Around the world
BELFAST: A joint declaration aimed at ending the violence in Northern Ireland must be accepted by the IRA as it stands before any talks can begin, the British and Irish prime ministers said Wednesday. Britain's John Major and Ireland's Albert Reynolds rejected calls by Gerry Adams, who heads the pro-IRA Sinn Fein party, for both governments to clarify the terms of the Dec. 15 declaration.
BALD PARTY: The Polish Party of Bald People, one of more than 200 political parties operating in Poland, has adopted an anthem that says bald people are lucky. The party leadership has asked Polish authorities to install more bald people to high state office.
SOMALIA: The top U.N. official in Somalia called Wednesday for a "Somali solution to Somali problems" as several countries announced their intention to withdraw when the large U.S. military contingent leaves by March 31. "The new direction of emphasis in our strategy is a Somali solution to Somali problems," Jonathan Howe said.
Across the nation
DISTURBANCE: Authorities say 11 prisoners and a visiting nurse were injured in a disturbance and fire at the Webb County Detention Center in Laredo, Texas. One inmate suffered a concussion, but the othere were treated at area hospitals and released.
HIGH PAY: Working Woman magazine says the highest-paid woman in corporate America during 1993 was Turi Josefsen, the executive vice president of U.S. Surgical Corp., who earned $26.7 million in total compensation.
APPEAL: The Archdiocese of Santa Fe may have to file for bankruptcy protection in the face of 41 sex-abuse lawsuits seeking $50 million in damages, Archbishop Michael Sheehan said in an emergency fund-raising appeal. In a letter read at Masses on Sunday or inserted in parish bulletins at the Roman Catholic archdiocese's 91 churches, Sheehan asked parishioners to help the church raise enough money to avoid becoming the first American archdiocese ever to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
BAN SOUGHT: A statewide initiative drive has been launched in Arizona to ban any laws that protect homosexuals against discrimination. The initiative, sponsored by the Traditional Values Coalition, would deny any special privileges for gays or lesbians that are not granted to others.