Congress is considering change in Medicare that would require affluent people to pay higher premiums than other beneficiaries; Republican proposal is gaining unexpected support from some Democrats, who have opposed idea in past but now say they are receptive to it as way to avert Medicare cuts; most of the 40 million Medicare recipients now pay same premium of $58.70 a month; AARP, labor unions and some liberal Democrats say levying extra charge on some beneficiaries would undermine universal nature of program; discussion comes amid efforts to reach agreement on bill to overhaul Medicare and add prescription drug benefits (M)

Medicare Plan Raises the Cost For the Affluent

 Role Reversal in Coverage Of California Campaign  The top supermarket tabloids have so far let recent news about Arnold Schwarzenegger alone, having been content in the last seven weeks of the California recall election campaign to stick to the ups and downs of Ben and J. Lo or Demi and Ashton.    Mainstream news organizations have been the ones to break news about Mr. Schwarzenegger. A shorter-than-usual campaign is propelling the media to present potentially explosive stories closer to Election Day than they might otherwise prefer. [Page C2.]

BUSINESS DIGEST

Jon Pareles reviews concert by R.E.M. at Madison Square Garden; photo (M)

R.E.M., On Tour, Revisits Its Roots

Fifth article in series, Invention For 900 Hands, following one concert grand as it is made at Steinway's factory in Astoria, Queens, focuses on Steinway's diverse work force, which has changed along with New York; for generations after its founding in 1853, Steinway hired German, Austrian, Irish and Italian immigrants; by 1980's, job applicants reflected influx of immigrants from Haiti and Dominican Republic; Haitians now account for largest single group of immigrants at factory; photos (L)

88 Keys, Many Languages, One Proud Name; Workers at Steinway Reflect the Changing Face of New York

Joyce Purnick column questions secrecy surrounding New York City's sale of its educational broadcasting stations, WNYE radio and WNYE-TV; notes there has been no announcement, no competitive bidding, no comment from agency conducting negotiations, Economic Development Corp; says it is open secret that WNYC-FM is close to purchasing radio station and that WNET-Channel 13 will probably buy TV station (M)

Metro Matters; Nobody's Business But Yours

Russian Pres Vladimir V Putin says United States faces possibility of prolonged and ultimately futile war in Iraq, comparing it to one that mired Soviet Union in Afghanistan, interview; warns that Iraq has become magnet for terrorists; says Bush administration must move quickly to restore sovereignty to Iraqis and to secure United Nations resolution that would clearly define how long international forces remain there; says Russia is prepared to offer partial relief on $8 billion it is owed by Iraq, but only in coordination with other major creditor nations; characterizes Russia's relations with United States, and his own with Pres Bush, as close and frank, in wide-ranging discussion in which he defends state of democracy in Russia, its actions in Chechnya, and its role in construction of nuclear reactor in Iran; photos (M)

Putin Says U.S. Faces Big Risks In Effort in Iraq

Internet service providers' new approach to combating junk e-mail focuses not on identifying spam directly and filtering it out, but rather on allowing legitimate senders of e-mail to identify themselves and gain access while bouncing back mail from senders who choose to remain anonymous; approach, Internet equivalent of caller ID on telephone, faces daunting technological challenges; push for such solution comes largely from banks, travel companies and online stores that are finding that much of their e-mail is getting caught in spam filters; Microsoft, America Online, Earthlink and Yahoo have been meeting since April to define spam-fighting standards; photo (M)

Spam Fighters Turn to Identifying Legitimate E-Mail

Television sports fans in cities served by Cox Cable face possible loss of games because of company's refusal to pay fees demanded by Fox Sports and ESPN for their coveted programming; standoff comes on heels of fight between Cablevision and YES Network that deprived New Yorkers of Yankee games in 2002 and feud this spring between Fox Sports and Time Warner in Minnesota and Orlando; fans also face higher monthly fees; News Corp, parent of Fox Sports, and Walt Disney, parent of ESPN, each count on sports networks as pivotal source of financial growth (M)

Sports Fan Is the Prize, Or the Victim, In Cable Fight

New York Yankees defeat Minnesota Twins, 8-1, to win American League division series, 3-1; Yankees advance to American League Championship Series; photos (M)

