May 7, 1997

Nationsbank in Winning Bid For Brazilian Privatization The on-again, off-again privatization of Vale do Rio Doce, the Brazilian state-owned mining giant, proceeded, with a group financed by Nationsbank emerging as the winner with a $3.13 billion bid.

North Carolina jury spares Thomas R Jones from death penalty and sentences him instead to life in prison without parole in first case to produced first-degree murder convictions for homicides caused by impaired driving; Jones took painkillers and drank beer before 1996 accident that killed Maia Witzl and Julie M Hansen and injured four other women; defense to appeal murder conviction (M)

Article in series Waiting for China focuses on outlook for rule of law in Hong Kong after Chinese takeover; many fear China's notion of law, based on personal whim and political need, will overwhelm Hong Kong's tradition of written law and impartial justice; foreign investors are concerned about China's cavalier breaching of contracts; optimists hope sanctity of contracts and predictability of conducting business under rule of law that have spurred colony's economic growth will serve as model for China; majority of Hong Kong residents believe corruption they associate with China will become more common under Chinese rule; photos (L)

Anne Marie Martinez, 18, and Christopher Peterson, 24, of Saddle Brook, NJ, are found dead inside car in Martinez's fume-filled garage; police say they died in double suicide (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

General Motors Corp, which introduced country's first mass-produced electric vehicle in Southern California and Arizona five months ago, says demand is lackluster at best; GM has found just 176 takers for its New Age $34,000 two-seater, known as the EV1; GM is carefully managing initial leasing of EV1's--the cars are not available for purchase--to make sure the first batch of customers like what they get; result has been that many EV1 drivers tend to be electric car enthusiasts who have been wanting for such a vehicle for years; GM's screening process for potential customers discussed; graph; photos (L)