August 20, 2002

India's Gujarat Cooperative Milk Market Federation, which markets under--and is known by--brand name Amul, is battling Hindustan Lever for ice cream market in India; Amul appears to be gaining steadily over Hindustan Lever, which has been losing ground; Hindustan Lever's ice cream revenue fell 27 percent in quarter ended June; Hindustan Lever, which is 51 percent owned by Unilever, says it is less concerned with volume sales than with earnings, and that profits from ice cream are rising, totaling more than $1 million per quarter for first time in period ended June 30; map; photos (M)

Natalie Angier essay on biophilia, term coined by Harvard naturalist Dr Edward O Wilson to describe humanity's innate fascination with nature; notes that biophilia affects people negatively as well as positively, suggesting that merely having affinity for natural world does not guarantee that one will work to protect it; photo (Special Report: Managing Planet Earth) (M)

Metro-North Railroad's Lost and Found department at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan is computerizing operations with goal of returning 75 percent of found items to people who lose them; currently returns to owners only quarter of approximately 400 items turned in each month; photos (M)

Qwest Communications International agrees to sell its yellow pages directories business to group of financier for $7 million in move that would help it avert bankruptcy filing; will sell unit to politically influenced Carlyle Group and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe; sale comes as Qwest announces it will change way it accounts for yellow pages unit and restate results for at least 2001 and first half of 2002; says it will now recognize sales and expenses over life of phone directory instead of when it is published; change will reduce 2001 directly sales by 5 percent, or $80 million (M)

Hong Kong's jobless rate rose to 7.8 percent in July from 7.7 percent in June, seventh consecutive record, leaving 275,000 of Hong Kong's 3.5 million workers out of job and dimming hopes economy will pull out of slump this quarter (S)2