Yanks Advance, Hope Party Is Just Starting

Removal of tiger from public housing apartment creates swirl of excitement in Harlem neighborhood and leaves series of questions for New York City officials; neighbors report that tiger's owner, Antoine Yates, was longtime collector of exotic animals; police discovered 400-pound tiger, as well as five-foot long reptile called a caiman, when Yates called in to claim he had been bitten by pit bull; were only able to remove tiger after sharpshooter rappelled down side of apartment building and shot it with tranquilizer darts; Yates, apparently hard pressed to control animal, had decamped to neighboring apartment and had been feeding it by throwing it raw chicken; neighbors say tiger had lived among them for at least three years, apparently causing no widespread alarm; city officials are less sanguine; police says Yates could be charged with reckless endangerment, Administration for Children's Services is looking into whether any children lived in apartment while tiger was in residence, and Housing Authority is trying to determine why tiger was not detected in apartment inspection; photo (M)

From a Cub to a Menace, and Now a Mystery

Photo of New York Yankees players after defeating Minnesota Twins, 8-1, to win division playoff series

INSIDE

Profile of Michael Wolff, media columnist for New York magazine, who plans to acquire magazine from Primedia; Wolff believes that with financial backing of Donny Deutsch and group of similarly situated, but unnamed, individuals, he can compete in auction that may also attract Conde Nast, Mortimer B Zuckerman and Tribune Co; media executives he covers do not expect Wolff to succeed; photos; graphs (M)

The Media Critic Who Would Be a Mogul

Sierra Pacific Resources faces prospect of bankruptcy if required to pay Enron Corp hundreds of millions of dollars for electricity Enron never really delivered to two Sierra utilities in Nevada; bankruptcy court has so far sided with Enron in dispute, and Sierra is expected to ask Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to take charge of controversy and invalidate payment requirement; at issue in Sierra's Kafkaesque situation are series of long-term energy contracts entered into in 2000 and 2001 by Sierra's Nevada Power Co and Sierra Pacific Power Co with Enron Power Management; photo (M)

Market Place; Enron Is Seeking Millions for Power Never Delivered To Sierra Pacific

Prime Minister Tony Blair conceded privately that Iraq did not have quickly deployable unconventional weapons, as London was claiming before the war, Robin Cook, a former foreign secretary, says in a new book. He says Mr. Blair told him before combat began that he did not believe Iraq's weapons posed a ''real and present danger'' to Britain.      Article, Page A5.

Blair Is Challenged Again on Iraq Risk

Alessandra Stanley reviews Hallmark Channel program Yom Kippur: Prayers of Atonement; calls it an 'inspirational ad' for Rabbi David Baron's Temple Shalom for the Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif; photo (M)

Yom Kippur Piety on the Light Side

Article on Mariane Pearl, widow of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl; Daniel Pearl was kidnapped in Pakistan in January 2002 and killed; Mariane Pearl, who was pregnant at time and whose son, Adam, is now 16 months old, is promoting her new book, A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband, Danny Pearl; photos (M)

A Widow, But Spare The Pity; Resisting Pressure To Sentimentalize Over Daniel Pearl

Anthony Tommasini reviews Metropolitan Opera performance of Stravinsky triple bill consisting of 1913 ballet Le Sacre du Printemps, lyric tale Le Rossignol and opera-oratorio Oedipus Rex, conducted by Valery Gergiev; photos (M)

Getting a Load of Stravinsky in Diverse Ways

Huawei Technologies, Chinese communications equipment maker, lifts domestic sales by a third in first half of year, and Chinese leaders are confident that company will be able to make strong inroads into markets abroad; Huawei's rapid expansion causes anxiety abroad and accusations, such as Cisco Systems' charge that Huawei stole its computer coding for data routing equipment and accusations that company had deals with Iraq and close ties to Chinese military; becoming global force will present Huawei with some tough challenges, including retaining its talented, but low-cost engineering force and preparing for eventual retirement of its founder, Ren Zhengfei; photos (M)

