New York City

YWCA chapters seek to bring men into leadership

Convinced that the mandatory policy of women-only leadership is no longer sound, some of the YWCA’s most vibrant affiliates are taking steps to admit men as members and directors — a challenge that could either transform or fracture the 145-year-old organization.

YWCAs in Tucson, Ariz., and Olympia, Wash., already have changed their bylaws in defiance of national rules; Tucson expects to have a man on its board of directors within a few months, even if the consequence is expulsion.

Some of the pro-change leaders believe that men who support the YWCA’s core missions — empowerment of women and elimination of racism — would be valuable allies. Others want to comply with nondiscrimination policies of local United Ways or other charitable funds.

Washington, D.C.

Iraqis will need more security than thought, Rumsfeld says

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he wanted senior commanders in Iraq to consider whether the Pentagon underestimated how many U.S.-trained Iraqi security forces would be needed before a sovereign Iraqi government can take over next summer.

Rumsfeld, who spent Saturday in Iraq, said he alone has raised doubts about whether the current goal of about 220,000 Iraqi security forces would be adequate, but he asked commanders to review their estimates. He was interviewed on the flight to Washington, arriving early Sunday after a weeklong trip that also included a stop in Afghanistan.

Miami

Single attacker linked to sexual assaults of children

A serial rapist, suspected of sneaking into homes and assaulting at least eight victims, the youngest just 7 years old, has been stalking neighborhoods close to where another serial rapist preyed on women and girls for more than a year, authorities said.

Miami-Dade County police officials said Sunday they had made no arrests in the latest attacks.

DNA testing has connected a single attacker to the Nov. 28 rapes of two girls, ages 7 and 8, as well as three other rapes, police said.

Most of the attacks took place in the Liberty City neighborhood northwest of downtown Miami.