September 6, 2002

Driving article on 500-mile trip around perimeter of island of Hawaii, from snowy summit of Mauna Kea to lava deserts, rain forests, tourists attractions and abandoned sugar cane fields; photos; map (M)

Yugoslavia defeats US, 81-78, to eliminate US from world basketball championships; photo (M)

ABB says its chief executive Jorgen Centerman has resigned; chairman Jurgen Dormann will take on expanded role of chief executive immediately; Dorman says there will be 'no change in strategy, except to speed up asset sales'; photo (M)

Assassination attempt on Afghan Pres Hamid Karzai is foiled by American Special Operations forces team assigned as his bodyguards in Kandahar, while huge car bomb in Kabul kills at least 25 people and critically wounds dozens of others; two attacks are staged within hours of each other in country's largest cities; Afghan officials blame terrorists linked to Al Qaeda and Taliban, and say attacks appear to have been timed around anniversary of Sept 11 attacks in United States; attack in Kandahar comes very close to jeopardizing post-Taliban government structure; bullets fired into Karzai's car as it moves through crowd of well-wishers come within inches of him; members of American Special Operations forces team fire back, killing gunman, but take casualty of their own; soldier grazed in gunfight is taken to field hospital at US military base outside city; attacks seem likely to renew debate about pattern of international deployments in Afghanistan; Pentagon officials who have opposed expanding international security force beyond Kabul now say that enlarging it may help overall security and allow American troops to leave country sooner; photos; map (L)

Papers filed in divorce of former General Electric chief executive John F Welch Jr by his wife Jane contends GE covered enormous living costs for them while he led company and will continue to do so for him for rest of his life; extent of benefits has never been disclosed by company; GE has reported that Welch's total compensation, including bonus and salary, was $16.7 million in 2000, his last full year at company before his retirement last September; also said that he will remain consultant to company on retainer of $86,000 per year and will continue to have access to GE services and facilities; chart; photo (M)

Federal judge to decide which of two women is real Miss North Carolina; Rebekah Revels won state pageant and resigned after former boyfriend threatened to sell topless photos of her; she now wants her crown back; Misty Clymer, runner-up, says she was rightfully awarded tiara after Revels quit and she will not return it; Revels now accuses beauty officials of pressuring her to resign; she is member of Lumbee Indian tribe and hoped to be first Indian Miss America; Miss North Carolina officials are siding with Clymer, saying Revels violated her oath by not divulging existence of photos; Revels has sued twice, against North Carolina organization and against Miss America contest; Superior Court Judge Narley L Cashwell has sided with Revels in her suit againt North Carolina organization; now Judge James C Fox of federal district court will hear suit against Miss American Orgn; photos (M)

San Francisco 49ers defeat New York Giants, 16-13, in season opener; photos (M)

Bank of England leaves its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4 percent, lowest in 38 years, reflecting assessments that economic recovery is faltering (S)

Third article in series Perspectives, Sept 11 and Beyond, interviews Tom Ridge, first director of homeland security, about terrorist attacks and their effect on public life and policy; he believes country is now better prepared than it was year ago to repel or prevent attack and then to care for people and places harmed if terrorists strike again; cites heightened security at airports and borders, and development of partnerships with state and local governments; quickly notes that there is much more to be done; says his job is to monitor terrorist threats and ensure that government works with state and local officials to respond to any attacks; says he is convinced that United States will be struck by terrorists again one day; photos (L)

Policies and financial practices of Markle Foundation president Zoe Baird are being questioned; Baird promised to spend $100 million, or more than half of Markle's entire $187 million endowment, in three to five years, but her critics say she has managed to spend only $40 million; critics contend nearly half of money has gone to administrative costs, including salaries, consultants and public relations; Center for Digital Democracy executive director Jeff Chester says foundation seems to be doing nothing more than serving as public relations effort for Zoe Baird; Baird disagrees; she has had her share of accomplishments, including creating highly regarded task force on national security and health; supporters also praise her impressive intellect and enviable contacts with Fortune 500 executives and top government officials; Common Cause chief executive Scott Harshbarger and former Netscape chief executive James L Barksdale praise Baird; Julia Moffett, one of Baird's most trusted deputies, resigned on Aug 22 under pressure after foundation discovered that she inflated her expense reports; under Baird, Markle's staff of 43 has been shaken by departure of 33 employees; former vice president Edith C Bjornson says foundation no longer enjoys respect and sterling reputation that it had for years; photo (M)

Small employers are severely reducing health benefits; Kaiser Family Foundation report shows forty-five percent of employers with three to nine workers offer no health benefits, up three percentage points from 2001, translating into almost 150,000 more workers and dependents without insurance; says health insurance premiums across country soared by 12.7 percent in 12 months ended this spring, largest one-year increase since 1990; notes premiums increased 14 percent for employers with fewer than 50 workers; some small employers comment; graph; photo (M)

Havens article on Asbury Park, NJ, which, in past five years, has become summer haven for gay urban professional New Yorkers who used to flock to Fire Island and Hamptons; signs of city's rebirth, as gays buy summer homes and fix them up, described; photos (M)