Some 20 clergymen protesting the arrest of a colleague in Zimbabwe's capital two weeks ago were arrested by Harare police. Some churches in Zimbabwe have been speaking against the violence and economic hardship affecting the country. (BBC)

The U.S. Commerce Department said the U.S. economy grew by 1.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2002. (Reuters)

Philippines President Gloria Arroyo set a 90-day deadline for the country's armed forces to end the threat posed by the rebel group Abu Sayyaf Muslim. U.S. troops and military instructors are currently in the Philippines to provide assistance. The country has announced similar deadlines in the past, but they have not been met. (BBC)

Iraq said it had agreed "in principle" to begin destroying its Al Samoud 2 missiles. U.N. weapons inspectors have demanded that Iraq begin destroying the missiles, whose range exceeds U.N. mandated limits, by Saturday. The U.N. Security Council remains divided over a proposed resolution stating that Iraq has failed to comply with weapons inspections. (NYT)

NASA said a Russian Soyuz spacecraft would replace the three-person crew currently manning the International Space Station with a two-person crew sometime this spring. (WaPost)

Thailand's prime minister said the Thai government would review an anti-drug-trafficking and -production policy it had launched at the beginning of February. Nearly 1,000 people have been killed in the weeks since. The government has said criminals seeking to silence potential informants are responsible for the deaths. (BBC)

Turkish officials said the U.S. had promised not to allow Iraqi Kurds to form their own state in the event that a war displaces the current Iraqi government. The promise is part of an agreement in which Turkey is expected to grant permission to the U.S. to use Turkish military bases for an invasion of Iraq. The officials said the U.S. would also allow Turkish forces to enter northern Iraq to prevent Kurdish refugees from fleeing into Turkey. (WaPost)

The Turkish parliament is expected to vote on the agreement on Saturday. (BBC)

New York and New York City officials announced that a new building complex to be built on the World Trade Center site will be based on a design by Berlin-based Studio Daniel Libeskind. (NYT)

In a televised address, President Bush said that removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq would promote democracy and bring peace to the region. (NYT)

U.S. officials said North Korea had restarted operations at its nuclear reactor in Yongbyon. The reactor produces relatively little electricity, but its spent fuel rods can be reprocessed to extract weapons-grade plutonium. (Reuters)

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that tactics employed by anti-abortion groups to block access to abortion clinics or discourage their use did not meet legal criteria for extortion. The ruling stated that extortion only applies when coercion is used to acquire property. Interfering with a person's access to an abortion clinic is now prohibited by the U.S. Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, however. (Reuters)

More than 120 members of Tony Blair's own Labor party joined a minority-backed parliamentary amendment stating that the case for war against Iraq had not yet been made. (BBC)

America Online began offering an online music subscription service to AOL subscribers. (CNet)

U.S. officials said the U.S. and Saudi Arabia had reached an agreement allowing the U.S. greater use of Saudi military facilities in the event of a war against Iraq. The U.S. will be permitted full use of Prince Sultan Air Base as an operations center, and as an air base for support, intelligence and defensive missions. (WaPost)

Early morning explosions yesterday damaged the Colombian consulate and the Spanish embassy in Venezuela's capital. Four people were injured. The motive for the bombings was unknown. (NYT)

The U.S. and China have joined an international project to develop a nuclear fusion reactor capable of generating electricity. The International Thermonuclear Energy Reactor is expected to cost $5 billion over 10 years. (BBC)

Iraq provided U.N. weapons inspectors with documents describing the disposal of banned weapons in 1991 and the location of an R-400 bomb used for biological agents. Iraq admitted in 1995 that it had built 155 R-400 bombs. (Reuters)

Dutch-based Royal Ahold said it had overstated its earnings by at least $500 million over the past two years. Ahold, which operates supermarkets and food distributors in 25 countries, is the world's third-largest retailer. (WaPo, NYT)

North Korea fired what U.S. officials said was a short-range missile into the Sea of Japan. The Sea of Japan did not appear to be damaged. (NYT)

The U.S., Britain and Spain introduced a resolution to the U.N. Security Council stating that Iraq "has failed to take the final opportunity afforded to it in Resolution 1441 (to disarm)." A vote on the resolution is expected possibly within the next two weeks. (NYT, WaPo)

Saddam Hussein said he is prepared for war against Iraq, and indicated that Iraq would not choose to destroy its banned Al Samoud 2 missiles. (CBS News)

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he would abide by a judge's ruling that opposition leader Carlos Fernandez be placed under house arrest and not imprisoned. Chavez has accused Fernandez of rebellion and treason for his role in Venezuela's opposition strike. (BBC)

Government officials said Saudi Arabia had approved the country's first journalists' association, intended to "boost the role of the press." (ABC News)

VaxGen Inc. reported that an AIDS vaccine it had tested did not protect most subjects from infection, but that some African-American and Asian-American volunteers did appear to be protected. The vaccine was the first to ever be tested on people. (Reuters)

Ariel Sharon gained control over 61 of 120 seats in the Israeli parliament after reaching agreements with Israel's Shinui party and its National Religious Party (NRP). The NRP opposes the creation of a Palestinian state. (CNN/AP, Ha'aretz)

Civilian deputies from Pakistan's four regional assemblies completed their vote to elect a new national Senate. President Pervez Musharraf had disbanded Pakistan's Senate after seizing power in 1999. (BBC)

The White House said President Bush didn't believe Saddam Hussein would respond to diplomatic efforts to convince him to disarm. (Reuters)

A large earthquke in north-western China destroyed buildings, injured at least 1,000 victims and caused 250 confirmed deaths. Earthquake measurements varied between magnitude 6.3 and 6.8. (BBC)

U.S. Eastern time, that is.