IN the past decade, billions of dollars have been spent trying to save the lives of mothers in developing countries using strategies, usually inexpensive drugs, deemed essential by the UN health agency, the World Health Organization.

Current Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga repeated yesterday that the government would re-examine the womens testimony. But he sidestepped a direct reply when asked whether this might lead to a revision of the Kono statement.

Many students can already graduate in three years. They take bigger class loads and classes in the summer. And they have college credit from passing Advanced Placement tests in high school. A.P. credits can mean fewer required classes.

About five thousand men and women from more than eighty countries will compete for seventeen days at the Vancouver Olympics. They will compete in more than eighty separate medal events in fifteen sports. The games are about sportsmanship, hard work, and national pride. The athletes share a common goal -- to do their best and win a gold medal.

Britain and France drafted a letter to the secretary-general requesting that the chemical weapons team investigate yesterdays incident, and other countries including the United States have signed it.