September 13, 1997

State Sec Madeleine K Albright acknowledges that she made little progress in restarting peace talks between Israel and Palestinians and says she has no intention of returning to Mideast unless leaders on both sides make 'the hard decisions' required to restore mutual confidence; is disappointed that she could only announce a new set of talks about talks; senior advisers to Prime Min Benjamin Netanyahu and to Yasir Arafat are to go to Washington week of Sept 21, and about a week later Albright is to host meeting at United Nations between Foreign Min David Levy and Arafat's No. 2, Mahmoud Abbas; photo (M)

Storm over his campaign finance practices has thrust Vice Pres Al Gore into what his advisers concede is by far most perilous moment of his political career, leaving his aides scrambling to contain damage; Atty Gen Janet Reno's inquiry into whether Gore's fund-raising activities may have been improper could lead to appointment of special prosecutor; his troubles are compounded by fresh disclosures that he may have been more immersed in fund-raising than he has acknowledged, as well as disclosure of memorandums suggesting that he could have known and should have known that some of his solicitations from White House were not permitted on Federal property; photo (L)

New York State Chief Judge Judith Kaye orders that, starting this week, most Family Court proceedings be opened to public; unlike actions in criminal and civil courts, most proceedings in state's Family Court have long been closed to public; secrecy was intended to protect privacy of people embroiled in intimate family battles, but journalists and others have pushed for access, arguing that closed doors shields judges and other public officials from scrutiny; Kaye says one reason to open Family Court proceedings is to help public better understand dire conditions in court, where caseload has grown rapidly and which has handled string of notorious cases recently; photo (L)

Adolfo Francisco Scilingo, former Argentine Navy captain who broke military code of silence two years ago when he admitted publicly to atrocities, says that four attackers slashed his face and warned him to stop speaking with journalists about crimes by repressive military Govt of 1970's; Scilingo shocks Argentina with his grisly account of pushing political prisoners to their death from planes; estimated 30,000 people were killed or disappeared without trace during military's violent crackdown on leftists; photo (L)

Mother Teresa makes her last journey through streets of Calcutta, city to which she gave her life for more than six decades; body of humble nun is borne to her funeral on Indian Army gun carriage, escortd by mounted Bengal lancers and helicopter overhead; hers is first state funeral accorded a private Indian citizen since death of Mohandas K Gandhi in 1948; crowds observing procession are thinner than expected; photos (L)