Last Week in the World of News

3/2, Austin, Texas

Texas governor George W. Bush, the GOP's front-runner, announced that he would seek the presidency unless he felt a lack of interest from voters and donors as he travels throughout Texas beginning in June. Bush is leading the polls over the most likely Democr;itic nominee, current Vice President Al Gore.

3/5, Hollywood,Florida

Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio lost his battle to lung cancer at the age of 84. DiMaggio hit .325 with 361 home runs for the then-dominating New York team. He was an 11-time All-Star and three-time- Most Valuable Player. DiMaggio also served three years in the U.S. Army during World War II. DiMaggio was scheduled to throw out the first pitch at a Yankee game in April.

3/3, Washington, DC

The Supreme Court left intact Timothy McVeigh's \, conviction and death sentence for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The court rejected an appeal in which McVeigh argued that his trial was tainted by jury misconduct and news reports of his confession to his lawyers. McVeigh can still pursue a new round of appeals challenging the consti- tutionality of his prosecution.

3/4, New Delhi, India

An Indian Air Force transport plane crashed near a huge township and exploded into a ball of fire, killing 21 people. The plane was flying in from Gwalior in central India when it crashed about 1 1/2 miles from the airport. Airport authorities had reportedly declared the area unsafe for residence, but it was never evacuated. It was the second air accident in three days in India.

3/6, Beijing, China

Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan dismissed charges that China stole nuclear secrets from the United States. U.S. federal authorities are investigating whether China stole U.S. nuclear secrets and used them to boost its own arsenal. The information came forth while Congress was investigating the role of foreign money in the 1996 presidential campaign and as charges emerged that Beijing had secretly funneled money to the Democratic Party.

-Lisa Finegan