October 31, 2000

Strong US economy, helped by dollar's surge against euro, has made Europe bargain for American travelers; Continent is attracting all kinds of tourists, not just high-end travelers; Britain, France and Germany remain favorite destinations; Spain expects 20 percent increase in American tourism for year and Ireland 6 percent; 2.4 million Americans are expected to visit Europe in 2000, 6 percent increase over 1999 and eighth consecutive year of record traffic to Europe; photos (M)

Rock scene in Reykjavik, Iceland, is blossoming, part of broader cultural flourishing in Iceland; new filmmakers, artists and musicians are all intermingling in a capital with fewer people than Elizabeth, NJ; photos (L)

Tiny asteroid Eros is photographed from distance of only 3.7 miles by NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft, which arrived at asteroid for yearlong study last February; photo (S)

Neighbors recall two Arab strangers suspected in bombing of US destroyer Cole in port of Aden, Yemen, seemed out of place but were never incongruous, after renting apartment on hillside overlooking port on June 9; neighbors cite their their thick accents, Islamic-style dress, seeming obsession with privacy, frugality with food they bought in local market and curious comings and goings in dead of night; say men described themselves as fish merchants, but recall they were never seen in local market; say neither went to prayers in new, whitewashed mosque that is pride of neighborhood; eyewitness descriptions of men who boarded boat matches exactly appearance, accents and clothing of those who lived in rented apartment; neighbors are convinced men and suicide bombers are same people; ramming of destroyer on October 12 during refueling stop killed 17 soldiers and wounded 39 others; map; photos (M)

Abitibi-Consolidated says profit from operations in third quarter was 118 million Canadian dollars ($77 million) compared with net income of 48 million Canadian dollars ($31.3 million) a year ago; sales rose 15 percent, to 1.74 billion dollars from 1.51 billion dollars (S)