A prep course for the month-long World Cup soccer tournament, a worldwide pheno

r guerrilla fighters . But he charged that the retaliatory rocket attacks went b

eyond the cease-fire understandings .

 LOS ANGELES Children who eat more than 12 hot dogs per month have nine times th

e normal risk of developing childhood leukemia , a University of Southern Califo

rnia epidemiologist reports in a cancer research journal . Two other reports in 

the same issue of Cancer Causes and Control also suggest that children born to m

others who eat at least one hot dog per week during pregnancy have double the no

rmal risk of developing brain tumors , as do children whose fathers ate hot dogs

 before conception . The findings , which already are generating a great deal of

 controversy and concern , could help explain why the incidence of childhood leu

kemia and brain tumors has been increasing over the last two decades , say the r

esearchers , led by USC epidemiologist John Peters . The scientists caution , ho

wever , that the studies are preliminary and based on relatively small numbers o

f cases a total of 621 cancer victims in the three studies and an equal number o

f controls . They also note that the statistical association is not necessarily 

a cause/effect relationship . Critics , as well as the researchers themselves , 

point out that such studies are difficult to conduct and interpret because peopl

e have a hard time recalling what they have eaten in the past . Nonetheless , th

e scientists argue that the results are significant and the issue deserves much 

more intensive scrutiny . In response to the findings , researchers at The Unive

rsity of Minnesota have already modified their National Cancer Institute-sponsor

ed study on childhood leukemia to explore the possible connection to hot dogs . 

The researchers suggest that the trigger for the cancers might be the use of nit

rites to preserve processed meats such as hot dogs . Nitrites are converted in t

he body to highly carcinogenic nitrosamines . Still , none of the investigators 

argues that people should stop eating hot dogs based on the findings . Because o

f the low incidence of these childhood tumors , `` This is not a hazard at the l

evel of tobacco smoke or high-fat diets , '' said epidemiologist David Savitz of

 the University of North Carolina , author of one of the studies on pregnant wom

en . `` The rational response would be a small modification of your consumption 

. '' `` It 's an intriguing idea because hot dogs certainly contain chemicals th

at one might wonder about , '' said Dr. Clark Heath , vice president for medical

 research of the American Cancer Society . `` I don't think they prove the case 

, '' he said , but the results are feasible because animal studies have establis

hed that nitrites cause cancer . `` Obviously , it is an idea that will need to 

be explored further . '' Researchers from the hot dog and cured meat industries 

were not available for comment Thursday . A spokeswoman for the National Cancer 

Institute also could not provide anyone familiar with the findings . ( Optional 

add end ) Other researchers scoffed at the findings as an example of the `` carc

inogen of the week '' syndrome . `` The problem is that there are an enormous nu

mber of variables in a study like this , '' said nutrition expert Michael Pariza

 of the University of Wisconsin . `` You don't know whether they were undernouri

shed , for example , or if they had adequate exercise. .. . It would be extremel

y premature to draw any conclusion from this type of study . '' Other researcher

s also attacked the studies because they were published in a journal that is not

 peer-reviewed , meaning that experts did not have a chance to critique the resu

lts before they appeared in print . Leukemia and brain tumors have been a concer

n to pediatric oncologists because they have been increasing more than twice as 

fast as childhood cancer overall . In the 17 years such data has been collected 

, Heath said , cancer among children up to ages 14 has increased by an average o

f 0.8 percent per year , while acute lymphoblastic leukemia has increased by 1.7

 percent per year a 27.4 percent total over that period . Brain tumors have incr

eased by 1.8 percent per year over the same period , a 32.8 percent total . The 

cause of these increases has been a mystery . Even so , the cancers are still co

nsidered very rare . Acute lymphoblastic leukemia , for instance , strikes only 

about three in every 10,000 children , so even a nine-fold increase still amount

s to a relatively small risk .

 WASHINGTON The Clinton administration declared Thursday it would seek U.N. econ

omic sanctions against North Korea after the world 's nuclear watchdog agency co

ncluded that the Communist regime had blocked efforts to learn the scope of its 

nuclear weapons program . The U.S. step elevated the long-simmering Korean crisi

s to a new level of tension . North Korea has already declared that it would con

sider any imposition of sanctions an act of war . The north-south border , manne

d by tens of thousands of American troops , has long been on hair-trigger milita

ry alert . President Clinton was forced to act to make good on his administratio

n 's previous threats . For days , U.S. officials have been saying if North Kore

a made it impossible for inspectors to probe the history of its nuclear program 

, the United States would seek sanctions through the U.N. . Security Council . T

hursday , the International Atomic Energy Agency concluded North Korea had done 

just that . In a statement issued from its headquarters in Vienna , Austria , th

e agency said North Korea 's rapid discharge of fuel from its reactor `` has now

 made it impossible to select fuel rods for later measurements , which would sho

w whether there has been any diversion of fuel from the reactor in the past year

s . '' State Department spokesman Mike McCurry , traveling with Clinton in Rome 

, said the United States would ask the Security Council to impose economic sanct

ions . A U.S. official predicted Thursday night it would be `` some days '' befo

re a sanctions resolution emerges from the Security Council . The prospect is un

certain in any case . China , which has veto power , still opposes confronting N

orth Korea with sanctions now . Its position remains unchanged despite Clinton '

