March 15, 2002

Four months after a young Minnesota man died from routine knee surgery, federal officials said they had turned up 25 more cases of serious bacterial infections in people who received similar operations in recent years. The officials, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, said a single tissue-processing company was involved in 14 of the 26 cases, including the fatal one.

New York City's fiscal crisis forces Police Dept to reduce overtime spending in programs that Giuliani administration once described as essential to reducing crime; but Comr Raymond W Kelly says that even with cuts, force will be able to police city effectively; photo (M)

Russian government gives signs that it plans to extend limits on its oil exports; Deputy Prime Min Viktor Khristenko says government is setting export allotments for second quarter 'based on reductions of first quarter' that were adopted at OPEC's behest, though decision may be altered after Prime Min Mikhail Kasyanov meets next week with oil executives (S)

Fear and stress on both sides in Mideast is being felt even by household pets; Jerusalem veterinarian has taken to prescribing Valium for pet dogs so nervous from days and nights pierced by gunfire, explosions and sirens that they shake and will not eat; psychic shakiness of some pets is sign of how fear, and coping with it, has become stitched into daily life; in Ramallah, families sleep in basements, order their children not to go outside, and stretch out groceries to last until crossfire dies away; people on both sides are sick of living in fear, and that is chief resource for Anthony C Zinni, Bush administration envoy who arrived in hopes of arranging cease-fire; but along with fear has come anger, and that is Zinni's foremost obstacle; photos (M)

Japanese government raises its assessment of economy for first time in almost two years, encouraged that recovery in markets overseas would increase demand for Japanese exports (S)