March 8, 2002

Bungled robbery of Staples store in Valley Stream, New York, leads to nine-hour standoff with 12 employees held hostage, and ends with arrest of four Brooklyn residents; photos (M)

Christina Ricci, above, is among the large cast of actors who portray residents of a Wyoming town coming to grips with homophobia in ''The Laramie Project,'' tomorrow night on HBO. Based on Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project's stage play, the film explores the aftermath of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student. TV Weekend by Julie Salamon appears on Page 32.

Adidas-Salomon AG says net income growth in 2002 will slow from year ago; chief executive Herbert Hainer says earnings will rise no more than 10 percent and sales will rise about 5 percent; graph (S)

Comment on importance that car makers attach to new model's 'launch,' crucial period when cars start moving from factory to showroom to street; examples cited; photos (L)

Britain's Imperial Tobacco Group agrees to buy 90.01 percent of Reemtsma Cigarettenfabriken of Germany for 5.22 billion euros ($4.58 billion) from Tchibo Holding, deal that will give Imperial larger presence in lucrative markets of Eastern Europe and Asia; Imperial has option of purchasing remaining 9.99 percent of Reemtsma for 580 million euros until January 2005; photo of Imperial chief executive Gareth Davis (M)

European Central Bank and Bank of England leave interest rates unchanged amid signs of economic rebound; European bank leaves benchmark rate at 3.25 percent; Bank of England keeps its lending rate at 4 percent (S)

Mariah Carey, pop diva who was paid $28 million to walk away from her contract with EMI Group's Virgin Records six weeks ago, is in advanced negotiations with other labels about deal and could make decision as early as next week; value of deal is expected to be fraction of $80 million she commanded from EMI last year; photo (M)

European Union responds to Pres Bush's imposition of new tariffs on steel from certain countries by filing two-part complaint at World Trade Organization; union fears it will be hurt by flood of cheap steel diverted from American market to Europe by tariffs; European Central Bank president Wim Duisenberg denounces tariffs as 'deplorable action'; European Union maintains that American steel industry's failure to consolidate and restructure is source of its problems, not unfair competition from imports (M)

Pres Bush's budget advisers refuse to give Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Harvey L Pitt funds he requested to police markets as Bush announces his plan to protect investors from fraud; Pitt asks Congress for $91 million more to increase commission staff and its pay; disavows views expressed by Bush administration month ago that 'zero growth' budget of about $467 million would be enough for policing Wall Street and corporate America; administration agrees to endorse only $15 million increase from its originally proposed budget; new budget proposal to enlarge agency and Bush's call for new accounting and corporate rules to protect investors from future Enrons are clearest new examples of how collapse of company has significantly altered administration's deregulatory agenda; Democrats in Congress criticize Bush's proposals as tepid, and Republicans join Democrats in saying that Pitt's new budget request is not adequate; House lawmakers have suggested increase in agency's budget to $700 million; Repr Richard A Gephardt and Sen Tom Daschle call for stiffer rules on corporate fraud; photos (M)

Former New York City police officer Charles Schwarz is freed from prison on $1-million bond after federal appeals court grants him retrial on charge of taking part in abuse of Abner Louima in Brooklyn station house; new trial set for June; federal prosecutor Alan Vinegrad says he is considering filing new charges of obstruction of justice; Louima, living in Florida, comments with Al Sharpton; photos (M)

City Hall Memo on Michael Bloomberg, 'nonchalant' mayor of New York lacks Rudolph Giuliani's bluster, seems more than content to play behind-the-scenes role and may be so self-confident that he does not care much about shoring up his own ego; photo; his seeming indifference to political rhythms stirs speculation that he may not intend second term (M)

Recession Declared Over; House Bill Is Scaled Back Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chairman, effectively declared the recession over, saying a spate of recent economic data suggested that the recovery ''is already well under way.'' Hours after Mr. Greenspan's remarks, the House overwhelming passed a scaled-back version of legislation originally intended to help pull the economy out of recession. The bill would extend unemployment assistance and encourage companies to invest more in factories and equipment. [Page A1.] In just over a week, according to Alan Greenspan, the economic recovery has gone from a maybe to a certainty. News Analysis. [A18.]