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)

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)

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)

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)

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

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

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)

Several hundred thousand Venezuelans marched in Caracas in support of President Hugo Chavez. Chavez called the rally to protest the opposition strike, and government buses brought marchers in from other cities. (Reuters) Update: An explosion near the demonstration injured twelve and killed one. Police said they suspect the explosion was caused by a bomb. (Reuters)

An HIV-positive conservative activist withdrew from consideration for a presidential advisory panel on AIDS after remarks attributed to him were criticized as anti-gay. (CNN)

Kuwaiti officials said a suspect, who they said was an al Qaeda sympathizer, had confessed to shooting two American civilians in Kuwait on Tuesday. Police continue to search for two other suspects. (WaPost/AP)

North and South Korea issued a joint statement saying they would resolve the current standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons program together. Separately, South Korea said that it had "sufficiently delivered our and the international community's concern on the nuclear issue," but that North Korea had refused to agree to any compromises. (Fox News/AP)

China said it supported resolving the situation in Iraq diplomatically. France objected to U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's remark yesterday that it and Germany were "old Europe." U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the U.S. would do "what it thinks is appropriate" and that he believed other nations would support it. In Iraq, officials said "we did our best" but that six scientists had still refused interviews with U.N. inspectors. (BBC)

Three Israelis died of gunshot wounds after they were ambushed in the West Bank, south of Hebron. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. (Ha'aretz)

Britain's FTSE 100 index fell 55.8 points to close at 3622.2, its lowest level since 1995. The FTSE has dropped by almost 9 percent over the last nine days, among concerns about the economy and a possible war in Iraq. (Sky News)

A day after India expelled four Pakistani diplomats, Pakistan expelled four Indian diplomats. (BBC)

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development proposed a new rule allowing religious groups to use federal money to acquire, improve or construct buildings, so long as the federal funds went toward buildings or parts of buildings not intended for religious use. Bush administration officials said the new rule would end discrimination against religious groups. (NYT)

A report by the U.S. Federal Reserve indicated that between 1998 and 2001, the median net worth of high-income households grew at a higher rate, 69 percent, than it did in low-income households, where it grew by 25 percent. The report also indicated that median net worth for minorities fell by 4.5 percent during that time. (USAT, NYT)

Researchers in China discovered six specimens of a dinosaur with birdlike feathers on its four limbs and tail. The feathers are believed to have been used for gliding from trees. The discovery may also shed light on the evolutionary ancestry of birds. (Nature)

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a set of new rules restricting the work accounting firms can do for public companies. The rules are intended to restore investor confidence in outside accountants' independence from the companies they audit. The approved restrictions are weaker than those originally proposed last year, following accounting scandals at Enron, WorldCom and other large companies. (WaPost, NYT)

Bush administration officials said they still hoped the U.N. Security Council would be able to agree on appropriate action in Iraq. American officials indicated they plan to ask France and Germany why they believe Iraq's failure to fully comply with the U.N.'s demands does not merit a response. (NYT)

French and German leaders together reiterated that they were opposed to military conflict in Iraq and that U.N. weapons inspectors need more time. NATO ambassadors also declined a U.S. request to discuss military preparations for a possible conflict. In the U.S., President Bush reiterated that Iraqi military leaders would be prosecuted for war crimes if they used chemical or biological weapons. (BBC, WaPost)

U.S. officials said they expected the U.N. Security Council to take up consideration of North Korea's nuclear weapons programs by the end of the week. In Seoul, North Korean delegates insisted the country had no intention of developing nuclear weapons. (WaPost)

Losses by Kodak and J.P. Morgan led the Dow Jones Industrial Average 1.5 percent lower, to 8,318, its lowest close this year. The Nasdaq ended at 1,359, down 0.3 percent, and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 1 percent, to 878, also its lowest close of 2003. (CBS MarketWatch)

Tens of thousands of civilians in Burundi have been forced to flee heavy fighting between the Burundi army and ethnic Hutu rebels. The fighting has escalated as both sides attempt to capture territory in advance of peace talks, which are expected to resume in the next few days. (BBC)

Thousands of protestors, marching in Washington, D.C., on the 30th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision recognizing abortion rights, said they disagreed with each other on whether abortion should be illegal. Some said it should be, but others said it shouldn't. (Yahoo/AP)*

The Venezuelan Central Bank suspended trading on its foreign exchange for five days. The Venezuelan bolivar has fallen 28 percent over the course of the country's general strike, now in its seventh week. [Earlier in the day, the Venezuelan Supreme Court also ruled against a nonbinding referendum on President Hugo Chavez.] (Reuters, Reuters)

The U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps activated a combined total of 20,000 additional reservists in the past week, the U.S. Defense Department said. Some 79,000 reservists are now on active duty. (MSNBC)

