April 28, 2001

William C Rhoden's Sports of The Times column on New York Knickerbockers' defeat against Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of NBA playoffs focuses on problems team and player Marcus Camby are experiencing in light of Camby's mother and two sisters being held hostage at knifepoint for hours in their home in South Windsor, Conn, by Troy D Crooms, who knows family; photo (M)

Manx Telecom, British Telecommunications subsidiary on Isle of Man, races to introduce world's first phone network using much-promoted new technology uniting wireless mobility with breadth of Internet; will distribute speedier handsets than currently available on wireless devices in hopes that host of services will eventually be offered through them; technology is known as third generation wireless, or 3G; photos; map (M)

SEC gathers information from Wall Street firms in new inquiry into whether prices of offerings of new stocks were manipulated during 1990's; wants to know about possible agreements between big investment banks and buyers of initial public offerings regarding prearranged purchases intended to inflate stocks' prices (M)

Navy resumes military maneuvers on Vieques, Puerto Rico, and hundreds of angry demonstrators demand end to bombing exercises they say are harming island's ecology and its residents' health; officials say 65 people are arrested after slipping through fence and onto Naval camp; presence of protesters on beach forces warships to briefly call off maneuvers; Naval officials claim they have removed all those who entered restricted area, but organizers say as many as dozen people, including mayor of Vieques and state senators, are still hiding in dense, scrubby jungle in effort to dissuade Navy from resuming bombing exercises; photos (M)

Judge J Thomas Marten dismisses major antitrust case in which Justice Department accused American Airlines of predatory pricing to drive competitors out of airports it serves; adopts airline's every defense against charges that it incurred significant short-term losses to drive low-cost competitors--Vanguard Airlines, Sun Jet International and Western Pacific--from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport; only Vanguard remains in business; decision clears one of last regulatory clouds overhanging American's business plan (M)