March 14, 2002

About 3,000 Taliban prisoners, captured in Kunduz, have been living in miserable conditions in Afghan jail for last four months; Americans interviewed them and took worst of lot to Gunatanamo naval base in Cuba; Uzbek government took about 10 of its citizens; warden freed about 250, most of them either very old or very sick, before recent Muslim holiday; remaining prisoners, all of them Afghan or Pakistani, appear to be largely forgotten; 800 Pakistanis face especially uncertain future; 3,000 men are living in 40 cells in prison, in Shibarghan, Afghanistan, designed to hold about 800; there is little food and hardly any medical aid or medicine; exactly how many prisoners have died remains mystery; photo (M)

Anglo American says net income in 2001 rose 62 percent, to almost $3.2 billion; profit from continuing operations rose 3.8 percent; chief executive Tony Trahar comments; Anglo American has spent about $350 million this week buying stakes in Kumba Resources and Anglovaal Mining to increase its iron ore business; photo (S)

George Vecsey Sports of The Times column suggests that in NCAA basketball tournament, coaches and players on teams big and small know that traveling great distances to compete is just part of game; photo (M)

Dr David P Franklin contends in whistle-blower case, filed after he resigned from Warner-Lambert in 1996, that drug company was not satisfied with limited sales potential of drug Neurontin, approved only to treat epilepsy in certain cases; Franklin says company aggressively marketed Neurotin to doctors for more than dozen medical conditions for which it was not approved; it is illegal for drug manufacturer to promote medicine actively for indications that are not approved by Food and Drug Administration, which requires detailed clinical trials showing its safety and effectiveness; US attorney's office in Boston is conducting criminal and civil investigations into marketing of Neurotin; Mariann Caprino, spokeswoman for Pfizer, which acquired Warner-Lambert in 2000, says lawsuit relates to business activities that were said to have taken place before acquisition; adds Pfizer is not aware of any credible evidence that Warner-Lambert employees made false claims about Neutrontin; Pfizer is cooperating with federal investigators and contesting suit (M)

Technology for automated customer service telephone systems is getting increasingly sophisticated but consumer satisfaction with calling experience is decreasing, perhaps because companies have applied technology to handle calls more cost-efficiently rather than to focus on customers' needs; photo (M)

State of the Art column on security and alarm systems that guard against laptop computer theft; drawing (M)

Many residents and businesses in far west outpost of Greenwich Village known as meat district object to proposal to build condos in their midst; business owners worry that residents will drive meatpackers away, and people already living there do not want to change atmosphere in historic meat-market district; photos; map (M)

Bayer issues surprisingly optimistic forecast for 'much higher' net income this year; confirms that its net income fell 47 percent in 2001 (S)

Use of stock to finance deals in 1990's is haunting telecommunications companies in Europe; companies used stock options to finance many acquisitions at what now appear to be inflated valuations; companies issued options giving stockholder right to sell, and issuer obligation to buy, shares at future date, often at fixed price; while shares were heading higher, options seemed like smart move; now that share prices have sunk to fraction of their former levels and telecommunications companies tend to be short on cash, companies face dismal prospect of having to buy their shares or those of another company often at premium to market price; if options are exercised, and most come due in next year or two, that could add millions in liabilities to companies already struggling under heavy debt; deals, many of which are off-balance-sheet items, also go to heart of debate about corporate disclosure that has been gathering intensity in Europe in wake of Enron Corp collapse; France Telecom could end up owing 10 billion euros ($8.75 billion) over next two years because of its extensive use of stock options (M)

Nurseries and gardeners in Rockland County, NY, are restricted in water use as county faces worst water shortage in history; Matterhorn Nursery in Spring Valley, with 17 greenhouses, finds customers seeking drought-tolerant plants instead of impatiens this year; photos (M)

Bruce Weber reviews Marsha Lebby and John Lollos play Mr Goldwyn, directed by Gene Saks; Alan King and Lauren Klein star; photos (M)

Neue Galerie is about to open exhibit of more than 30 early paintings by Austrian Expressionist Oskar Kokoschka; Brooklyn Academy of Music will hold Pordenone Silent Film Weekend, to coincide with annual showcase in Sacile, Italy; works by 20th century artists from collection of Eli and Edythe L Broad will go on view at Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington; American Academy of Arts and Letters name artists Richard Artschwager, Leon Golub and Catherine Murphy, writers Robert Hass, Romulus Linney, George Plimpton and Edward Said and composers Christopher Rouse and Joseph Schwantner as members; photos (M)