January 22, 2000

Auto theft has fallen sharply in New York City, dropping from 1990, when nearly 147,000 cars were reported stolen, to 1999, when 39,000 auto thefts were reported; New Yorkers are still more likely to have cars stolen than residents of most other cities, but better anti-theft devices, police crackdown on chop-shops and more aggressive prosecutions have cut rate by almost 74 percent; Inspector James C Dean and Police Comr Howard Safir explain strategy; highest car theft rates are in Miami, Jersey City, Fresno, Memphis and New York City; top five models stolen in New York in 1998 were Honda Accord, Nissan Maxima, Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic; photos; map showing theft rates; graph (M)

Huge smuggling scandal under investigation in China involves dozens of Communist party, police and banking officials, wife of Beijing's powerful party chief, virtually entire customs department of major seaport of Xiamen and flamboyant corporate figure, Lai Changxing, who has vanished; sprawling syndicate smuggled billions of dollars worth of cars, oil and industrial materials through Xiamen in 1990's; case embarrasses Jiang Zemin's government and suggests critical weaknesses in Communist party and its ability to rule vast country; only hints have been published in official press, but Beijing party officials confirm that Xiamen deputy mayor Lan Fu and wife have fled country; Lin Youfang, wife of Beijing official Jia Qinglin, is detained (M)

As more American companies report surge in earnings, overall earnings growth for Standard & Poor's 500 is on track to exceed 17 percent in 1999; earnings rose more than 22 percent in third quarter and are now estimated to be about 21 percent for the fourth; First Call/Thomson Financial says industry analysts are projecting 17 percent growth in earnings in 2000; even though bullish stock market experts say rising interest rates may well crimp stocks for next couple of months, stocks track corporate earnings over the long run; graph on corporate earnings, 1997-1999 (M)

Michael C Skakel, who is accused of killing Martha Moxley in 1975, when they were teenagers in Greenwich, Conn, is depicted by friends and family as a flawed but amiable figure out of F Scott Fitzgerald, while prosecutors call him an unrepentant killer and wealthy layabout; those who know him describe him either as affable, guileless and charming or as pampered, arrogant and irresponsible; photos (M)

Sunday Magazine article on Al Gore's crash course in politics noted