Danish statistician Bjorn Lomborg's best-selling book The Skeptical Environmentalist, which argued that many of the world's most critical environmental concerns were being overblown by environmentalists, has been condemned as scientifically unsound by the Danish Committee on Scientific Dishonesty. (Independent)

The Washington Post reports that the United States provided intelligence to U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq in the past week. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told the paper the U.S. would provide increasingly sensitive data to the U.N. team once it determined how they would be likely to use it, but that it also needed to protect its intelligence sources.

The U.N. inspectors are due to make their first formal assessment of Iraq's compliance with U.N. demands on Jan. 27.

Before meeting with the U.N. Security Council, the chief inspector, Hans Blix, indicated that his team had not found any clear evidence that Iraq has continued its pursuit of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. Blix also indicated that many questions remained to be answered. (BBC)

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 150.63 points (1.7 percent) to 8,589.96. The Nasdaq closed at 1,402.69, down 28.88 points (2 percent). The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 13.33 points (1.4 percent), to 909.60. (IHT)

Reports that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had obtained a potentially illegal loan to pay back illegal campaign contributions from 1999 have cost Sharon's Likud party political support, according to polls. The Likud party, which had been expected to win the most seats in Israel's parliamentary election on Jan. 28, now faces a stiffer challenge from Israel's Labor party. Sharon denied the allegations. (Wa.Post)

A Turkish Airlines flight crashed as it approached a landing in heavy fog in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Five of the 80 passengers and crew on board the plane survived; the exact cause of the crash was not known. (CNN)

President Bush signed a bill extending federal unemployment insurance payments for some 2.5 million job seekers. The bill had been approved by the U.S. Senate yesterday, and by the House of Representatives this morning. (NYTimes)

The U.S. Airways Express plane crashed as it was taking off in Charlotte, N.C., killing all 21 on board. The cause of the crash was unknown. (Wa. Post)

The aluminum manufacturer will cut staff in units that supply aircraft and power-plant turbine makers, and will also sell some of its businesses. It hopes to cut costs by $1 billion by the end of the year. The Pittsburgh-based company reported a net loss of $223 million on sales of $5.06 billion in the fourth quarter of 2002. (Reuters)

The Venezuelan bank workers' union, Fetrabanca, said it would shut down banking services for two days this week. The strike is intended to support opposition demands that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez resign. Experts indicated the move would have limited impact on Venezuela's overall economy. (Reuters)

A report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid found that the nation's combined private- and public-sector spending for health care rose from $1.310 trillion in 2000 to $1.424 trillion in 2001. (CBS)

The study found that obesity -- weighing 20 percent more than one's maximum healthy body weight -- at the age of 20 shortens one's lifespan by 13 years. (CNN)

HBO announced that the show's upcoming sixth season will be its last. (E!)

The Bush administration said it would not "provide quid pro quos" to entice North Korea to comply with previous agreements it had made not to pursue nuclear weapons technology, but that it was willing to discuss how North Korea "will meet its obligations to the international community." (IHT)

Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced new Apple software and Macintosh laptops at the Macworld exposition in San Francisco. (Wired)

The unanimous vote approved a 5-month extension of benefits to workers whose benefits expired on Dec. 28. Democrats attacked the measure for failing to also extend benefits for workers whose benefits had expired previously. (UPI)

The United Kingdom called up 1500 reservists in preparation for a possible conflict in Iraq. (BBC) French President Jacques Chirac, while warning the United States against unilateral action, advised French troops to be ready in case of war. (Reuters)

Tom Daschle, the Senate Democratic party leader, announced that he would not run for U.S. president in 2004. (Wa.Post)

The president's estimated $674 billion plan proposes eliminating the federal tax on stock dividends and accelerating tax cuts that had been planned to go into effect in 2004 and 2006. Democrats said the plan would be expensive and ineffective. (USAToday)

In a televised address, Saddam Hussein accused U.N. inspectors of espionage and attacked the United States' policies in the region. Saddam's abandonment of his previously more conciliatory tone may indicate he is losing hope of avoiding military conflict. (Wa.Post)

General Motors announced plans to sell up to a million or more hybrid vehicles a year (depending on demand) by the year 2007. The automobile manufacturer will make fuel-efficient hybrid engines (which typically combine gas or diesel engines with electric engines) available in cars, pick-up trucks and SUVs. (CNN/AP)

The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) demanded that North Korea allow U.N. inspectors to return to its nuclear facilities and end its nuclear weapons program, the AP reported. The IAEA did not report North Korea's actions to the U.N. Security Council, however.

The USNS Comfort will leave her port in Baltimore on Monday with a crew of some 300, the BBC reported. The massive hospital ship can carry a total crew of over 1,000, and can treat up to 1,000 patients, including victims of biological and chemical attacks. (The AP confirmed that her destination is the Indian Ocean.)

Incumbent Valdas Adamkus lost his bid to return as president of Lithuania, as former prime minister Rolandas Paksas won 55 percent of the vote in a runoff, the AP reported. Paksas, a stunt pilot and founder of the rightwing Liberal Democrat party, had campaigned aggressively, promising to raise living standards throughout the country.

Tokyo's Nikkei average climbed 134.38 points to 8,713.33 in a half-day of trading.

China intends to expand its space program to include manned spaceflight by the end of 2003. China's Communist Party has used its costly space program to instill patriotism and to move toward developing new industries in space. (Yahoo/NYT)

A German man local police described as mentally disturbed threatened to fly a small airplane into a Frankfurt skyscraper, before safely landing the plane at Frankfurt International Airport. (CNN)

Two Palestinian suicide bombers killed 23 and wounded over 100 in two bombings only seconds apart, both in a crowded commercial area in Tel Aviv, the AP reported. In retaliation, Israeli military helicopters fired missiles at metal workshops in Gaza City; Israel believes the workshops were used to make weapons.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the deaths.