The United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency will meet on Feb. 3 to discuss North Korea's nuclear weapons programs, diplomatic sources said. The IAEA could report North Korea to the U.N. Security Council if a diplomatic resolution is not found. (BBC)

The International Monetary Fund formally approved a $6.78 billion loan to Argentina. The money is intended to help Argentina recover from its economic crisis. Argentine President Eduardo Duhalde said he blamed richer countries for Latin America's economic difficulties. (UPI)

A small plane carrying several ministers in Kenya's recently elected national government crashed on takeoff in western Kenya. The pilot and Kenya's labor minister were killed, and three other ministers were critically injured. (Reuters)

The Israeli army shot and killed two members of a Hamas cell suspected of killing three Israeli soldiers near Hebron yesterday. A third Hamas fighter was captured. Israeli helicopters also fired missiles at targets in Gaza City, striking a hospital chapel and several workshops and wounding six. (Ha'aretz)

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Pharmacia Corp. said it would license its AIDS medicine, Rescriptor, to generic pharmaceutical companies that agree to distribute it in poor and developing countries. Most HIV and AIDS treatments are currently too costly for patients in poorer countries to afford. (Reuters)

Spanish police arrested 19 suspected members of al Qaeda following pre-dawn raids on residences in several Spanish cities. Officials said they had also seized explosives and materials for chemical weapons. (Reuters, BBC)

A U.S. diplomatic source said Colombian rebels had kidnapped a reporter and a photographer on assignment in Colombia for the Los Angeles Times. (CNN)

Tom Ridge was sworn in as the first secretary of the new U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The department was officially launched today. (CNN)

Freezing temperatures and wind affected much of the eastern United States. Some tourists and residents complained that it was too cold. (CNN, MSNBC)

Ongoing concerns about the economy and the possibility of war in Iraq drove U.S. stock markets to further declines. The Dow lost 2.85 percent, closing at 8,131.01, a three-month low. The Nasdaq lost 3.32 percent and finished at 1,342.13. The S&P 500 fell 2.92 percent to end the week at 861.40, also a three-month low. (Reuters)

The International Monetary Fund formally approved a $6.78 billion loan to Argentina. The money is intended to help Argentina recover from its economic crisis. Argentine President Eduardo Duhalde said he blamed richer countries for Latin America's economic difficulties. (UPI)

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Pharmacia Corp. said it would license its AIDS medicine, Rescriptor, to generic pharmaceutical companies that agree to distribute it in poor and developing countries. Most HIV and AIDS treatments are currently too costly for patients in poorer countries to afford. (Reuters)

Scientists discovered a previously unknown breathing mechanism in crickets, beetles and ants. (Nature, WaPost)

Freezing temperatures and wind affected much of the eastern United States. Some tourists and residents complained that it was too cold. (CNN, MSNBC)