October 19, 1991

Less than eight months after most of its oil wells were set ablaze by withdrawing Iraqi troops, causing one of the world's great environmental and economic catastrophes, Kuwait has put out most of the fires. Oil-industry officials in the region said this week that all the blazes would be extinguished sometime in November. More than 700 wells were sabotaged. Yet the speed with which they have been brought under control, and the $1 billion cost so far, have surprised many industry experts. Back in February, most of these experts had predicted that it would take two years and several billion dollars to restore the country's once-thriving oil industry.

Split Verdict in Mob Trial A jury acquitted five men and convicted three of taking part in a scheme to control window-installation work in New York City. Page 25. A No to Nintendo Lottery Under fire from its lawmakers, Minnesota has dropped its plan to let Nintendo video games be used to play the state lottery from home. Page 35. Sentence in Pentagon Fraud Melvyn R. Paisley, a former Assistant Navy Secretary, was sentenced to four years in prison for taking bribes from military contractors. Page 35.

Robert M. Gates won easy approval of the Senate Intelligence Committee as the country's next intelligence chief today, after exhaustive hearings that questioned his candor with Congress, his pessimistic view of Moscow, his stern management style and his intellectual integrity. After statements that either praised the 48-year-old nominee as the best-qualified person or criticized him as the wrong candidate for the era after the cold war, the committee of eight Democrats and seven Republicans voted, 11 to 4, to approve him as Director of Central Intelligence, a job he was denied once before.

The United States and the Soviet Union issued invitations today to Israel, its Arab neighbors and the Palestinians for a Middle East peace conference to convene on Oct. 30 in Madrid. Although the parties to the negotiations have yet to formally accept, Washington and Moscow were so confident that the conference would take place that they announced that President Bush and President Mikhail S. Gorbachev would be present to begin the first phase of the peace effort, in which the sponsors and the principal parties will sit down together.

When the Minnesota Twins and the Atlanta Braves take the field in Minneapolis Saturday night for the first game of the World Series, the pressure will reach fever pitch. Before 55,000 fans and millions more watching on television, the players will just play ball. But the soul singer Gladys Knight will have to belt out the national anthem. Performing "The Star-Spangled Banner," a baseball tradition going back to World War I, carries some risk. Just ask Roseanne Barr Arnold. Her parody version at a San Diego Padres game last year alienated fans and even raised the ire of President Bush, who called her rendering "disgraceful." A Memorable Performance But for every time a Robert Goulet forgets the lyrics and has to hum (as he did in 1965 before a Muhammad Ali-Sonny Liston boxing match), there is a Whitney Houston whose rendition stirs the soul. Music industry executives know that kind of performance not only pleases crowds, but also can help a singer's career.