to a heckler at a hospital by saying, "I'd rather have that man in here screaming at me than have him give up altogether." Earlier, Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala announced a plan to accelerate research, and Attorney General Janet Reno promised to fight for prosecution of doctors and nurses who refuse to treat AIDS sufferers.

Pollution and Poverty

A conference of black ministers received assurances from Vice President Al Gore that the Clinton Administration is eager to address the problem of pollution in poor, minority communities. A disproportionate number of waste dumps and chemical plants are located in black and Hispanic neighborhoods.

Women Sailors

President Clinton signed legislation lifting the ban against women serving aboard naval combat vessels. Women will be assigned to three aircraft carriers by the end of 1994.

No Prosecution of Clifford

A New York judge last week dismissed all criminal charges against Clark Clifford, the Washington eminence grise charged with fraud and bribery in connection with the B.C.C.I. scandal. The judge pointedly cited the 86-year- old's ill health, not "the interests of justice," as the reason for his decision. Clifford, however, claimed to have been vindicated.

Rollins Case Abandoned

Democrats will not pursue efforts to overturn the election of New Jersey's Republican Governor-elect, Christine Todd Whitman. The state's Democratic Committee said it had found no evidence to support the claims--since recanted --by Whitman's campaign manager Ed Rollins that he paid "street money" to keep black voters from the polls.

Sad Break in Petaluma

Local and federal officials last week arrested a man who may be linked to the Polly Klaas kidnapping case. Klaas, 12, was abducted from her home in Petaluma, California, during a slumber party two months ago. The suspect, an ex-convict arrested for a parole violation, resembles the description given to police by Klaas' friends. The girl has not yet been found.

Seminary Scandal

An inquiry commissioned by the Franciscan Order of the Roman Catholic Church found that sexual abuse took place at St. Anthony's Seminary in Santa Barbara for more than 20 years. The yearlong investigation uncovered proof that at least 34 boys were molested by 11 friars from 1964 to 1987. Prosecutions are not expected, however, as the six-year statute of limitations on sex crimes has run out.

WORLD

Escobar Killed by Authorities

Billionaire cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar was killed in a rooftop shoot-out with soldiers and police in Medellin, Colombia. Police found his hideout by tracing a phone call he made to his wife and two children the day after his birthday. The death of Escobar is not expected to reduce the flow of cocaine to the U.S., since his influence on the drug trade significantly diminished during his 16 months as a fugitive.

The More Things Change . . .

The statistics were reminiscent of the darkest days of intifadeh: about 90 Palestinians and three Israelis injured and a Palestinian and two Israelis killed in the worst violence in the Israeli-occupied territories since Israel and the P.L.O. signed their historic peace accord in Washington in September.

Trying to End the Troubles

Prodded by the disclosure of secret talks between London and the I.R.A., Irish Prime Minister Albert Reynolds met with his British counterpart, John Major, to discuss an end to 25 years of violence in Northern Ireland. "There was a strong exchange of views," said Reynolds.

Somalis Plan Their Future

Warring Somali factions met in neighboring Ethiopia to discuss the fate of Somalia. Chances for success in the negotiations were improved by the late arrival of powerful clan leader Mohammed Farrah Aidid, who boycotted a U.N.-sponsored humanitarian-aid meeting earlier in the week. Aidid, only recently the target of a manhunt by U.S. forces, flew to the conference aboard an American military plane.

Bosnian Peace Goes Nowhere

The three opposing factions in Bosnia met to discuss a resolution to the 19- month-old war. A possible breakthrough came when Bosnia's Muslim-led government briefly considered a plan to partition Sarajevo (where the Serbs' continuing siege killed seven more people last week) in exchange for Serb land concessions in eastern Bosnia. The Serbs, however, were unwilling to give up territory.

Ukraine's Nuclear Extortion?

Just one day after President Clinton telephoned him to express concern over the continued reluctance of Ukraine to turn over its nuclear weapons to Russia, Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk repeated his country's hard-line position regarding the 1,600-warhead arsenal it inherited from the former Soviet Union. Kravchuk said Ukraine would "demand material compensation" in exchange for giving them up. He wants $3 billion.

Cuban Athletes Defect

Forty Cubans, most of them members of Cuban sports teams, have defected to the U.S. at the Central American Caribbean Games taking place in Puerto Rico.

BUSINESS

Better and Better

The economy is improving markedly, according to a number of new statistics. Personal income in October rose six-tenths of 1%, the third advance in a row, and consumer spending increased for the seventh consecutive month. The Commerce Department's Index of Leading Indicators increased 0.5%, the third major uptick in as many months. Consumer confidence as measured by the Conference Board jumped 11 points in November. Unemployment dropped from 6.8% in October to 6.4% in November, the best monthly improvement in 10 years. Another key indicator of economic health, existing-home sales, jumped 3.6% in October.

Hope on GATT

Once derided as "the General Agreement to Talk and Talk," the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, a hugely complex treaty that will lower trade barriers among 116 nations, now seems likely to be concluded by its crucial deadline next Wednesday. The GATT process began in 1947.

SCIENCE

Genes to the Rescue

In a big step toward making gene therapy easier, researchers reported that they have enclosed DNA in microscopic bubbles of fat and injected the tiny globules directly into tumors. In another advance, scientists announced that they have isolated the rogue gene responsible for hereditary colon cancer.

A Worm's Life

A mutation in a single gene helps a tiny worm called Caenorhabditis elegans more than double its normal life span, from 18 to 42 days, says a report in Nature. The mutated gene allows the worm to sustain itself without food or water. Researchers speculate that the finding could lead to new understanding of how humans age.

THE ARTS & MEDIA

Clinton Goes Hollywood, Again

A Beverly Hills fund raiser for the Democratic Party featuring President Clinton became the latest battle in Hollywood's talent-agency wars. Clinton was the star of a fund-raising reception thrown by the extremely powerful Creative Artists Agency, and the guest list was originally skewed heavily toward such CAA clients as Kevin Costner, Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman and Geena Davis. To soothe rival agents and performers, the Democratic National Committee made a last-minute effort to invite non-CAA talent.