October 1, 1999

Article on how Scandinavia Co's market value has risen from $17 million to $550 million in nine months; says in third quarter, its share price went up more than 400 percent, making it best performing stock in US; history of company, including its acquisition on April 1 of majority stake in Mirror Image, company that is developing network it says will help move Internet data much faster, discussed; graph (M)

Ground troops entered the breakaway republic and took positions a few miles inside the border, after air strikes on the capital. Page A5.

Scientists say that accident at nuclear fuel plant in Tokaimura, though serious, was not catastrophe on scale of partial nuclear meltdown at Three Mile Island, near Harrisburg, Pa, in 1979, or explosion at Chernobyl nuclear reactor in Ukraine in 1986; say Japanese accident involves only few pounds of uranium, which should not be enough fuel to sustain prolonged chain reaction or cause widespread destruction; Dr Arjun Makhijani, president of Institute for Energy and Environmental Research in Washington, DC, says Tokaimura plant had other accidents in recent years and should be shut down for independent investigation; map; photo (M)

Yankees Clinch Division; The Mets? Don't Ask The Yankees beat Baltimore, 12-5, and won the A.L. East for the third time in four years. The Mets resumed their free fall with a 4-3 loss to Atlanta in 11 innings. PAGE D1 Senate Test Ban Vote Seen Confident Republicans can defeat a treaty banning nuclear tests, the majority leader, Trent Lott, offered to schedule an early vote. PAGE A8

New York Yankees win American League East Division championship; defeat Baltimore Orioles, 12-5, in second game of doubleheader after losing first game, 5-0; photo (M)