1.   Tension between the republican leaderships and the military had risen in recent weeks over conscription and the stationing of Soviet troops in the republics.

2.   The improvements have come not in a dramatic way but week by week over a number of months.

3.   Alli and other union local officials had been negotiating with the company in recent weeks over union complaints about outsourcing and other issues.

4.   As Clinton and Congress begin debate this week over how to save Medicare from bankruptcy, these developments have drained much of the tension from the discussion.

5.   Bjornson estimates that he did not get more than a day or two of practice during the week over the last quarter of the season.

6.   A child who explodes over a minor transgression may have been nursing an anger for weeks over a slight at school.

7.   A marathon ideological battle gets under way in Congress this week over how best to improve public schools.

8.   Albright also had harsh words for the military government in Burma, which became a member of ASEAN this week over U.S. protests.

9.   But confusion emerged this week over how much land the Palestinians will receive.