October 21, 2004

European Central Bank says fewer than half of new European Union members have met fiscal requirements to adopt euro; companion report by European Commission says none have met political requirements, like compatibility of its central statutes with those of European Central Bank; bank says many of countries are moving too slowly in cutting their budget deficits to levels below ceiling mandated by Maastricht Treaty, which created money union; central bank president Jean-Claude Trichet and chief economist Otmar Issing say new members must cut deficits; photo (M)

Bank of Thailand raises its benchmark interest rate to 1.75 percent from 1.5 percent in effort to offset inflationary effects of higher oil prices (S)1

Montefiore Medical Center, NYC, has invested $120 million in information technology since 1993 and has involved doctors in system design in effort to minimize grumbling about change; after initial resistance, most have come to see system as boon to patient health; photos (M)

Texas Instruments plans to announce it is developing technology that will allow wireless handsets to receive hundreds of high-definition TV channels; phones would not be marketed until 2007; Qualcomm is also working on computer chip to enable phones to receive digital television signals; both companies say HDTV phones will be in widespread tests by 2006; photo (M)

Immigrants in New York City say 2004 presidential election has captured their interest like few in memory; various immigrant groups, not just Muslim, feel their status is more precarious in US after 9/11; over 1.2 million citizens of voting age in New York are foreign born; recent registration drive by New York Immigration Coalition signed up 225,000 immigrant voters; photos (M)