1.   Dictatorships still controlled some countries then, and many nations still owed billions of dollars to American taxpayers and U.S. banks.

2.   How will Bush persuade the Germans, who are owed billions by Iran, to take a hard line with Tehran for the cause of international security?

3.   Iran says that Iraq owes it billions of dollars in war reparations.

4.   Millions of Americans owe billions of dollars to credit cards and home equity lines.

5.   The decision raised concern about possible failures at Japanese finance companies, some of which owe billions of yen to banks.

6.   The payment record is unusual for Cuba, which owes billions of dollars to countries that have been selling it food during the embargo.

7.   The power companies are owed billions, but the state has accused them of price-gouging.

8.   The Russians, who are owed billions of dollars by the Iraqis and foresee future lucrative contracts, would also lift sanctions before introducing arms inspections.

9.   These and other cash-strapped Korean companies owe billions of dollars to Korean banks that they may never repay.

10.   They owe us billions in overdue aid bills for the wars we won and the regimes we bailed out.