1.   Plans for a concerted military action came as American forces also appeared to be intensifying their search for Omar.

2.   The action came as the alliance pressed its air war with a withering new wave of strikes.

3.   The action came as the conflict in Macedonia threatened to escalate out of control.

4.   The action came as thousands of demonstrators marched through slushy streets in the capital.

5.   The action came just a few weeks before Defense Secretary William Perry is to give Congress the latest information on Americans missing in Indochina.

6.   The court action came as Bush continued to enlarge is lead over Gore as absentee ballots were counted.

7.   The legal action came as a price war over best sellers on The New York Times lists has engulfed the top online bookstores, including Borders.com and Barnesandnoble.com.

8.   The swiftness of the action came as Gov. George W. Bush issued a proclamation declaring the issue an emergency.

9.   The action came as President Clinton was flying back from a trip to Russia and Ukraine that included a Moscow summit criticized by some Republican as a failure.

10.   The action came just as the government was about to try to settle scores with the former top two officers who led the mutiny against the hiring of mercenaries.