THE WEEK

By JULIE K.L. DAM, SINTING LAI, MEGAN RUTHERFORD

WORLD

Flooding in Europe

After days of freezing rain, the rivers of northwestern Europe surged over their banks to engulf towns and cities in Germany, France, Belgium and--worst hit--the Netherlands. Dutch authorities, fearing that some of the country's giant earthen dikes would collapse, evacuated more than 200,000 people from the land between the Meuse and the Waal rivers. Thirty deaths were reported across Europe, with total damages estimated at more than $2 billion.

More Terror in Algeria

It was the worst bombing in three years of bloody insurgency. An explosives- filled car blew up in a busy Algiers street, killing 42 people and wounding 286. No one claimed responsibility for the action, but Algerian authorities blamed Muslim extremists fighting to establish an Islamic state. An estimated 30,000 people, including 80 foreigners, have been killed since the fighting between militants and government security forces began.

Middle East Summit

In an effort to revive the flagging peace process, the leaders of Egypt, Israel, Jordan and the p.l.o. met in Cairo. At the top of their agenda: a rash of terrorist attacks by radical Palestinian groups against Israeli soldiers and civilians, and the continuing expansion of Jewish settlements in occupied territory.

China Flunks Human Rights

In another setback for U.S.-China relations, a U.S. State Department report claimed that China made no progress on human rights in 1994. The report called China an ``authoritarian'' state and pointedly detailed such abuses as mistreatment of dissidents, denial of fair trials, harassment of journalists and forced labor.

Cuban Refugee Return

Under heavy military guard, the first planeloads of Cuban refugees were forcibly returned from Panama to the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Last September President Ernesto Perez Balladares agreed to allow up to 10,000 boat people to stay in Panama at U.S. detention camps for a six-month period. Nearly 8,000 Cuban children and close relatives have since qualified to emigrate to the U.S., provided they have full financial sponsorship. To transfer the remaining refugees by the March 6 deadline, American forces will airlift out 500 people almost every day.

A Draft, a Leak, an Uproar

The British-Irish talks trembled after the Times of London published excerpts of a leaked draft of the ``framework document'' intended to serve as a guideline for peace negotiations among all parties in the Northern Ireland conflict. The Protestant Ulster politicans threatened to pull out of negotiations and possibly bring down Prime Minister Major's government. The draft proposes the establishment of joint institutions between Ireland and the North to work on common interests such as agriculture and tourism. This raised fears among the province's Protestant majority that such cross-border bodies might lead to the formation of a united Ireland. In an attempt to quell loyalist protests, Major made a nationally televised address, in which he re-emphasized that the document would be merely a starting point for talks and again confirmed that any agreement reached would be submitted to a referendum.

Bombs in the Corsican Night

On the resort island of Cavallo, off southern Corsica, at least three different explosive devices set off during the night caused extensive damage to 66 apartments and businesses owned mostly by mainland French residents and foreigners. No group claimed responsibility for the bombings, but authorities suspect separatist militants who have been seeking to end French rule over the Mediterranean island. No deaths or injuries were reported.

UNITED STATES

Clinton Rescues the Peso

President Clinton used his emergency powers to craft an economic-rescue package for Mexico intended to avert the possibility of loan defaults that could ignite financial panic throughout the hemisphere. The President thus neatly bypassed U.S. congressional opposition to his original proposal of $40 billion in loan guarantees. Despite some grumbling on Washington's Capitol Hill, the President's move received support from both the Republican and Democratic leadership (and a sigh of relief from many members happy to be freed from having to vote on a controversial aid package). For the most part, Mexican financial markets reacted favorably to the President's announcement.

Higher Wages

After bandying about the idea for weeks, President Clinton finally proposed a specific increase in the minimum wage: 90c over the next two years, to $5.15. The proposal is certain to ignite a major fight with congressional Republicans and is unlikely to survive. A spat is also sure to erupt when the President formally unveils his $1.6 trillion budget this week. While promising to eliminate or consolidate hundreds of programs and slash $144 billion in spending over the next five years, the President's plans do not cut deeply enough to balance the budget by 2002, which Republicans vow they will do--though how remains to be determined.

New Top Doc

As a replacement for the controversial Joycelyn Elders, President Clinton nominated Henry Foster Jr., a Nashville, Tennessee, obstetrician-gynecologist and acting head of Meharry Medical College, to become the new U.S. Surgeon General. The President said he wanted Foster, the founder of a Nashville program aimed at delaying teen sexual activity through counseling, job training and medical services, to focus on battling the nation's ``epidemic of teen pregnancies and unmarried pregnancies.''

The Simpson Case

The prosecution opened its murder case against O.J. Simpson by presenting witnesses and evidence intended to undermine his public image as a genial ex- jock with a portrait of a jealous wife abuser. A detective testified about a 1989 beating incident; a friend recounted how Simpson had told him about dreams of killing his former wife; and his ex-sister-in-law sobbed as she detailed other instances of violence. Before testimony began, Judge Lance Ito had admonished defense attorneys in front of the jury for having violated witness-disclosure rules; Ito sanctioned the defense by allowing prosecutors to reopen their opening argument.

The Sheik Goes on Trial

America's biggest terrorism trial opened in a New York City courtroom as prosecutors began making their case against Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and 11 other Muslim men who are accused of having plotted to blow up key New York City landmarks in 1993 as part of an alleged holy war against the U.S.

A Euthanasia Acquittal

In yet another case testing the murky limits of parents' rights and a patient's right to die, Gregory Messenger--the Michigan father charged with manslaughter for having unhooked his severely ill, premature baby from a respirator--was acquitted by a jury. Messenger said he was forced to act after doctors refused to heed the family's wishes. ``We did what was best for our baby,'' said his wife.

BUSINESS

Slapping China's Pirating

The U.S. announced that on Feb. 26 it will impose punitive tariffs of 100% on a wide range of Chinese imports valued at about $1 billion. The move came as retaliation for what the Clinton Administration regards as Beijing's inadequate efforts to curb widespread piracy of American computer software, music and films. The new tariffs are intended to equal the estimated revenue lost through theft of U.S. copyrights and patents in China. Among the hardest- hit Chinese exports are plastics, picture frames, cellular phones, answering machines, sporting goods and some bicycles. Beijing responded with 100% tariffs on compact discs, cigarettes, alcoholic beverages and other products, threatening a trade war between two of the world's largest markets.

SCIENCE

New AIDS Therapy

Several new studies were released indicating that giving HIV-positive patients a combination of powerful drugs may be the best way to combat AIDS. The double wallop of AZT and an experimental new drug, 3tc, effectively put off the appearance of drug-resistant strains of the AIDS virus in infected individuals by as much as one year (patients treated with AZT alone encounter resistance within a few months). Together the drugs also kept the extent of the infection in check while allowing the body to boost its complement of virus-fighting immune cells. More studies are needed to determine whether this will actually translate into a healthier and longer life for AIDS patients.

--By Julie K.L. Dam, Sinting Lai, Megan Rutherford