December 12, 2001

Large swaths of territory across Afghanistan still seem to be in Taliban's grip, even as US military proclaims Taliban a defeated force and Afghanistan in hands of friends; situation in parts of southern and western Afghanistan described; villages nationwide are seeing Taliban soldiers returning home with guns and grievances intact; in areas dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, who constitute bulk of Taliban, former foot soldiers of Mullah Muhammad Omar roam free; some Taliban commanders, allowed to switch sides and keep guns, are switching back and fresh fighting is result (M)

Zurich Financial Services begins trading its reinsurance division, Converium Holding, in $1.7 billion initial public offering (S)

New York City's beleaguered printing industry, already suffering before Sept 11 because of slowing economy, suffers further blow with terrorist attacks, when cloud of soot settles over industry's traditional home in Lower Manhattan; restrictions on bridge and tunnel crossings make things worse, halting deliveries of ink, paper and finished products, even for printers in boroughs outside Manhattan; Arthur Baron, president of Admiral Communications, four blocks south of World Trade Center, says his company is barely surviving; photo (M)

Compensation data collected by Bureau of Labor Statisics are analyzed to see how earnings of lawyers, doctors, engineers, architects and other professionals in certain cities compare with average incomes in those cities; graph (M)

Richard A Hackborn, veteran Hewlett-Packard executive and member of board, is now key man in company's effort to convince large shareholders to vote in favor of its merger with Compaq Computer Corp; is highly regarded throughout computer industry as both skilled technologist and shrewd strategist, whereas company's chairwoman and chief executive, Carleton S Fiorina, is seen as an outside, a general manager instead of someone who deeply understands technology; photo (M)