EVENTS

GERMAN TROOPS PARADE IN PARIS For the first time since the Nazis ruled Paris 50 years ago, German troops paraded yesterday down the Champs-Elysees as controversial guests in France's Bastille Day celebrations. Throngs of onlookers cheered as the Germans moved past, part of the five-nation Eurocorps that symbolizes post-World War II reconciliation. But the German presence fueled an emotional debate that overshadowed other aspects of the holiday. Opinion polls indicated that about two-thirds of the French public supported President Francois Mitterrand's decision to invite the Germans, who had marched daily down the Champs-Elysees during the four-year occupation of Paris. Those opposed ranged from communists to monarchists to former President Valery Giscard dstaing. Errors led to shootdown

A 22-volume Pentagon report released Wednesday describes in exhaustive detail a chain of human errors that led to the ``friendly fire'' downing April 14 over Iraq of the two Army Black Hawk helicopters carrying US and foreign officials on a humanitarian mission. The report lays out what Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called ``a shocking number of instances where individuals failed to do their jobs properly.'' South Korea eases alert

South Korea, apparently encouraged by signs of a smooth power transfer in the Communist North, yesterday eased a military alert ordered on the death of North Korean leader Kim Il Sung but clamped down on dissidents protesting a ban on publicly mourning Kim. About 1,000 students demonstrated in Seoul, demanding that the government allow condolence visits to the North and the release of colleagues arrested for organizing memorial events.

Digital to cut 20,000 jobs

Digital Equipment Corporation, which has struggled to keep costs in line with sagging sales, said yesterday it would cut 20,000 jobs in a $1.2 billion restructuring. The plan will create a more simplified management structure and save $1.8 billion a year in a restructuring effort that will be carried out over the next 12 months, the company said.

Floods continue in Georgia

Residents in Bainbridge, Ga., were elated at word that the Flint River would not reach predicted highs, but city officials said the crisis is not over. The river was at 37 feet in Bainbridge on Wednesday, 12 feet above flood stage. Forecasters changed their calculations and said yesterday's expected crest would be only 38 feet, far below the 45-foot crest predicted earlier.