The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency said North Korea's nuclear energy program was in violation of U.N. restrictions and referred the matter to the U.N. Security Council. (BBC)

France proposed a plan to increase the number of U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq, which the chief inspector, Hans Blix, said would be limited in its effectiveness and contained proposals the U.S. had previously suggested in November. The translation of a letter from Iraqi officials disclosed demands that Iraq be given timely advance notification of inspections from spy planes, including time and point of entry. (NYT, WaPost)

An audio recording that experts said was of Osama bin Laden urged Muslims to help defend Iraq against an American attack. U.S. officials said they had strong evidence linking Iraq and al Qaeda, and expressed concerns about possible terrorist attacks in the coming weeks. (NYT, WaPost)

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the U.S. economy did not need short-term stimulus and that the budget deficits that would be created by Bush's tax-cut proposals could cause inflation and would be difficult to control. (NYT, WaPost)

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the U.S. economy did not need short-term stimulus and that the budget deficits that would be created by Bush's tax-cut proposals could cause inflation and would be difficult to control. (NYT, WaPost)

A satellite measuring cosmic microwave radiation left over from the big bang produced a highly detailed picture of the universe's early beginnings that answered many questions about how it evolved, scientists said. (NASA, WaPost, NYT)