February 8, 1997

Jury Urged to Use Its Power Before jurors began considering punitive damages against O. J. Simpson in the killing of his former wife and her friend, lawyers for their families recommended that the jurors ''speak for the victims.'' Page 9. To the Head of the Class President Clinton's emphasis on education has moved the issue to the front rank. But whether it can overcome the tradition of schools being a local issue and the nation's anti-tax fervor is uncertain. Page 10.

Zairian rebels in recent weeks have enjoyed stunning string of successes that have turned tables on Govt and drastically changed nature of the war; rebels, operating with what Western diplomats describe as strong support from Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi, have advanced on widely separated fronts, stretching Govt's fragile defenses to breaking point just as counteroffensive led by foreign mercenaries struggles to get under way; diplomats, relief workers and Zairian officials say rebels have strong foothold in four of country's 11 provinces; they now apear poised to threaten country's second- and third-largest cities in what could mark outright bid to topple longtime dictator, Pres Mobutu Sese Seko, and seize power; map; photo (M)

US Air Force, after another encounter between military jets and passenger planes, suspends all its flights, including Air National Guard's, in areas off East Coast reserved for military use until its pilots can review rules on how close military planes may approach civilian airliners; FAA orders its controllers in New York, Washington and Jacksonville, Fla, to restudy those same rules; military investigators, FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are also reviewing rules and procedures to see whether any changes are warranted; in most recent incident, pilot of American Eagle commuter plane bound for Kennedy International Airport from Raleigh, NC, reported that four Air National Guard F-16's based at Andrews Air Force Base, near Washington, passed above and below his plane as it was heading north just off Maryland coast; photos (M)

A buoyant economy led to a strong rise in new jobs last month, but with few signs of accelerating inflation, Government figures showed. Stock and bond prices surged on the employment report. The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 82.74 points, or 1.22 percent.

Article on Switzerland's painful re-examination of history during Nazi era noted