May 19, 2004

World Business Briefing: The Netherlands:

Randy Johnson's pitching of perfect game for Arizona Diamondbacks noted

Article on continuing mystery surrounding cache of artifacts once belonging to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, and controversy over auction of items by Christie's; some scholars and members of British Parliament say material is too important to be sold off piecemeal; photos (M)

Federal commission investigating Sept 11 terrorist attacks holds public hearing in New York and presents detailed account of how heroic response of police and firefighters was undermined by poor emergency planning, inadequate equipment, faulty communications and generations-old interagency rivalries; some members say city remains unprepared; John F Lehman says new emergency-response plan announced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg 'puts in concrete a clearly dysfunctional system'; current and former police and fire officials defend performance, sometimes angrily, drawing anguished response from victims' relatives in audience; photos; former Fire Comr Thomas Von Essen calls Lehman's remarks 'outrageous'; eight-hour session presents harrowing minute-by-minute multimedia account of day; describes fire commanders' loss of contact with units in towers and fatal advice to some workers to remain in building (M)

Sonia Gandhi, Italian-born widow and daughter-in-law of slain prime ministers, stuns India by announcing she will 'humbly decline' to be prime minister, saying that has never been her aim in leading Congress Party to election victory over Hindu nationalist party; announcement sets off protests as emotional as those of Hindu nationalists who object to her foreign birth; photo; stock market rallies after plummeting over fears that Congress Party will reverse economic reforms; Gandhi reportedly favors Manmohan Singh, respected former finance minister, to lead country; adviser says she never wanted to be prime minister and entered politics in 1998 to defeat Hindu nationalists she viewed as threat to secular state (M)