A U.S. District Court judge ruled that consumers could reasonably be expected to know of the health risks associated with eating McDonald's foods, and that the fast food chain was not responsible for their doing so. (Reuters)

The U.S. Senate voted 94-0 to confirm Tom Ridge as the first secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The new department will officially be created on Friday. (AP)

Migrant workers in China's urban areas have increased protests over unpaid wages. Many of them hope to return to their villages and visit their families for the Chinese New Year, Feb. 1. (BBC)

The Hispanic population grew by 4.7 percent, accounting for nearly half the total U.S. population growth between April 2000 and July 2001, according to U.S. census estimates. Experts expect that immigration from Latin America and a relatively high birth rate will cause the Hispanic population to continue to grow rapidly, making Latinos America's largest minority. (NYT, WaPost)

The New York Times reported that banks are earning profits off unregulated checking account overdraft fees. Critics charge that the fees unfairly take advantage of low-income customers. (NYT)

A study found that Americans ate larger and larger portions of food at home between 1977 and 1996. The number of Americans who are overweight also increased during that time. (WaPost)

Al Sharpton said he would seek the Democratic nomination for president in the 2004 election. Sharpton said he would speak for minority interests. (WaPost)

The U.S. government will upgrade existing outdoor pollution monitors so they can detect the presence of deadly pathogens that might be used in a terrorist attack, officials said. The monitoring system will be able to detect a pathogen released in a U.S. city "within a matter of days." (NYT)

A poll found that a smaller majority of Americans supports military action in Iraq, and that some 70 percent favor giving U.N. inspectors more time. A majority also disapprove of President Bush's handling of the economy. (WaPost)

President Bush expressed frustration that other members on the U.N. Security Council want to give U.N. weapons inspectors more time in Iraq. France, Germany, Russia and China have indicated varying degrees of opposition to military action at this time. (NYT, WaPost)

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck coastal Mexico, killing at least 21. The quake was centered some 300 miles west of Mexico City, in the state of Colima. (LAT)

The U.S. Navy announced it will double the number of aircraft carrier battle groups within striking distance of Iraq, raising the total to four. The two battle groups there currently are positioned in the Mediterranean Sea and in the northern Persian Gulf. (Yahoo/AP)

U.S. stock markets fell for the fourth straight trading day. The Dow fell 1.68 percent, to 8,442.90, the Nasdaq dropped 0.87 percent, to 1,364.25, and the Standard & Poor's slid 1.57 percent, to 887.62. Investors are showing caution in the face of a number corporate earnings announcements due in the next two weeks and the possibility of war in Iraq. (Reuters)

A delegation from North Korea arrived in Seoul to begin high-level talks with South Korea. North Korea suggested that it doesn't wish to discuss its nuclear weapons program, which it considers an issue between it and the U.S., and that the meetings should focus on collaboration between the two countries. (ABC News/AP)

Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter, after meeting with President Hugo Chavez and with opposition leaders in Venezuela, suggested a plan for ending the opposition-led general strike, now in its seventh week. Chavez said he would accept a constitutional reform if it was approved by the Venezuelan National Assembly and a national vote. (IHT, Reuters)

Microsoft Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. announced they would expand a partnership focused on selling network attached storage products. The products target businesses that need additional network storage but not additional network servers. (InfoWorld)

The Israeli army demolished more than 60 shops in the West Bank village of Nazlat Issa, on the Israeli border, saying the shops had been built without permits. (BBC, VOA)

Two American civilians were attacked, and one killed, by an unknown assailant or assailants while driving from the U.S. military's Camp Doha in Kuwait. Police said the shots came from military rifles. (CNN)

The Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah fired artillery shells on Israeli army positions along Israel's northern border. It was the first such attack in over four months. Israel retaliated with both artillery fire and air strikes. (Ha'aretz, BBC)

Firefighters in Britain began a 24-hour walkout to protest a wage dispute. British military personnel are responding to emergencies in their stead. (Sky News)

Iraqi officials, responding to demands from U.N. weapons inspectors, agreed to specific measures to facilitate the inspections, including encouraging Iraqi scientists to agree to private interviews with inspectors. (WaPost, NYT)

Concerns about the health risks associated with the smallpox vaccine have led some hospitals to decide not to administer the vaccine to their staffs. More than 80 hospitals across the country have resisted health officials' requests that they do so as part of the Bush administration's plan to vaccinate 11 million Americans against smallpox. There are some 3,000 hospitals involved in the plan. (USAT)

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, wanting lobbyists to be able to give them stuff, have been relaxing restrictions against gifts of meals and entertainment. House Republicans instituted the restrictions in 1995, when they were unhappy that lobbyists had been able to give stuff to Democrats. (WaPost)

