What was going on when I was born?

Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-hwa bows to public pressure and withdraws proposed internal-security laws that spurred huge protests in July; retreat is startling setback for China, which rarely yields to popular demand (M)

Article in series Re-Examing Medicare focuses on efforts by National Association of Chain Drug Stores to pass legislation on Medicare drug benefit, something association has opposed in past; key rivals to drug store chains are benefit managers such as Medco and AdvancePCS, whose plans cover most workers and can bypass retail chains via mail-order; association's president Craig L Fuller says his group's crucial objective is ensuring that patients can continue to buy drugs at their local pharmacies; photo (M)

Unexpectedly bad employment report for August puts Bush administration on defensive in arguing that tax cuts are best prescription for ailing economy; nearly 2.7 million nonfarm jobs have been lost during Bush's tenure, with August numbers highest since March; many economists believe that economy, while improving, is unlikely to generate significant employment growth in near future; Bush says Congress should make recent tax cuts permanent, speech, Indianapolis; photo (M)

Growing number of health-related lawsuits over industrial use of silica has provoked concern among insurance companies seeking to head off problem before it becomes 'next asbestos' for trial lawyers; insurers charge that lawyers are claiming silicosis on behalf of clients who have already filed asbestosis claims; lawyers counter that trend is result of more widespread screening for silicosis and greater awareness of legal rights; US Silica Co had nearly 15,300 new claims filed against it through June, up from 5,200 for all of 2002 and about 1,400 in 2001; other companies involved in suits include Bechtel, Ingersoll Rand and Lockheed Martin (M)

Boston Red Sox defeat New York Yankees, 9-3; photos (M)

President Bush will address the nation tomorrow night about Iraq and the campaign against terrorism. Mr Bush will speak for about 15 minutes against a backdrop of persistent violence and growing disaffection in Iraq, along with mounting criticism at home.

Industry analysts contend that Verizon's recently signed labor agreement could hamper ability of company and industry to compete with cable firms and other providers of wired voice and data services; company largely abandoned efforts to win greater flexibility from unions on layoffs and employee relocation following an unfavorable arbitration decision; unions have made little inroads in wireless division, however, where Verizon is experiencing fastest growth rates (M)

Tension is growing in East Harlem between Mexican immigrants and Puerto Ricans; both groups call East Harlem home but there is very little feeling of shared experience; Mexicans are latecomers to crowded streets of what has been Puerto Rican enclave for many years; while there is hardly open war, muttered ethnic slurs abound as groups are locked in classic immigrant struggle over bragging rights, real estate and money; since Mexicans are newest to area, they have little clout; photos (M)

Andre Agassi prepares to face Juan Carlos Ferrero in semifinals of US Open; Andy Roddick prepares to face David Nalbandian; photo (M)

New York Jets loss to Washington Redskins in season opener magnifies need for quarterback Vinny Testaverde to reconnect with offense that worked better with Chad Pennington last season (M)

Boston Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez catches ball near warning track and tosses it into stands, forgetting there were only two outs in fourth inning of game against New York Yankees; Red Sox players are amused by incident; photo (M)

Palestian officials say Mahmoud Abbas plans to resign as Palestinian prime minister to break crippling cycle of confrontation and compromise over extent of his powers with Yasir Arafat and other Fatah movement leaders; say he hopes move will force Arafat to bring him, or another prime minister, back with guaranteed authority; Arafat has balked at his demand for full control of all Palestinian security services; photo (M)r