July 20, 1992

A European-brokered cease-fire failed to take hold in Bosnia. Instead, artillery, mortar and machine-gun fire thundered in Sarajevo several hours after the deadline. Page A6.

After a monthlong recovery, Japanese stock prices dropped sharply today, with the Nikkei index slipping below the 16,000-point level. Analysts said they expected further selling. Declining expectations of lower interest rates, signs of a continuing weak economy and reports of serious loan-loss problems at banks contributed to today's selloff, analysts said.

Affidavit No. C92-658 C, filed on May 19 in United States District Court in Seattle, begins: "I am the plaintiff in this action entitled Victoria C. v. Cincinnati Bengals, et. al. 'C' is the initial for my maiden name. I reside in Spokane County, Washington, and am a U.S. citizen. I am 35 years of age. "Although I have had and continue to have substantial difficulty physically and psychologically dealing with the rape itself and its aftermath, as well as some of the things appearing in the newspaper about the suit, I am competent to truthfully testify. I was gang raped by approximately 15 football players who are or were members of the Cincinnati Bengals football team on or about October 4, 1990, at the Doubletree Suites in Tukwila, Washington."

Street conditions throughout New York City have grown considerably worse in the last year, in some cases becoming dangerous to motorists, because of drastic cuts by the Dinkins administration in the budget for street repair and maintenance, and some community leaders charge that the remaining money is unfairly allocated. The city's Transportation Commissioner, Lucius J. Riccio, acknowledged that the streets were reaching a state of crisis because of deep budget cutbacks by City Hall and that some roads were in such bad shape that they posed safety hazards for pedestrians and motorists.

The Zverev family is getting by in the new Russia, thank you very much. It's not easy, and the Zverevs get grumpy about the contradictions of the present, which is full of confusion, and nervous about the future -- about whether Russia's bet on the West, on democracy and a market economy is going to pay off. But they are managing, finding ways not just to make more money, but to make their lives more rewarding. And the manner in which they have coped with the radical changes in Russian economic life -- far higher prices, but also more possibilities for the even modestly clever -- is a testament to the survival of initiative and entrepreneurship under Soviet Communism.