March 25, 1997

Shakeout of World Wide Web publishers has been gathering momentum for at least year as Internet advertising has failed to grow quickly enough and users continue to balk at paying for much on-line material; battle seems to be evolving into war of attrition, with those with least resolve or resources dropping out first; some media giants, including Time Warner Inc, continue to lose heavily on Web ventures while awaiting medium's success (M)

Legislation barring welfare recipients from collecting benefits for more than five years and requiring them to find job within two years of receiving welfare is signed by New Jersey Gov Christine Todd Whitman (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

Gore to Endorse Deals To Expand China Trade In a move to underscore Washington's enthusiasm for expanding trade with China, Vice President Al Gore agreed to appear at the signing of two business deals there, including a purchase by the Chinese of five Boeing 777 jetliners for $685 million. In the other agreement, General Motors and a state-owned Chinese enterprise will split the investment in a $1.3 billion joint venture to make 100,000 Buick Century and Regal sedans a year in Shanghai. $(Page A1.$) Lehman Profit Rises Sharply Lehman Brothers reported a big increase in quarterly net income, surpassing analysts' forecasts. Lehman's results, the first of several quarterly reports from the larger publicly traded Wall Street firms, indicate that securities companies continue to reap big profits from busy financial markets. $(D2.$)

Dr JoAnn M Burkholder of North Carolina State University is leading research on Pfiesteria piscida, a microbe that causes fish kills; her microscopic subject is one of most deadly representatives of diverse class of aquatic organisms that cause red and brown tides, watery scourges apparently on rise globally; map; photos (L)

Growing number of corporations are turning to high-profile lawyers or former government aides to run what they call independent probes of corporate problems, moves they hold signal their commitment to improving operations or resolving claims of wrongdoing; critics see moves as public relations gestures; Nike Inc's hiring of Andrew Young and his Goodworks International to review its international labor practices cited; photos (L)