January 9, 2002

Houston Rockets defeat New York Knicks, 88-86; photo (S)

Regina Schrambling comments on cooking duck legs; photos; recipes (M)

Amanda Hesser profiles Nigella Lawson, English food writer, cookbook author and voluptuous hostess of television cooking show Nigella Bites, show that has created sensation in Britain, where it is one of country's most popular cooking programs; photos; recipes (M)

With the South African rand continuing to struggle and accusations of market manipulation emerging, President Thabo Mbeki appointed a panel today to examine the currency's recent plunge. During trading on Dec. 21, the rand reached a record low of 13.84 to the dollar, after losing more than 35 percent of its value in a matter of weeks; it traded at 9 to the dollar as recently as mid-October and had stayed around 8 for much of the year.

Hints of a Cosmic Starburst Based on Hubble Space Telescope data, some astronomers think that light from the first stars emerged from a dark cosmos like a fireworks spectacular, not in the slow manner long assumed. PAGE A20 Wendy's Founder Dies Dave Thomas, the restaurateur who built the hamburger chain empire and was known to millions as the folksy character in TV commercials, was 69. PAGE B9

Exhibition of color photographs of emergency workers, survivors and relatives of victims of terrorist attacks of Sept 11 go on view at Grand Central Terminal; exhibition, Faces of Ground Zero, has 9-by-4-foot framed portraits; Unexpected Journey: Plays by Women Influenced by Muslim Cultures to be presented at Sixth Immigrant Theater Festival at Tenement Theater; Renoir exhibition, A Passion for Renoir: Five Great Paintings From the Clark Art Institute, to be presented at High Museum of Art in Atlanta; photo; Andre Previn to conduct concert produced by Carnegie Hall Choral Workshop; photo (M)

White House Walks Away From Fuel Mileage Project The Bush administration is walking away from a $1.5 billion, eight-year project to develop high-mileage gasoline-fueled vehicles. Instead it is throwing its support behind a plan to develop hydrogen-based fuel cells. Environmentalists and energy experts favor the research. But critics said that the new program, like its predecessor, would let Washington and Detroit focus on vague, long-term aims while avoiding the more difficult task of improving the gas mileage of cars and sport utility vehicles in the short term. [Page A1.]

The Dutch-based retailer Royal Ahold reported a 100 million euro ($89 million) charge in the fourth quarter to cover losses from operations in Argentina, which accounts for 3 percent of the company's sales. The company, whose assets include the Stop and Shop and Giant supermarket chains, stuck to its projection of 15 percent growth in earnings per share for 2001 and 2002 and reported that 2001 sales had grown 27 percent, to 66.6 billion euros ($59.4 billion). The company will report full 2001 results on March 7. Desmond Butler (NYT)

downtown, his brightens an emerging playwright**Profile of and interview with playwright Melissa James Gibson, whose play 'sic', at SoHo Rep, is enjoying strong reviews; photo (M)

Many companies, alarmed by the increasing size of payouts to resolve harassment or discrimination claims by employees, have bought insurance policies over the last decade to protect themselves. But insurers, who offered cheap premiums and low deductibles to encourage this new line of business, now find that they underestimated the number of small awards that companies make every year and did not anticipate the growing size of jury verdicts, one-fifth of which are now for $1 million or more.

Reflecting the plunge in international travel since Sept. 11, the resort operator Club Méditerranée said today that it would close six more of its locations and eliminate its dividend. The company reported a loss of 70 million euros ($62.5 million) for the fiscal year ended Oct. 31, its first loss in four years and a sharp reversal of fortune from the previous year.

The Bush administration is walking away from a $1.5 billion eight-year government-subsidized project to develop high-mileage gasoline-fueled vehicles. Instead it is throwing its support behind a plan that the Energy Department and the auto industry have devised to develop hydrogen-based fuel cells to power the cars of the future, administration and industry officials said yesterday. The new effort, to be announced in Detroit today by Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, aims at the eventual replacement of the internal combustion engine. Fuel cells use stored hydrogen and oxygen from the air to create electricity, and the only emission from engines they power is water vapor.