Abortion Killer Dies in Jail

John Salvi, the convicted killer of two abortion clinic workers in Boston, has reportedly committed suicide in a Massachusetts prison. The 25-year-old former hairdresser was found guilty in March of two counts of first degree murder and five counts of assault in the shootings almost two years ago. A Boston radio station says Salvi may have died from asphyxiation. Salvi's lawyers admitted at his trial Salvi was guilty of the brutal slayings, the worst incidence of abortion clinic violence in U.S. history, but argued he was suffering from delusions.

Consumer Spending Picks Up

The government said U.S. consumers picked up the spending pace in October despite receiving no increase in their incomes, sacrificing savings to finance their purchases. The Commerce Department said spending increased by 0.5 percent, or $27.5 billion, during October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $5.20 trillion. That followed a slight 0.1 percent, or $2.7 billion, increase in September.

Jammed Door Stops Spacewalk

NASA engineers are trying to solve a sticky problem for the astronauts aboard the space shuttle Columbia. The first of two planned spacewalks was scrapped last night because the hatch to the shuttle's cargo bay wouldn't open. Astronauts Tammy Jernigan and Tom Jones spent more than two hours struggling to get the door open before mission control decided to call off the spacewalk. The walk would be rescheduled as early as today, if the hatch problem can be corrected. A second spacewalk is scheduled for tomorrow night.

War Crimes Sentence Issued

A Croat who confessed to taking part in the Bosnian Serb Army's massacre of more than 1,000 Muslims in Srebrenica last year has been sentenced to 10 years in jail. Drazen Erdemovic, 25, is the first person to be sentenced by the Hague-based U.N. criminal tribunal for former Yugoslavia. He's also the first person to be sentenced by an international war crimes tribunal of any kind for half a century. Presiding Judge Claude Jorda of France said the three-judge panel had taken into account Erdemovic's age, his low military rank, his remorse and his cooperation with prosecutors. The tribunal can impose a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Quake Jolts 5 U.S. States

A moderate earthquake jolted Arkansas early today and was felt in four other states. Officials say there were no reports of injuries or damage. The quake, which measured 4.3 on the open-ended Richter scale, struck on the Arkansas-Missouri border, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's earthquake information center in Golden, Colorado. The quake's epicenter was near Blytheville in northeastern Arkansas on the New Madrid fault line. It was felt in western Kentucky, Tennessee, southwestern Missouri and southern Illinois.

'Stealth' Jets to Stay in Kuwait

The United States says it is keeping eight F-117A stealth fighter bombers in Kuwait as a warning to Iran and Iraq. "It is simply to maintain a strong deterrence in the region...as part of what we call a 'dual containment policy' in containing both Iraq and Iran and deal with any threat from either of these countries," U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry said in Kuwait. The jets were rushed to Kuwait in September in a confrontation between the United States and Iraq over attacks by Saddam's military forces against Kurds in northern Iraq. Perry said the United States would remove 4,200 American troops from Kuwait by Christmas but will keep 1,800 Marines aboard ships off-shore.

Zaire Mission Approval Set

Canadian officials say the international humanitarian mission to central Africa will be approved today at a meeting in Ottawa. The agreement calls for the establishment of a multinational headquarters in Uganda that will coordinate airdrops of food into eastern Zaire if needed. The project is aimed at bringing food to hundreds of thousands of Rwandan Hutu refugees still in eastern Zaire. The international coalition appears determined to go ahead with its plans despite opposition from Zaire to food drops and skepticism from relief workers that this is the route to go.

Mother Teresa has Angioplasty

Mother Teresa, the 86-year-old Roman Catholic nun, had successful surgery to clear two coronary artery blockages today but doctors said she was not out of danger. "Many complications can still arise and her irregular heart rhythm still continues to be a problem," said a statement from doctors at a Calcutta clinic. The procedure was performed eight days after the Nobel Peace Prize winner noted for her devotion to the world's poor entered the hospital with an irregular heartbeat.

Yeltsin Feels 'Normal'

The chief Kremlin doctor says Boris Yeltsin feels "absolutely normal" following his heart bypass surgery earlier this month. The 65-year-old Russian president is said to be taking two or three walks a day and gradually building up his exercise routine. He's expected to start visiting his office next week and take on a "fuller" work schedule Dec. 20. Yeltsin is recovering at a sanatorium outside Moscow.

Curb the Urge to Shop

Folks who just can't bear the thought of Christmas shopping on this traditional start of the season can claim their own movement. A loose coalition of international activists has declared today "Buy Nothing Day." Started by Canadians five years ago, the idea is to draw attention to overconsumption and its environmental and social consequences. Organizers hope more than 100,000 people from the U.S. to South Africa to Japan will be fighting the urge to buy today.

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