Copyright 2000 The Atlanta Constitution
The Atlanta
Journal and Constitution
December 17, 2000, Sunday, Home Edition
SECTION: @issue; Pg. 10G
LENGTH: 615 words
HEADLINE:
Top stories / World & Nation
BYLINE: Staff
SOURCE: AJC
BODY:
ELECTION
2000
1. Bush urges unity
Ending an extraordinary battle, George W. Bush
claimed victory Wednesday night in the race to become 43rd president of the
United States, solemnly promising to unite the nation, just minutes after Vice
President Al Gore conceded defeat and urged the nation to rally around his
rival.
MERGERS
2. Media union approved
Antitrust regulators gave
approval to the $ 111 billion merger of America Online and Time Warner --- the
largest media deal in U.S. history --- with safeguards to ensure Americans will
have broad choices as the Internet evolves.
MIDDLE EAST
3. Netanyahu
can run
As the bloodshed continued, the Israeli parliament gave preliminary
approval to a bill that would allow former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to
run in elections for prime minister, currently set for February. Prime Minister
Ehud Barak resigned last Sunday.
CUBA
4. Putin, Castro meet
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Thursday with Cuban leader Fidel Castro
(right), pledging to strengthen ties. The only solid economic agreement was $ 50
million in commercial credit from Russia to Cuba --- an amount that pales in
comparison with the multibillion-dollar subsidies of the Soviet era.
WINTER STORMS
5. Woes in ice, snow
Bitter cold gripped the
nation as winter storms spread ice and snow across the Midwest into the South,
grounding planes, closing schools and government offices and sending cars
skidding into each other. In Chicago, radio stations dubbed the bad weather
"Blizzard 2000."
ESPIONAGE
6. American freed
Pardoned by Russia
after being convicted of espionage, U.S. businessman Edmond Pope flew to freedom
in Germany and declared, ''It's great to be back in the real world.'' Pope, 54,
the first American convicted of espionage in Russia in 40 years, had been
sentenced to 20 years in jail.
USS COLE
7. Ship's journey ends
The Blue Marlin transport ship carried the damaged USS Cole into port in
Pascagoula, Miss., ending a six-week journey from Yemen, where the warship was
attacked by terrorists on Oct. 12. Seventeen U.S. sailors were killed in the
bombing.
CHERNOBYL
8. Plant closed down
Ukraine closed the
Chernobyl nuclear power plant, despite angry protests by plant workers and
last-minute parliamentary calls to postpone the shutdown. Chernobyl's ruined
reactor No. 4 exploded 14 years ago in the world's worst nuclear accident.
CLINTON
9. Plea to help poor
President Clinton bade farewell to
Europe with a call for the world's nations to launch a sincere, unified effort
to uplift the desperately poor. ''We have both the ability and the
responsibility to make a great deal of difference,'' he said. Clinton said his
European swing is his final trip as president.
HEALTH
10.
Contraceptives OK'd
Employers may not exclude
contraceptives from their health insurance
plans that cover other preventive treatments, the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission said. This could affect those whose health insurance
excludes birth control pills, diaphragms and other prescription
contraceptives.
This week
> Monday: Electoral
College counts the votes that will make George W. Bush officially the
president-elect.
> Tuesday: The policymaking committee of the Federal
Reserve Board meets to decide whether to take action on interest rates.
>
Next weekend: Parliamentary elections are scheduled Saturday in Yugoslavia.
By the numbers
$ 252 million: Alex Rodriguez's 10-year contract with
Texas Rangers
$ 2,000: Bonus for veteran Atlanta police officers.
$
200,000: U.S. president's annual pay in 2000.
$ 400,000: president's annual
pay in 2001.
GRAPHIC: Photo
Russian President
Vladimir Putin, left, and Cuban President Fidel Castro / ALEXANDER
ZEMLIANICHENKO / Associated Press
LOAD-DATE: December
17, 2000