s decision last week to renew its most-favored-nation trading status . Russia , 

another Security Council member with veto power , proposed Thursday an internati

onal conference on North Korea instead of moving quickly to impose sanctions . C

linton said North Korea had only itself to blame if sanctions are imposed . `` T

hey have triggered this , not the United States or anyone else , '' he said . U.

S. officials plan to meet in Washington Friday with their closest Asian allies ,

 Japan and North Korea . An informal Security Council meeting is set for Friday 

afternoon , when IAEA Director General Hans Blix is expected to brief its member

s . Administration officials have said in the past that sanctions , if agreed on

 , would be imposed gradually and would not begin with a full-scale blockade . (

 Optional add end ) The crisis focuses solely on North Korea 's nuclear-weapons 

development in the late 1980s . The IAEA wanted to examine selected fuel rods be

ing extracted from North Korea 's so-called experimental reactor . By examining 

these rods , they could ascertain whether the regime had diverted nuclear fuel a

fter the reactor had been shut down once before in 1989 . There is no evidence t

hat North Korea is trying to add to its nuclear stockpile . In fact , U.N. inspe

ctors have told the IAEA that the spent fuel from the reactor is being placed in

 cooling ponds , where it can be monitored to make sure any diversion doesn't oc

cur . U.S. intelligence analysts have long believed that North Korea diverted en

ough fuel when the reactor was last shut down to make one or more nuclear bombs 

. What is now at issue is the ability of world nuclear inspectors to determine w

hat weaponry North Korea possesses . This has broad implications for their being

 able to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons around the globe . The danger , v

oiced in the past by Japan and South Korea , is that sanctions would further iso

late North Korea and prompt it to sever all contact with international inspector

s . This , in turn , would make it impossible for inspectors to monitor what Nor

th Korea does with the spent fuel now being discharged from its reactor , once t

he fuel cools and could be reprocessed into weapons-grade fuel .

 In an effort to give corporate sponsors a little more bang for their public bro

adcasting bucks , the Public Broadcasting Service is considering proposals to in

crease the time allotted in programs for acknowledging underwriters . Current ru

les allow only 30 seconds for underwriter credits at the end of a broadcast , wi

th a maximum of 15 seconds to a single underwriter which often results in some u

nderwriters being undercredited , as it were . One proposal would allow as many 

15-second credits as necessary for sponsors who contribute 20 percent or more to

 the funding of a broadcast . Corporate spokesmen , now banned , may also be con

sidered and even ads the underwriters use on commercial TV , if appropriate . Va

rious task forces are considering the proposals , but no firm decisions are expe

cted until the fall planning meeting , according to Jon Abbott , senior vice pre

sident , development and corporate relations at PBS . `` We have a large project

 underway to look at all the ideas to shore up funding from corporations and fou

ndations , '' he said . At a time when corporate funding continues to shrink , A

bbott said , too many potential contributors `` find it cumbersome to work with 

public TV and we have to make it easier for them to be recognized for their fund

ing '' . There willn't be a massive relaxation of rules , however , he said . ``

 Our noncommercial environment and our relationship with our viewers is of param

ount importance . '' Still , in the past , significant funders have been allocat

ed as little as four seconds in a broadcast . As PBS began a weekend meeting in 

Orlando , Fla. , Abbott said stations would also be urged to carry major program

s at the same time the failure to do so has been a long-standing problem through

out the system as another means of giving major contributors the fullest exposur

e and maximum promotion time for their efforts on behalf of public television .

 K mart , the nation 's second-largest discount chain , hasn't been having a goo

d time of it lately . Its stock has been sinking and it has posted big losses . 

