October 5, 1996

Tradition of female genital cutting remains strong in much of Africa despite rising chorus of international condemnation, but some seeds of change are noted as the debate over the practice slowly moves into public arena; organizations have sprung up to combat the practice, but they are small, ill financed and must struggle within societies where men rule women's lives, and old people, including old women, rule the young; purpose of the cutting, which diminishes a woman's ability to experience sex ual pleasure, is to help insure a woman's fidelity to her husband and her family, and the practice knows no class or religious boundaries; photos; map (M)

Concern Over Pope's Health Pope John Paul II's health now overshadows much of what he does and is prompting talk about the ''autumn'' of his pontificate. Page 3. Judge Suggests Police Lied A judge suggested that police officers had lied on the witness stand to protect a fellow officer accused of strangling a Bronx man. Page 27. School Innovator Leaving Deborah Meier, an educator who helped create dozens of experimental public academies in New York City, is leaving for Boston. Page 27. A Judge Says, Play Ball After a Federal judge ordered major league umpires not to strike, Cleveland scored its first victory over the Orioles. SportsSaturday, page B31.

Debate between Pres Clinton and Bob Dole in Hartford, Conn, is seen by many residents as a pivotal moment in the sun for a city whose economy has suffered from decline of insurance industry and the loss of major banks; city and the surrounding region are enthusiastic about the event; urban experts say negligible discussion of cities during the campaign stems from the declining role of the Federal Government in urban affairs and from the candidates' electoral strategies, which emphasize the suburban vote and make urban policy a risky topic (M)

State troopers have joined city police officers in manning roadblocks in Bridgeport, Conn., hoping to stem the drug trade believed to be behind several murders that have stunned the faded industrial city. And everyone from the Governor down insists that Bridgeport is not about to return to its bad old ways. Article, page 25.

Rate of births among unmarried women declines in 1995 for the first time in nearly two decades, and the birth rate for teen-agers also falls--both shifts being part of general decline in nation's birth rate; figures; graph; analysts say drop in out-of-wedlock births is significant even though half the decline stems from changes in reporting births in California; Pres Clinton seizes figures as evidence that his policies are beginning to bear fruit, while Bob Dole says that if Clinton wants credit for this decline, he must also take the blame for rise in teen-age drug use (M)