August 12, 2000

Canadian officials, acting to protect their country's emerging diamond industry, are taking steps to ensure that their stones are never confused with 'blood diamonds' that help to finance guerrilla armies in Sierra Leone and Angola; Royal Canadian Mounted Police are developing technology to 'fingerprint' diamonds, identifying them by trace impurities that could be traced to known mines; map; photos (M)

Adam Clymer, in Political Memo column, holds that five-party system of Democrats, Republicans, Greens and two Reform parties is helping Gov George W Bush in important ways; maintains that fracture in Reform Party has dampened whatever hopes ex-Republican Patrick J Buchanan had for weakening Bush from right; says energetic campaign by Green Party's Ralph Nader is helping Bush maintain his lead over Vice Pres Al Gore; photo (M)

New York City Police Dept officials say that 703 officers have filed for retirement in first seven months of 2000, 38 percent increase over same period last year; say that is trickle in department with 40,000 officers, but leaders of Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and Captains Endowment Association say it is beginning of major exodus as officers pursue better-paying, less dangerous jobs; graph (M)

Japanese central bank raises interest rates for first time in decade, asserting view that nation's economy is growing firmly; graph (M)

America's Second Harvest, national network of food banks and advocacy groups, report concludes that food-stamp applications in most states have become so onerous that they are deterring needy people from applying for subsidies; finds that many of inquiries about income and assets have no connection to legal requirements for stamps but are either aggressive responses to federal mandates to deter fraud or part of recent state and local efforts to cut welfare costs by eliminating recipients; photo (M)