NEWS SUMMARY
Date: 13 April 1992
International A2-13 IRAN'S MODERATES LEAD VOTE Early voting returns suggested that supporters of Iran's President were headed for a big victory over their anti-Western rivals in national elections. The vote seemed to signal disenchantment with the radical goals of the Islamic revolution. A1 KURDS TRIP PAST LAND MINES Ranging from small ones that maim to spike-topped ones that kill, countless land mines threaten Kurds in Iraqi border areas. A8 HANGING ON IN YUGOSLAVIA Whatever shape Yugoslavia finally assumes, its immediate economic prospects are certain to be worse than those of the nation born in 1918 as an amalgam of "South Slav" peoples and religions. A1 Alarmed by clashes, the U.N. plans to send observers to Bosnia. A6 WINNIE MANDELA UNDER FIRE A co-defendant told a South African newspaper that he lied last year to protect Winnie Mandela, wife of the African National Congress leader. He said she indeed ordered four young men kidnapped, helped beat them and told him to dump the body of the youngest victim. A3 COOLING TO AID FOR RUSSIA The Russian Government's moves to slacken its tough economic reforms and hints by free-market advocates that they might resign could delay the flow of Western aid to Russia, economists say. A12 Russian politicians haggle over reforms and power sharing. A12 U.S. splits with Europe again over aid to former Soviet states. A12 MEXICO'S SUPPLICANT CANDIDATES Halfway into the incumbent's term, Mexico's silent presidential race has begun. No one with ambitions to succeed President Salinas dares acknowledge them publicly. A3 JAPAN WARNED ON NUCLEAR PLAN The International Atomic Energy Agency has told Japan that its plans to import and store huge quantities of plutonium for its civilian nuclear program could pose "political and security problems" in Asia. A2 EURO DISNEYLAND OPENS Unruffled by muttering about cultural colonialism, Walt Disney opened its first European theme park 20 miles east of Paris. Thousands of families flocked to the park despite warnings that their children's imaginations would be crushed. A1 Prague Journal: From dissident to accused informant. A4 Taiwan's leaders plan to relax curbs on political freedom. A7 National A14-17, B8 FRAYED PENSION SAFETY NET The share of America's work force covered by company pensions is shrinking, reversing a decades-old trend of steady growth. Last year, an estimated 43 percent of workers participated in company pension plans, down from a peak of 49 percent in 1979. The drop was steepest among younger, blue-collar men. A1 EXAMINING THE INCUMBENT . . . Aides to President Bush braced for a searching new inspection of his record, character, finances and conflict-of-interest issues as aides to Governor Clinton urge the news media to play fair. A1 . . . AND THE ICONOCLAST The penchant of H. Ross Perot for riding to the rescue has taken him to the brink of a Presidential candidacy. But the Texas billionaire shows vagueness when pressed on the issues, and closer examination of his business exploits suggest that not all were complete successes. A1 AN ILLUSION OF AMITY SHATTERED When whispers of mistrust erupted into a brawl between blacks and whites, a small Michigan college founded as a bastion of racial tolerance instead became an example of the tinderbox race can still be. A14 CATERPILLAR CHIEF SPEAKS OUT As chairman of Caterpillar Inc., Donald Fites is presiding over what many experts say is the most important labor battle in years. It is an unusual position for Mr. Fites, a marketing man who has been widely recognized for his ability to forge harmonious relations with colleagues and workers alike. B8 BANK PRESIDENT GIVES UP A Rhode Island bank president charged with embezzling $13 million from his bank and blamed for setting off the state bank crisis surrendered to the authorities after 17 months in hiding. A15 CENSUS BUREAU BACKS OFF The Census Bureau dropped its attempt to dismiss a demographer who made public her unclassified estimates on Iraqi civilian deaths during the Persian Gulf war. A14 The Pope said he would visit Denver next year. A14 Metropolitan Digest, B1 THE JOBLESS EX-MIDDLE CLASS For tens of thousands of formerly solidly middle-class men and women thrown out of work by the weak economy, the recession has gone on too long. The effort to maintain a sense of control over their lives has become a daily challenge. A1 Business Digest, D1 Sports C1-10 Baseball: Yanks stretch streak to 5. C1 Up, up and away goes Saberhagen e.r.a. C1 Bonds and Smith lead Pirates to victory. C6 Boston's Young pitches no-hitter . . . and loses. C7 Basketball: Knicks reach a new low point. C2 Nets' playoff hopes look cloudy. C2 Boxing: Foreman escapes as a winner. C9 Columns: Anderson on Couples and Floyd.C1 Football: Knights lose more than just the game. C7 Golf: Couples wins Masters. C1 Hockey: Devils lose to Capitals. C4 Islanders eliminate the Leafs. C4 Horse Racing: All eyes are on the Derby. C9 Tennis: Sabatini keeps zooming along. C3 Courier wins the Japan Open. C3 Obituaries B9 Eve Merriam, writer Arts/Entertainment C11-18 Hollywood titans clash. C11 A Broadway dancer's life. C11 Theater: "A Streetcar Named Desire."C11 Dance: In Review. C12 Music: Continuum in works of Stefan Wolpe. C11 Fugazi at the Ritz. C12 Karen Akers sings. C15 Word and Image: Literary salons are attempting a comeback. C15 "Poethics," by Richard Weisberg. C15 Editorials/Op-Ed A18-19 Editorials A18 Inspecting North Korea. Get tougher with Peru. Pornography and crime. Diane Camper: Teens. Letters A18 Leslie H. Gelb: Peru -- ideals in hell. A19 William Safire: The stingers stung. A19 William J. Taylor and Michael Mazarr: Defusing North Korea. A19 John Hockenberry: Limited seating on Broadway. A19