April 25, 2003

European Commission imposes 33 percent tariff on memory chips produced by South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor; charges near-bankrupt company received 'enormous subsidies' from 'government-owned or controlled South Korean banks'; says subsidies, acting on complaint of Infineon Technologies of Germany, had 'highly negative impact' on European semiconductor industry, forcing European manufacturers to suffer average loss of 96 percent on memory chips; commission's decision comes as severe blow to Hynix, already battered by preliminary decision by US Commerce Department on April 1 to impose 57 percent tariff in response to complaint by Micron Technology; European and American decisions call into question policy of Hynix's creditors, led by Korea Exchange Bank, to guarantee company's survival; photo (M)

Prosecutors will convene grand jury to investigate corruption in nominating of Brooklyn judges; announcement follows arraignment of Justice Gerald P Garson and five other men on charges that they ran bribery scheme to rig outcome of divorce and child custody cases; Brooklyn District Atty Charles J Hynes says evidence in case shows entire system by which Supreme Court judges are chosen is corrupt power play by local Democratic organization; photo (M)

Article on Nissan design chief Shiro Nakamura, whose cutting-edge cars and trucks are radically different from past; photos (M)

Pres Bush says Iraqi officials and scientists have provided United States with information that Saddam Hussein may have destroyed or dispersed chemical and biological weapons before war, suggesting that search for proof of Iraqi weapons program could be long one; says in NBC News interview that there is considerable evidence that Saddam Hussein is dead or severely wounded but that US does not have definitive proof; says resistance faced by American troops in southern Iraq in conflict's first weeks was fiercer than expected, admission that is at odds with Pentagon's insistence at time that war was unfolding according to plan; gives detailed acount of how war looked from his perspective as commander in chief; says he had some initial concerns about first blow of war, his last-minute decision to bomb home in Baghdad where agent reported that Hussein and his sons might be spending night; expresses confidence that American forces will eventually find chemical and biological weapons, and acknowledges that questions about credibility of US would not be put to rest until they do; photo (M)

Japan's NEC Corp reports loss of 24.6 billion yen ($205 million) in year ended March 31, compared with record loss of 312 billion yen in previous year; sales fell 8 percent (S)