September 7, 2002

China takes significant steps to face up to its growing HIV-AIDS epidemic, raising its estimate of number infected to one million and saying it will manufacture a full complement of AIDS drugs if Western patent holders do not lower prices within next few months; it is striking reversal by Chinese health officials, who previously insisted that as new member of World Trade Organization, China had to be especially vigilant about respecting patents and would not permit use of generic AIDS drugs (M)

Congress convenes special meeting in New York City, at Federal Hall, to pay tribute to victims and heroes of Sept 11 terrorist attacks; speakers say they want to show world that America has been made stronger by assaults on World Trade Center; Congressmen assemble at site where Congress first convened in 1789 and where George Washington was inaugurated as first president; photos (L)

German authorities arrest Turkish man and his American fiancee with explosive chemicals and five pipe bombs in their apartment, charging them with planning terrorist attack on major American military base in Heidelberg on or near Sept 11; man, 25, has picture of Osama bin Laden in apartment, near Heidelberg, along with Islamic literature and book about building bombs; woman is 23-year-old who holds joint German and American citizenship (M)

Minnesota Twins defeat Oakland Athletics, 6-0, ending Oakland's consecutive game winning streak at 20; photos (M)

Data Show Weak Economy The jobless rate fell to 5.7 percent last month, from 5.9 percent in July, but the data offered little hope that the economy would soon emerge from its prolonged weakness. BUSINESS DAY, PAGE C1 Prison for Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr., the mayor of Providence, R.I., was sentenced to five years in prison for presiding over a City Hall that a judge called ''a criminal enterprise.'' PAGE A13