June 18, 2005

MasterCard International reported yesterday that more than 40 million credit card accounts of all brands might have been exposed to fraud through a computer security breach at a payment processing company, perhaps the largest case of stolen consumer data to date. MasterCard said its analysts and law enforcement officials had identified a pattern of fraudulent charges that were traced to an intrusion at CardSystems Solutions of Tucson, Ariz., which processes more than $15 billion in payments for small to midsize merchants and financial institutions each year.

THERE wasn't a lot of sentiment on display last night when the Cubs visited Yankee Stadium. Dusty Baker, the Cubs' manager, recalled how he was at the Stadium a couple of years ago to watch the Yankees play the Marlins in the World Series. As a player, he had come here in 1977 for the World Series when he was with the Dodgers.

Eight Saved After the Week's Second Helicopter Crash For the second time in less than a week, a helicopter taking off from Manhattan crashed into the East River, this time with six top executives from the nation's largest credit card company aboard. With emergency workers, boaters and people on shore helping, all six passengers and the two pilots were rescued. PAGE B1 European Union's Talks On a Budget Collapse A European Union summit meeting ended in failure and recriminations after the leaders could not agree on budget plans. The major obstacle was a standoff between the leaders of France and Britain. PAGE A3 Corporate Tough Guys Fall The fall of Philip Purcell of Morgan Stanley is evidence that the autocratic executives heralded a generation ago have fallen out of favor, Joseph Nocera writes. PAGE C1 The Segway as Bandwagon A bill that would define the Segway Human Transporter as an ''electric personal assistive mobility device,'' rather than a motorized vehicle, is advancing swiftly in the New York State Legislature, a change that would allow disabled people to use it on sidewalks. PAGE B3 North Korea Open to Talks North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il, said his nation was ready to resume talks over its nuclear arms program as early as next month if the United States treated it with respect, South Korea's government said. PAGE A5 Oil Prices at Another Record Oil prices surged to a record of more than $58 a barrel, spurred by a hint of a terrorist threat in Nigeria, a major supplier of crude oil to the United States, and worries about a lack of refining capacity. PAGE C1 THIS WEEKEND Fighting Gay Marriage A look at anti-gay-marriage crusaders in Maryland reveals that they share an ideology with organizers nationwide: they say they are fighting a disease. Also, how a dance craze called krumping took over an inner-city neighborhood. MAGAZINE Suburbs for Singles When New York becomes too expensive and noisy, single people are just as likely as their married counterparts to look elsewhere. A number of nearby places offer opportunities to find kindred spirits. REAL ESTATE Hiking in Norway When the ice finally melts, Norwegians embrace the outdoors by trekking from hut to hut. TRAVEL In the Fight ''Doonesbury'' goes to war in Iraq in ''The Long Road Home,'' G. B. Trudeau's new collection. BOOK REVIEW

Despite an hourlong wait under rainy skies, visitors flocked to see Bombardier's luxurious private jet, the Global 5000, which was on display this week at the Paris Air Show here, looking a bit like a Porsche parked among Volkswagens. Dry and cozy inside, potential buyers tried the wireless entertainment system, ran their hands over the polished wood trim and listened to Bombardier's sales representatives explain why the visitors just had to own this $35 million airplane. (Among other things, it is speedy, flying from Chicago to Paris in less time than it takes Gulfstream's rival G450 to fly from Chicago to London.)

THREE officials from the city's Department for the Aging paid a visit last week to the Roundtable Senior Center in Bushwick. They pressed the button and asked for admission. Go away, said voices from the other side of the locked door. So they went away.