September 12, 1998

US says it will ban import of all Chinese goods shipped in raw wood packing material in effort to halt invasion of voracious Asian long-borned beetle; officials say wooden crates and pallets used to ship goods to North America sometimes harbor beetle, which has emerged from packing material after it arrives in warehouses to kill trees in five locations in New York and Chicago in last two years; ban is likely to result in delays or higher costs for a third to half of China's $62 billion in exports to US--at a time when China has already seen its export growth slowed by weak economies in other Asian countries; US Agriculture Sec Dan Glickman and Dr Isi A Siddiqui, Deputy Assistant Agriculture Sec, comment (M)

Independent prosecutor Kenneth W Starr sends scathing, 445-page report to Congress outlining sexual affair between Pres Clinton and former intern, Monica S Lewinsky, that contains avalanche of salacious details and lists 11 possible impeachable offenses by Clinton; report accuses Clinton of violating oath of office with repeated acts of perjury and obstruction of justice, and charges him with abuse of Presidential power for using aides to cover up affair; contains accusations of crimes for which he could face criminal prosecution if he leaves office through resignation or impeachment; prosecutors want to keep Federal grand jury in operation for another year to indict him; report describes in graphic detail Lewinsky's account of many meetings with President, including 10 sexual encounters in and around Oval Office, and provides narrative of Clinton's prolonged efforts to impede independent counsel's inquiry and to persuade others to assist in conspiracy to hinder investigations by Federal grand jury and Congress; wealth of new details cover period from Clinton's original decision to thwart Starr's inquiry in discussion with former political adviser Dick Morris, to Federal Bureau of Investigation's determination that semen stains on blue dress belonging to Lewinsky were President's; White House issues angry rebuttal; calls report lurid and politically motivated attempt to humiliate President and force him from office; Clinton lawyers say Starr and team of prosecutors, after four years of intense investigative labor, found only personal but not impeachable misconduct; some members of Congress react with outrage, others with revulsion; House will soon begin debate that could lead to second Presidential impeachment hearings of century; findings of Starr's report detailed; photos (L)

Russian Parliament confirms Yevgeny M Primakov as Prime Minister and approves Viktor A Gerashchenko, Soviet-era banker and nemesis of Yeltsin's team of Western-style reformers in early 1990's, as chairman of Russian central bank; endorsement of two of Communist party's hand-picked candidates for top posts signals sharp shift toward more socialist economic model; Primakov says he will put together Government of unity, whose first task is to pull country out of deepening social and economic crisis and restore Moscow's dwindling authority over rest of country; photo (M)

Toronto Blue Jays defeat New York Yankees, 5-4; photo (S)

Sports of The Times column on Lindsay Davenport's quick dispatch of Venus Williams in semifinal match at US Open; photo; notes there is no love lost between rivals who clash in style and personality, Williams being flashier, but Davenport the better player (S)