BEIJING -- Longtime Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, 93, died Wednesday of complications from Parkinson's disease. Deng, who engineered economic reforms that led China to adopt a more market-driven structure, was also responsible for the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in which student protestors were killed for demanding democratic reforms.

Deng's successor will be Jiang Zeming, who is currently the head of the Chinese Communist Party, the state president and the leader of the armed forces. Because Jiang already holds so many positions of power, a smooth transition is expected.

Deng was last seen in public at a 1994 Chinese New Year celebration, when he was observed to be weak and frail.

Court expands police powers

WASHINGTON -- In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court announced Wednesday that police may order passengers out of a car pulled over for a routine traffic stop. The state of Maryland and Attorney General Janet Reno argued in the case that police were justified in ordering Jerry Lee Wilson, a passenger, out of the car he was riding in. Wilson was arrested on drug charges when police saw some crack cocaine fall to the ground near him.

Chief Justice William Rehnquist, writing the majority opinion, said that the ruling would prevent passengers from using weapons that might be concealed inside the car. Rehnquist also said the impact of the decision on passenger liberty would be "minimal."

Justices John Paul Stevens and Anthony Kennedy dissented. "I fear ... that (the decision) may pose a more serious threat to individual liberty than the court realizes," Kennedy wrote.

Raleigh continues arena plans

RALEIGH -- Although it is no longer bidding for a National Hockey League team, Raleigh is going ahead with its plans for a 21,117-seat arena. Businessman Felix Sabates announced Monday that he was no longer seeking to land an NHL team for the arena, but a group of arena backers were quick to announce that the project would proceed as previously intended. It had originally been approved by the city council and county commission before Sabates advanced his hockey proposal.

The arena, which would cost $120 million if built, would host North Carolina State University basketball games, minor league hockey and other events. It would be paid for by a combination of state, local and private funding.