April 4, 1992

Serial Killings in Russia A 56-year-old man faces trial in Russia for a series of murders that may qualify him as one of the worst serial killers of modern times. Page 3. Pressure for Afghan Peace As patience wears thin among Afghanistan's neighbors, a United Nations peace plan seems to have gained a sudden momentum. Page 5. Bronx Fails to Awe Russians A group of Russians went to a wholesale grocery market yesterday. Their hosts expected amazement. The visitors were polite but blase. Page 27.

Trying to throw his opponent on the defensive heading into the final, frantic weekend of the New York primary race, Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas spent yesterday issuing a series of increasingly strident attacks against Edmund G. Brown Jr. In new television and radio advertisements and in campaign stops in New York and Wisconsin, Mr. Clinton questioned Mr. Brown's support for abortion, accused him of pandering to black voters and charged him with trying to undermine the Social Security system.

Showing some irritation toward Washington, Japanese officials said today that it was "inappropriate" and "premature" for President Bush to announce a $24 billion aid package for Russia without having worked out details with Japan. Several officials who insisted on anonymity said they assumed that Mr. Bush had rushed into the announcement this week because of pressure from critics, including former President Richard M. Nixon and Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Just as the summer season for trans-Atlantic travel begins, a dispute between the United States and France over how many passengers United States airlines may carry between the two countries is threatening to disrupt flights and increase ticket prices. After the latest round of negotiations in Washington ended fruitlessly on Tuesday, France warned that it intended to act unilaterally to restrict the capacity of the American carriers, which have made strong gains recently, perhaps as early as this weekend.

The job market showed only slight improvement in March, with the nation's unemployment rate remaining at a seven-year high of 7.3 percent, according to Labor Department figures. Payrolls grew by 19,000, a meager gain that owed much to the fact that many poll watchers and other election workers briefly held jobs related to the Super Tuesday primaries, which came during the survey week.