France said that Iraq's compliance with the ongoing U.N. weapons inspections made military action against it unnecessary. France is a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and can veto Security Council resolutions. (NYT, WaPost)

A BBC reporter posing as a tourist in Zimbabwe reported that famine has crippled the country. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe last year forced white land owners to abandon their properties, and their farms have been shut down. The United Nations estimates that 7 million face starvation. (BBC)

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told the United Nations that Iraq is responsible for its own disarmament, and that if it fails to disarm itself promptly the U.N. must act. (Yahoo/AP)

A U.S. Army spokesman said some 16,500 soldiers of a task force that would total approximately 37,000 had received orders to deploy. The soldiers' destination was not disclosed but the mobilization constitutes part of America's preparations for a possible war with Iraq. (FOX News)

A village in Switzerland conducted the country's first legally binding vote to tally ballots cast over the Internet. 323 of the 741 recorded votes were cast electronically. (IHT/AP)

Speaking on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President Bush said that King's dream hadn't been achieved, and that hearing King's words was important. The White House also announced a plan to propose increasing federal grants to historically black and Hispanic schools and educational programs by 5 percent. (CNN)

Following six hours of talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, a Russian envoy said he felt the conflict between the U.S. and North Korea over North Korea's nuclear weapons program could be resolved peacefully. U.S. officials suggested asking the United Nations Security Council to address the stand-off. North Korea wishes to resolve the situation with the U.S. directly, however, and has said that it would view sanctions (which the U.N. could impose) as an act of war. (Reuters)

The United Kingdom announced it would send an additional 26,000 troops to the Persian Gulf region over the next few weeks in anticipation of a possible conflict with Iraq. (BBC, Fox News/AP)

Microsoft Corp. said it would share the proprietary source code of its Windows operating systems with the Russian government. Access to their underlying code will help lower the cost of protecting the operating systems from attack. The source code for a competing operating system, Linux, is freely available. (Wired/AP)

Kmart promoted its president, Julian Day, to CEO. Kmart chairman and former CEO James Adamson will stay on as non-executive chairman. The bankrupt retailer is in the process of reorganizing. (CBS MarketWatch)

Secretary of State Colin Powell said he supports the University of Michigan's consideration of race in making admissions decisions. (WaPost, NYT)

Economic stability and growth in Russia have prompted banks to lend more to consumers. Russian consumers so far are more mindful of the benefits of borrowed money than of its costs. (NYT)

If Saddam Hussein voluntarily removed himself from power and went into exile, then the U.S. wouldn't invade Iraq to remove him from power forcibly, Bush administration officials said. Saddam has given no indication he is considering stepping down. (WaPost, NYT)

The Bush administration is pressuring American industries to "voluntarily" commit to specific, written commitments to limit emissions linked to global warming. The effort comes as political backing for more restrictive, mandatory emissions regulations appears to grow. (NYT)

Microsoft Corp. said it had developed a method for creating audio CDs that can be played back normally on a stereo or computer but cannot be copied digitally. The company said it has invested $500 million in digital rights management for music. (CNet/Reuters)

The United Nations advised Iraq that it must actively help its weapons experts conduct their inspections. The chief U.N. inspector, Hans Blix, said the Iraqis had discovered and disclosed the existence of four additional empty chemical warheads. (BBC)

Local residents around North Long Lake in Brainerd, Minn., have several conflicting theories as to why a half-mile-long patch of water in the middle of the lake hasn't frozen. Scientists remain at a loss for an explanation, however. (ABCNews)

Dell Computer is exploring computer recycling as a means of addressing an enivornmental concern and boosting business. (Yahoo/Reuters)

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management released a draft proposal for the National Petroleum Reserve on Alaska's North Slope. Three of the four alternatives proposed for the area involve selling leasing rights for oil and gas exploration on some 9 million acres of the 23-million-acre reserve. (NYT)

An antiwar demonstration in Washington, D.C., on Saturday drew tens of thousands of protestors, despite sub-freezing temperatures. Other protests were also held in other cities in the U.S. and other countries. (WaPost)

Saudi Arabian leaders are encouraging Iraqi security forces to forcibly remove Saddam Hussein from power, the New York Times reported. Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief denied the report. The Arab nations in the Middle East do not generally support Saddam, and wish to avoid a war. (NYT, Reuters)

The Los Angeles Times reported that an Indian trading company illicitly sold raw materials and equipment for manufacturing chemical weapons and long-range missiles to Iraq between 1998 and 2001. The Indian company has been under investigation at least since early 2001, but relations between the U.S. and India are delicate, and the U.S. has not publicized the case. (LAT)