September 11, 1998

Bejun Mehta, onetime boy soprano who is now 30, discusses debut as countertenor in Handel's Partenope at New York City Opera; interview; photos; Mehta, cousin of Zubin Mehta, was born in Ann Arbor to musical family, and was child prodigy; he later took up cello and studied Germanic literature at Yale; Marilyn Horne, his most influential supporter, comments on his unsuccessful efforts as baritone (M)

New York City officials say that two New York City police officers and at least two city firefighters were apparently part of group of men wearing blackface on float in Labor Day parade in Broad Channel, Queens; Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, denouncing float as disgusting display of racism, vows to take quick and punitive action against any city employee who might have been associated with float; photo (M)

Analysis of conditions and situations that could set off next wave of economic turmoil; says there is series of political vacuums at a time when complexity of world's economic and financial situation requires real leadership; holds there is no world central bank, no world equivalent of Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, at a time when main problems around the globe are financial; says US funding to International Monetary Fund is in trouble; holds with Pres Clinton viewed as crippled, at best, that leadership role falls almost entirely to Treasury Sec Robert E Rubin and to Greenspan; says if markets decide that their joint efforts to convince Congress to finance IMF are doomed to failure, they may also determine US is in no position to back up its calming words with cash; holds markets have dropped, for reasons that have little to do with Clinton's fortunes, and economic problems in Latin America, Far East and Russia will weigh heavily on today's markets (M)

Volkswagen is trying to meet higher-than-expected demand for new Beetles in yellow and silver; graph showing disparity between colors company is producing and customer demand (S)

Clyde Haberman NYC column discusses his impressions of Geraldine Ferraro, Charles E Schumer and Mark Green, Democratic candidates for US Senate, and Peter F Vallone, Charles J Hynes and James L Larocca, Democratic candidates for Governor (M)