April 28, 1993

Seeking to reassure lawmakers and others who fear being drawn into a new Vietnam, Secretary of State Warren Christopher told Congress today that President Clinton will not authorize military action in Bosnia unless he is certain the United States can avoid getting more deeply involved than it wants. Mr. Christopher laid out four strict tests for the use of force: the goal must be stated clearly, there must be a strong likelihood of success, there must be "an exit strategy" and the action must win sustained public support.

Continental Airlines has long had a knack for posting noteworthy figures, from turnover in the corner office -- 10 leaders in 11 years -- to the number of airlines in its family tree (five). And today it is expected to announce a first for any major airline: its second emergence from bankruptcy. Robert R. Ferguson 3d, Continental's president and chief executive, said yesterday that he was delighted after completing the deal with Continental's investors. "Now we are able to get back to running a regular airline," he said. "There will be one less carrier for our big three brethren to complain about," he said, referring to criticism of the advantages enjoyed by carriers in bankruptcy protection.

Four European international airlines said today that they had agreed to pursue a merger that would lead to the creation of Europe's largest overseas carrier. The lines -- Swissair, Scandinavian Airlines System, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Austrian Airlines -- said they would try to establish a jointly owned company by next year, with a new name and a single balance sheet. Swissair, S.A.S. and KLM would each own 30 percent of the new carrier and Austrian Airlines, 10 percent.

Most everybody knows that SoHo, once a forlorn place of scrap metal merchants and rag sellers, is now a neighborhood of galleries and designer lofts, but few people are aware that planting trees is forbidden in most of the district. That has to do with the way history is preserved in New York. SoHo residents found that out when they tried to get some green in their parkless part of town, only to learn the Landmarks Preservation Commission does not allow tree planting in SoHo, because there were no trees there when the neighborhood was developed a century ago as an industrial district.

Defense Secretary Les Aspin will order the military this week to drop most of its restrictions on women in aerial and naval combat, senior Pentagon officials said today. Mr. Aspin is expected to issue a directive on Thursday ordering the armed services to let women fly aircraft in combat. The Administration will also ask Congress to repeal a law barring women from serving on many warships. Finally, each service will be directed to justify all remaining jobs that are off limits to women, including service in ground combat units.