March 7, 2002

Hynix Semiconductor reports operating profit for January and February as result of rising prices worldwide for memory chips; company lost record $3.8 billion last year but expects net profit for first quarter 2002; Hynix chairman Park Chong Sup leaves for another round of talks with Micron Technologies, which wants to take over company's memory chip operations (S)

Commanders call in more American troops and helicopters to counter attempts by Taliban and Al Qaeda to bolster Islamic fighters struggling to hold on to their mountaintop redoubts; 300 more troops are called to battle, for total of 1,200 American combat soldiers; 21 more helicopters are also added; American and Afghan commanders say up to 500 new fighters have joined Taliban and Qaeda force of 200 men; there is growing sense that battle could be climactic moment of conflict that may decide whether Taliban and Al Qaeda meet their end as fighting force in Afghanistan; American commanders say US-led bombing attacks and ground assaults may have already killed as many as 400 hostile fighters of total of 800; photos; map; chart (L)

World Business Briefing Feb 28 report about talks between Credit Lyonnais and Justice Department concerning possible criminal charges related to bank's acquisition of bond portfolio belonging to Executive Life, failed California insurer, misstated status of talks; no agreement has been reached for bank to avoid prosecution and pay fine; premature reports of agreement, which first appeared in Le Monde, have complicated bank's efforts to reach settlement (M)

Volkswagen AG introduces Bentley GT auto, first all-new Bentley since Volkswagen AG took over Roll-Royce Motor Cars three years ago, at Geneva auto show; Volkswagen is hoping new car, which will go on sale in late 2002 for about $150,000, can eventually quadruple Bentley sales from 2,000 cars per year to more than 8,000; BMW, which will get rights to Rolls-Royce name starting in January, has developed muscular new Rolls; DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes is about to bring out Maybach, limousine that will sell for more than $300,000; acquisition of Bentley is part of Volkswagen's broad assault on superluxury market; other components are Lamborghini, Italian sports-car manufacturer that produces only few hundred cars per year, and Bugatti; photos (M)

Appeals Court grants temporary stay of sentence to petty thief sentenced to 10 months of home detention with no TV; Judge Alvin K Hellerstein of Manhattan, in sentencing Edward Bello, said he wanted Bello to think about his long string of arrests and his punishment in quiet periods; Bello's lawyers maintain that depriving Bello of television violates his First Amendment rights and cuts him off from important news events; Bello says he is grateful that Judge Hellerstein allowed him to stay out of prison but that television is vital part of his life; photo (M)