December 24, 1996

New Jersey Supreme Court rules that State Superior Court judges have international jurisdiction in child custody cases, when parent has transported a child to a foreign country; decision comes in case of 3-year-old girl whose mother took her to Morocco despite joint-custody agreement with child's father that was made in New Jersey (S) (New Jersey Daily Briefing)

Research on American pronghorn by Dr John A Byers of University of Idaho supports controversial theory of evolutionary biology holding that behaviors of contemporary species may reflect earlier, but no longer useful, adaptations; Byers argues that 60 mph racing speed of the pronghorn, a Western plains antelope that is prey to no fast moving predator, evolved more than 10,000 years ago when North America was rife with fast-cruising killers like cheetahs and hyenas; drawings; photos (M)

Further Earnings Strength Seen in Some Forecasts After two exceptional years for stocks, investors are looking closely to see whether the strength in corporate earnings, which drove much of the gains, can continue. Some forecasters believe that the outlook is strong enough to support another good -- though less ebullient -- year for stocks. But several factors, including economic growth overseas and the value of the dollar, could be pivotal. $(Page D3.$) Income and Spending Both Up 0.5% Americans' incomes and spending both posted healthy increases in November, providing a strong start to the holiday shopping season. The Commerce Department reported that personal income and consumer spending both rose by half a percent. In October, income was flat and spending rose by seven-tenths of 1 percent. $(D2.$) American General to Buy Insurer Continuing the consolidation in the life insurance industry, American General said that it would buy Home Beneficial, a life insurer based in Richmond, for $665 million. It is the third acquisition in two years for American General. $(D6.$) Archer to Buy Grace's Cocoa Unit Archer Daniels Midland said that it would buy the cocoa business of W. R. Grace for about $430 million in cash and debt. The unit is the world's largest processor of cocoa beans, expanding the reach of Archer Daniels beyond grains and soybeans. $(D6.$) Two Biotechnology Drugs Advance Two biotechnology drugs moved closer to market. Teva Pharmaceutical of Israel received marketing clearance from the F.D.A. for Copaxone to treat multiple sclerosis. And Agouron Pharmaceuticals of California filed a request with the agency for permission to market Viracept to treat H.I.V. infection. $(D2.$) Dow Average Up 4.62; Others Fall The Dow Jones industrial average staged a late rebound to gain 4.62 points, closing at 6,489.02. But most stocks pulled back modestly, and technology-related shares were especially weak, as money managers sought to guard the robust gains made this year. The Nasdaq index fell 9.04 points, to 1,279.52. $(D7.$) Bond Prices Rise Slightly The prices of Treasury securities gained after the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for December fell to 96.9 from 99.2 in November, suggesting that the Fed will not need to push up interest rates to fight inflation. The yield on the 30-year bond slipped to 6.58 percent from 6.60 on Friday. $(D13.$) The Treasury postponed its first auction of inflation-indexed 10-year notes, which have been promoted as a way to save for college or retirement. The auction had been tentatively planned for early January. $(D7.$) Dean Witter to Buy On-Line Broker Dean Witter, Discover said that it had agreed to buy Lombard Brokerage, a securities firm that offers trading via the Internet and a toll-free telephone number. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. $(D3.$) Tiffany Advertising on TV Tiffany & Company is advertising on television for the first time, in a tricky attempt to expand its consumer appeal without compromising its prestigious image. The idea is to bring in customers who might not be able to afford a $1.8 million strand of pearls but who could spring for a $40 key chain. Advertising. $(D4.$) The National Advertising Review Board, part of the advertising industry's self-regulatory mechanism, has referred Winn-Dixie Stores' comparative pricing advertisements to the Federal Trade Commission for review after deciding that they could be misleading. Such referrals are rare. $(D4.$) DNA as an Heirloom? A new company, Genelink, promises to protect and preserve DNA, the material that contains people's genetic codes, in case it might be useful for future generations. Medical experts are divided on the idea. Some see it as an innovative move, but others say it is simply an attempt to cash in on the public's fascination with DNA, saying that there is no obvious medical benefit. $(C1.$)

Suit seeking to stop Atlantic City from giving 150-acre abandoned landfill to casino developer Stephen A Wynn is dismissed by Superior Court judge (S) (New Jersey Daily Briefing)

Hassan al-Turabi, leader of Sudan, assails the United States for providing military aid to his hostile neighbors--Uganda, Ethiopia and Eritrea--and warns that he may strike back at US, indirectly; US, which believes that Sudan serves as a safe house for stateless revolutionaries and may provide training centers for international terrorists, is searching for right combination of political, economic, diplomatic and indirect military pressure to compel Turabi to change his behavior without touching off new fighting in Sudan's long civil war or adding to misery of Sudanese people; photo; map (M)