Friday , at its annual meeting , management will see just how irritated sharehol

ders are . The company is trying to get shareholder approval for a series of com

plicated stock issues . But big K mart stockholders have mounted a campaign to d

efeat the measure . Moreover , they want to unseat the five company directors wh

o are up for re-election . `` Basically we 're concerned that the plan doesn't a

ddress the key issues , which are what to do with the core retailing business , 

'' said Luther Jones , manager of corporate affairs for the Florida State Board 

of Administration , which manages the state 's $ 37 billion pension fund and own

s 3.9 million shares of K mart . His organization is one of seven investors that

 have publicly announced their opposition . The proposed stock offerings , which

 would pay a dividend based on the earnings of K mart 's four specialty lines , 

would allow K mart to raise some much needed cash . But some investors say what 

the company should really be doing is finding ways to bolster sales at its flags

hip discount stores , which have been losing sales to other big discount retaile

rs like Wal-Mart . The investor opposition hardly comes out of nowhere . The com

pany 's stock , now at about 15 , is down roughly 40 percent in the past six mon

ths , and after three years of flat earnings , the company posted a loss of near

ly $ 1 billion for the year ended Jan. 31 . Announcement of the offering in Apri

l was just the last straw , investors said . `` We don't have to indict manageme

nt . The stock is doing that , '' said James Severance , portfolio manager of th

e State of Wisconsin Investment Board , which is leading the campaign and owns 3

 million K mart shares . The dissidents don't think they have a good chance of w

inning . Still , Severance said he hopes the opposition will send a message to m

anagement that it needs to rethink its strategy . K mart , based in Troy , Mich.

 , said it believes it is doing the right thing . It also said it is not neglect

ing its K mart stores .

 ROME On a day of Roman glories that took him from the Sistine Chapel to the Pia

zza del Campidoglio , President Clinton Thursday found himself in an irreconcila

ble clash with Pope John Paul II over their opposing views on abortion and contr

aception . In a private 40-minute meeting , the pontiff pressed his objections t

o a draft U.N. document on population control due to be adopted in September . H

e noted `` his concern that the world community in general , and the United Stat

es in particular , not be insensitive to the value of life , '' Clinton said . B

ut the president , acknowledging their `` genuine disagreements '' on abortion ,

 also emphasized their `` common commitment '' to strong families and emerging d

emocracies . The first full day of Clinton 's European tour was full of diplomat

ic minefields , from the Vatican session to a meeting with the new Italian prime

 minister , Silvio Berlusconi , whose governing coalition includes neo-fascists 

. At a news conference , Clinton dismissed concerns about the coalition , saying

 he would `` judge all people and parties by what they do when they 're in power

 . '' Still , the official meeting at the prime minister 's office in the Palazz

o Chigi offered an odd counterpoint on a trip scheduled to commemorate the 50th 

anniversary of a war against European fascism in Germany and Italy . Berlusconi 

is the first prime minister since the war to govern Italy with the support of fa

scist leader Benito Mussolini 's political heirs . In Thursday 's emotional high

 point , Clinton stood at sunset outside the Palazzo Senatorio , or city hall , 

and delivered an address to `` the citizens of Rome '' that recalled the liberat

ion of the city a half-century ago from Germans who occupied it after Italy surr

endered in World War II . `` I have come to Europe to recall its cruelest war , 

and to help secure its lasting peace , '' he said as thousands of people jammed 

the plaza , many waving small American and Italian flags . `` This week , as the

 sons and daughters of democracy , we must resolve never to forget such hallowed

 words as Anzio , Nettuno , Salerno , Normandy . '' Friday morning , Clinton is 

to fly over Anzio , scene of an Allied landing that became one of the most contr

oversial of the Italian campaign , and visit the nearby U.S. cemetery at Nettuno

 , where 7,862 Americans who died in the fighting were laid to rest . In the day

s that follow , the president will make similar appearances at a U.S. cemetery i

n Cambridge , England , for those lost in the air campaign against Nazi Germany 

, and at the U.S. cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach , scene of the bloodiest batt

le of the D-Day landing . After his private session with the pope , Clinton trie

d to emphasize issues on which they agreed , but the Vatican focused on the core

 of their differences over abortion underscoring a new strain in relations . Cli

nton has reversed anti-abortion policies of his two Republican predecessors . Al

though Clinton told reporters they had made `` some progress '' on finding commo

n ground , Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro said their differences could be nar

rowed only if the president moved toward the pope 's opposition to abortion . ``

 The Holy Father made an appeal to the responsibility of a great nation such as 

America , whose origin and historical development has always promoted ethical va

lues that are basic to every culture , '' the Vatican said in a communique issue

d after the meeting . The communique cited `` grave ethical problems '' with som

e population-control measures to be discussed at a U.N. conference in Cairo , Eg

ypt , this fall . The conference is expected to endorse expanded contraception a

nd abortion rights for Third World women . ( Optional add end ) The pope looked 

frail at the meeting , his first major public appearance since breaking his hip 

and then undergoing surgery this spring . After seeing the pontiff , Clinton and

 first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton moved to a reception room to meet with North 

American seminarians who are studying in Rome . Ray Flynn , the former Boston ma

yor who is now the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican , introduced Clinton to the ga

thered priests , nuns and others . `` I make this promise to you : Every single 

one of them are Democrats , '' Flynn told Clinton . That elicited hissing and la

ughter from the audience and a comment from Clinton that Flynn would need to go 

to confession .

