December 3, 1996

Physicists from Siberia to US, Japan, Europe and South Pole are casting out nets in hopes of catching neutrinos from Sun and stars; international neutrino hunt enters crucial phase, aiming to resolve fundamental questions about roots of matter and past and future history of universe; neutrinos, which bombard Earth in astronomical numbers, can pass through matter with only minuscule chance of hitting any atom and thereby betraying their presence; they have no electric charge and little or no mass and cannot be detected directly; several ambitious experiments have come to grief, including Dumand underwater project led by University of Hawaii scientists; photo; diagram; other projects worldwide described (M)

Secret Service agents say Columbia University's printing office for last six months has been used by several former students to counterfeit over $80,000 in $20 bills, hundreds of which have been passed in bars, restaurants and other places of business; disclose arrest of Edward Olulenu, Derick Warren, Clifford Evans and suspect identified only as Blackwell, and recovery of $75,000 in bogus bills (M)

Teamsters pres Ron Carey is seeking re-election in bitter battle with James P Hoffa, son of legendary teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa; New York region, with one of nation's largest concentrations of teamsters, is major battleground in campaign; region is home base of Cary, former United Parcel Service driver from Queens; some teamsters members in area are unhappy with Carey's hands-on efforts to clean up corrupt locals; photos (M)

African states are released from pledge to support UN Sec Gen Boutros Boutros-Ghali for appointment to second term, development that could doom Boutros-Ghali's campaign to win re-election in face of American opposition; half dozen or more Africans are considered potential candidates, with countries, including US, prepared to back them; US says it will give priority to Africans, who say it is their region's turn, but warns it will not wait forever before turning to other areas (M)

Interview with former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen Colin Powell, who insists he knew of no evidence showing American troops were exposed to chemical or biological weapons during Persian Gulf War; says he supports wide-ranging Government investigation into mysterious illnesses reported by thousands of gulf war veterans (M)