On this day
Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.
In 1996, the world population was approximately 5,842,055,734 people[†]
Union officials, noting that their workers have been working without contract since last Dec 31, say that if Bergen County (NJ) Executive William P Shuber, board member of United Way, does not want to give county employees a raise thisyear, they will not donate money to United Way (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)
Peter Passell Economic Scene column on conclusion reached by special Congressional commission that tax bracket of every middle- and upper-income taxpayer has been overadjusted for inflation, and that tens of millions of Government beneficiaries have gotten larger monthly checks because Consumer Price Index has overstated changes in cost of living; flaws of Consumer Price Index as measure of cost of living are well understood, but no member of Congress is willing to support change in widespread practice of inflation indexing, fearing political outcry from constituents (M)
Internet technology is having effects, good and bad, on investors and investing; reams of information are available, but truthfulness and accuracy can be almost impossible to judge; amateur investors find their way to obscure securities and mingle on line with both stock promoters trying to drive prices up and short-sellers trying to drive prices down; securities regulators are becoming more aggressive about on-line stock fraud as on-line investing grows by leaps and bounds; in one high-technology hype, an investor in Omnigene Diagnostics sensed something amiss when he read information on its Web site; he then used Internet to notify SEC and warn other investors; photos; charts (L)
US Public Interest Research Group praises New Jersey for doing better job than most in keeping track of toxic chemicals and reducing likelihood of accidents (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)
Article discusses continued popularity and fascination with movie It's A Wonderful Life fifty years after its release; festivals and special screenings are cropping up around country and many high schools are staging plays based on film; photo (M)
French Government temporarily suspends plan to sell Thomson SA, heavily indebted, state-owned electronics company; plan to sell company to French and South Korean investors had stirred nationalist resentment; sales had been arranged for symbolic price of one franc each, with Government injecting more than $2 billion, in effect swallowing most of company's debt; privatization was part of Pres Jacques Chirac's ambitious plan to reorganize and reduce French military-industrial complex; French Government promises that despite setback, Thomson would eventually be privatized; opposition leaders are hoping that delay would lead to scrapping of plan (M)
Article on extensive of collection of Jewish postcards owned by Willy Lindwer of Amsterdam, Holland, which covers period between late 19th century and approximately 1940, and provides visual record of lost Jewish societies in Europe and elsewhere; photos (M)
Negotiations between New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's administration and City Council on plan to allow warehouse-style stores to open in manufacturing areas break down amid bitter recriminations, raising possibility that plan might be delayed for months (M)
Analysis of reasons why Delta Air Lines and Continental Airlines are discussing possible merger; Delta may see deal as way to expand its international route network, using Continental's Newark hub to get more passengers for its international business; there is widely held belief in industry that another round of consolidation is inevitable in such a capital-intensive business; Continental, and Delta, may be seeking a partner early to get the best deal from merger (M)
UN Sec Gen Boutros Boutros-Ghali temporarily suspends candidacy for re-election to second term; move is interpreted by diplomats and some advisers as holding position that could be first step toward dignified withdrawal, and could also make him available should African delegates fail to agree on alternative candidate; suspension will prevent name from being put to another vote while he makes final decision on whether to withdraw; he reportedly rebuffed American offer to make him head of foundation if he withdrew name from consideration (M)
New York State Transportation Department announces beginning of 13-month project to repair ramp on Gowanus Expressway that connects it with Prospect Expressway; project is forerunner of 5-year project to completely reconstruct roadway that will begin in 2 years; photo; map (M)
US Defense Department says military logs for eight-day period in which thousands of American troops may have been exposed to nerve gas and other Iraqi chemical weapons during 1991 Persian Gulf war appear to have been removed or lost and cannot be located despite exhaustive search; logs were maintained for Gen Norman Schwarzkopf and senior staff at wartime headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and recorded all incidents in which chemical or biological agents were detected; included period in which American combat engineers blew up ammunition depot in southern Iraq--event that may have exposed thousands of American troops to nerve gas; disclosure adds to suspicion among veterans that Pentagon is hiding information that would explain their health problems (M)