News In Brief

The US The recent controversy over the ''Good 'Ol Boys Roundup'' - the allegedly racist gathering for law-enforcement officials in the hills of Tennessee - may have been exaggerated or fabricated. The Justice Department says the source of stories and a video tape of the meeting is Richard Hayward, a former police officer. Hayward may be disgruntled at not being allowed to express ''white power'' sentiments at the gathering. The Justice Department is now seeking the original copy of the tape, which may have been fabricated. Senate hearings begin Sept. 6 on federal agents' attendance at the annual event. The total assets of the US's new largest bank: $297 billion. Chemical Bank and Chase Manhattan announced the biggest bank merger in US history yesterday. Together they will have 25 million customers and rank third in mortgage lending and fourth in credit cards. In assets they will bypass the current leader, Citibank, which has $257 billion. (Story, Page 3.) Freed Chinese-American rights activist Harry Wu says much remains to be done in China, though he is not ready to make another trip soon. Wu criticized Hillary Rodham Clinton's planned trip there for the UN women's conference in September. On Sunday a group of mostly Republicans concurred with Wu, saying Mrs. Clinton's trip implicitly sanctions China's poor treatment of dissidents and women. UN Ambassador Albright retorted that Clinton's trip will focus attention on human rights abuses in China and worldwide. Calvin Klein is pulling its controversial ad campaign, it said yesterday. The ads feature somber young models in suggestive poses. Klein said they were meant to show that today's kids ''have a real strength of character and independence.'' Critics called the ads as child pornography. Arkansas Gov. Jim Guy Tucker pleaded innocent yesterday in an 11-count fraud and conspiracy indictment related to the Whitewater real estate venture. James McDougal, the Clinton's former partner was expected to enter a plea today. The Clintons have not been named in the indictment. ''I've never seen rainfall like this in my life,'' said a weather service meteorologist of tropical storm Jerry. Rains battered the Carolinas coasts on Sunday and were blamed for eight deaths. More rain was expected Monday. A new generation of Powerbook laptops was unveiled yesterday by Apple Computer Inc. The sleek new machines, which will sell for between $1,600 and $6,500, are the first overhauls of the popular line since its 1991 launch. But because of Apple's notorious underestimation of demand and the long lag between Powerbook upgrades, questions remain whether Apple can boost its current 5 percent share of the laptop market back to 11 percent - the share it attained in 1991. Louisiana made it tougher for people under 20 to buy liquor last week. But critics wonder if revelry in the college-age party mecca will really end. The state has long prohibited minors from buying or drinking liquor, but it just made selling to them illegal and will slap fines on merchants who do so. ''If they really enforce it, everybody's going to go out of business,'' said a local partier. A record 5.1 million Americans were either behind bars or on probation or parole at the end of last year, the Justice Department said Sunday. Since 1980, the number of people in prison or on probation or parole has tripled, growing at an average rate of 7.6 percent per year. The total number under correctional supervision is 2.7 percent of the US adult population. The World Five shells slammed into Sarajevo's downtown area yesterday, killing at least 33 people. It was not clear who fired the shells. US envoy Richard Holbrooke vowed yesterday the attack would not delay a peace drive for the former Yugoslavia, but US negotiators would redouble their efforts. Israeli-PLO peace talks resumed yesterday after a brief cancelation by the Palestinians. A senior PLO official, barred from leaving the sealed-off town of Jericho to attend the meeting, was given special access by Israel. Also, Israel ordered three Palestinian offices in Arab East Jerusalem to shut down, saying their operation violates a self-rule agreement by operating outside the Gaza Strip and Jericho. PLO leader Arafat called the order unjustified, and said Palestinians were assured that offices in existence before the agreement would be exempt. The parties made some progress Sunday: Israel turned over eight more governmental duties to West Bank Palestinians - from delivering mail to regulating insurance. About 30,000 delegates are expected to attend the Non-Governmental Organization Forum on Women tomorrow in Huairou, China. China reportedly is refusing visas to several thousand women because of their political views. Tibetans and Taiwanese are barred from the conference. (Opinion, Page 19.) UN officials conceded yesterday their voluntary repatriation program started Friday for Hutu Rwandan and Burundian refugees in Zaire has been ''a flop,'' raising the threat that Zaire would resume forced expulsions. The leader of Northern Ireland's largest political party said yesterday he is stepping down. James Molyneaux, who has led the Protestant-based Ulster Unionist Party since 1979, said he was resigning to allow a new leader to prepare for general elections, which must be held by April 1997. (Story, Page 7.) Nearly 60 percent of Mexicans polled on the future of the country's Zapatista rebels said the group should become an independent political movement. About 30 percent in Sunday's poll said they should join other parties in an opposition coalition. The rebels called for the poll to help them decide their next steps. They do not want to resume fighting, they said. (Opinion, Page 18.) The secretary of Russia's powerful Security Council arrived in Chechnya Monday for a firsthand look at disarmament and plans for peace in the breakaway republic. Oleg Lobov plans to meet with Chechen leaders and Russian commanders. Eight ships carrying US weapons have arrived in the Gulf. More are heading there as part of a military buildup in the area following fresh tension over Iraq, a UN Navy official says. Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono surprised observers yesterday by announcing he won't seek reelection as leader of the Liberal Democrats. The move takes him out of the running for the post of prime minister. The Red Cross said yesterday it reached an agreement with Sri Lanka to resume food shipments to the Tamil rebel-held Jaffna Peninsula. The Red Cross suspended shipments after its ship was sunk by a mine. After a 10-year battle between the Philippine government and the Marcos family, Switzerland will transfer about $500 million in the Swiss bank accounts of late President Marcos to the Philippines. The money will be placed in an escrow account pending court action. The Marcos family has 20 days to appeal. Etcetera Norwegians, it turns out, can have their cake and eat it, too. Nine months after they defied warnings of economic doom and rejected European Union membership, Norway seems more prosperous than ever. Exports are up. Unemployment is down. Foreign debt is shrinking. And Norway keeps finding there is more North Sea oil than it expected. The world's first commercial wave-powered electric generator sank yesterday, less than a month after it was towed into place off the north coast of Scotland. The generator vessel Osprey developed leaks in two of its nine ballast tanks about 10 days ago. The 8,000-ton vessel cost $7.8 million to develop. It was not certain whether it could be raised and repaired or would have to be replaced. The world's two richest men reportedly are planning to take a train ride through China. Microsoft's Bill Gates, his wife, Melinda, and Omaha, Neb., investor Warren Buffett will make the trip next month, according to the Omaha World-Herald. A woman born in a World War II internment camp for Japanese-Americans plans to use her $20,000 reparations check to help single student mothers attend college. Lois Shimotori says she will set up the fund at the University of Nevada at Reno. Ms. Shimotori is a secretary with the Reno Police Department. World's Top 10 Men Tennis Players This list is current through Aug. 28, but it could change soon: The US Open began yesterday. 1. Andre Agassi, US 2. Pete Sampras, US 3. Thomas Muster, Austria 4. Boris Becker, Germany 5. Michael Chang, US 6. Goran Ivanisevic, Croatia 7. Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Russia 8. Michael Stich, Germany 9. Thomas Enqvist, Sweden 10. Wayne Ferreira, South Africa - Associated Press '' [It] still doesn't have either a head or a tail.'' - Bosnian Army commander, Gen. Rasim Delic, on the US peace initiative for the former Yugoslavia.

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