Rapid Growth of China's Huawei Has Its High-Tech Rivals on Guard

California voters will face complicated ballots when they go to polls to decide whether to recall Gov Gray Davis and then choose from 135 possible replacements; voters in different counties will use different voting systems, with some using punch cards, some optical scans and others computerized touch-screens; no one appears to be sure how long it might take voters to wade through ballot, and election officials are working feverishly across state to anticipate every glitch; photos of election sites and sample ballots; charts show number of voters using each technology, number of pages on ballots in different counties and where in list candidates will appear on various ballots (M)

Recall Voters Face An Intricate Ballot, And, Indeed, Chads

Mayor Richard E Scalera of Hudson, NY, unabashed good old boy with deep roots in community, faces challenge from Linda Mussmann, lesbian who moved to Hudson with her partner decade ago when they relocated their avant-garde theater from Manhattan; strikingly different personalities reflect tug of cultures in fast-changing town; race is marked by high level of political maneuvering; photos; map (M)

A Rough-and-Tumble Mayoral Fight in a Fast-Changing River City

Israel launches surprise airstrike deep in Syrian territory, bombing what it claims is Palestinian training camp to retaliate for suicide bombing in Haifa; raid is abrupt change of military tactics and first Israeli attack inside Syria in 30 years; Israeli officials describe strike as measured response, but it raises possbility that Israeli-Palestinian conflict could widen to neighboring Arab states; Syria protests attack, as do other Arab states; Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat declares emergency from his headquarters in Ramallah and installs new government by decree; Haifa suicide bombing has brought renewed calls for Arafat's expulsion; Israeli officials hint that military may impose more restrictions on him, but say it will go no further yet; Israel claims Syrian site, which is about 10 miles from Damascus, is training ground for several Palestinian factions, including Islamic Jihad and Hamas; Syria dismisses claim, calling it civilian facility for Palestinians; Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, radical group that has been largely dormant in recent years, reportedly says base belonged to its organization but has been deserted for years; Israeli military also demolishes home in West Bank town of Jenin of Hanadi Jaradat, woman who carried out Haifa bombing; Israeli security official says Islamic Jihad leaders in Syria played detailed role in orchestrating bombing and that their involvement contributed to decision to strike in Syria; map; photos (M)

Israel Attacks What It Calls a Terrorist Camp in Syria

Miami Dolphins defeat New York Giants, 23-10; photos (M)

The Giants Have Their Opportunities, And End Up Making the Least of Them

Bush administration seeks to distance itself from Israel's airstrike inside Syria; senior officials say United States had no advance warning of attack and no solid evidence that target was in fact Palestinian terrorist training camp; say Pres Bush called Prime Min Ariel Sharon following attack and urged him to avoid further heightening tensions; but administration seems to be avoiding any criticism of Israel, stance at odds with that of most of Europe and Arab world, whose leaders condemned raid; administration officials reiterate their criticism of what United States has long called Syria's role as state sponsor of terrorism (M)

U.S. Avoids Criticism of Raid; Urges Israel to Use Caution

White House orders major reorganization of American efforts to quell violence and speed reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan; effort includes creation of Iraq Stabilization Group to be run by national security adviser Condoleezza Rice; decision apppears to be part of effort to assert more direct White House control over how Washington coordinates efforts to fight terrorism, develop political structures and encourage economic development in both countries; reorganization is described in memorandum sent by Rice to Sec of State Colin L Powell, Defense Sec Donald H Rumsfeld and CIA director George J Tenet; Rice says plan was devised in response to discussions she held with Pres Bush in late August; says it is 'recognition by everyone that we are in a different phase' now that Congress is considering Bush's request for $20 billion for reconstruction and $67 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan; move is seen as closest administration has come to admission that its plans for reconstruction in those countries have proved insufficient; photo (M)

White House to Overhaul Iraq and Afghan Missions

Germany national women's team defeats US, 3-0, in semifinals of World Cup; US will face Canada in third place game; photo (M)

October 6, 2003

Headlines from October 6, 2003

Medicare Plan Raises the Cost For the Affluent

BUSINESS DIGEST

R.E.M., On Tour, Revisits Its Roots

88 Keys, Many Languages, One Proud Name; Workers at Steinway Reflect the Changing Face of New York

Metro Matters; Nobody's Business But Yours

Billboard 200

Grand Champ

Thirteenth Step

World Wide Underground (EP)

Heavier Things

Metamorphosis

Historical Context for October 6, 2003