 WASHINGTON Former House Ways and Means Committee chairman Dan Rostenkowski , D-

Ill. , parted company with his third criminal defense team Thursday , issuing a 

terse written statement saying he and Robert S. Bennett `` mutually decided to g

o our separate ways . '' `` I soon will retain new counsel and will present a vi

gorous defense to the charges recently brought against me , '' Rostenkowski said

 . Rostenkowski was indicted Tuesday on 17 felony counts , including misappropri

ating more than $ 500,000 , tampering with a witness and using taxpayers ' money

 to enrich himself , his friends and his family . Relations between Bennett and 

Rostenkowski had become increasingly strained after Rostenkowski rejected a plea

 bargain with U.S. . Attorney Eric H . Holder Jr. that would have required him t

o go to jail . Rostenkowski has maintained that he is innocent of all charges . 

He balked at a deal in which he would have had to plead guilty to a felony count

 of concealing material facts in relation to `` ghost employees . '' The propose

d deal also would have required him to spend six months in jail and repay the go

vernment $ 150,000 . That total included the $ 82,000 that Rostenkowski had alre

ady repaid and repossession of vehicles . Some of Rostenkowski 's friends and co

lleagues privately questioned the legal wisdom of the talks , which they felt cr

eated a media frenzy and left the impression that the lawmaker was guilty of som

ething . In addition , Rostenkowski became disenchanted when Bennett agreed to r

epresent President Clinton on sexual harassment allegations , sources said . He 

was concerned that Bennett would not have time to devote sufficient attention to

 his case , they said . Bennett , meanwhile , became increasingly frustrated abo

ut his growing lack of control in the case and at the influence of Rostenkowski 

's aides and friends , sources said . Bennett 's departure , prompting Rostenkow

ski 's search for his fourth set of attorneys , should not hinder his chance of 

a successful defense , some observers said , noting that the case can be attacke

d on several fronts . `` This is a winnable case because each separate scenario 

( in the indictment ) is weak , '' said Nancy Luque , who represents Rostenkowsk

i 's campaign committee and his Chicago office manager . `` I 'm always suspicio

us of kitchen-sink indictments where the prosecutors throw everything on the wal

l and hope some of it will stick , '' said Ronald S. Liebman , a former federal 

prosecutor . `` Often it 's a hodgepodge of weak allegations. . . . ' ' Henry As

bill , a Washington defense lawyer , added that the government 's case appears a

 `` mile wide and an inch deep . '' Many of the allegations involving the ghost 

employees are `` so ancient '' that they will be open to attack by the defense ,

 and if pressed at trial , could make it appear prosecutors unfairly `` piled on

 '' charges , said lawyer Alan Strasser , a former federal prosecutor . The indi

ctment charges that the lawmaker misappropriated $ 500,000 in government funds t

o pay them . The use of old conduct makes it look `` like the government was una

ble to prove sufficiently telling charges about the immediate past , so they rel

ied on the distant past to shore up charges that otherwise would be weak , '' St

rasser said . According to the indictment , Rostenkowski , beginning in 1971 , d

irected the House Finance Office to place 14 ghost employees on the payroll . So

me mowed lawns for the congressman , picked up his laundry or took pictures at h

is daughters ' weddings , the grand jury charged . But the alleged conduct of ei

ght of the 14 ghost employees inolving the payment of nearly $ 235,000 did not o

ccur within the five-year statute of limitations on most federal crimes , lawyer

s said . Instead , it appears the prosecutors `` have lumped together unrelated 

conduct in order to allege a 23-year scheme to defraud under the mail fraud stat

ute , '' said Luque . `` It is doubtful whether it will survive . '' In addition

 , some attorneys questioned whether the case should have resulted in a federal 

indictment at all . Instead , they argued , it was , perhaps , an internal matte

r for the House to resolve . `` Prosecutors are trying to make a federal case ab

out deficiencies in House of Representatives housekeeping matters , '' Asbill sa

id . Defense attorney John Dowd agreed , noting that the Constitution provides f

or Congress `` to discipline its own members . '' `` You could have a serious se

paration of powers issue , '' he said . A critical prosecution witness , former 

House postmaster Robert V. Rota , who made contradictory statements at different

 points in the investigation and pleaded guilty to embezzlement charges , may al

so be easily attacked , several lawyers said . Rota may be seen by jurors as som