LEXIS-NEXIS® Academic Universe-Document

LEXIS-NEXIS® Academic

October 12, 2000, THURSDAY, Final Markets Edition

SECTION: NEWS; NEWS; Pg. 3

LENGTH: 594 words

BODY:
Chinese writer awarded Nobel Gao Xingjian burned his early writings to save himself from communist zealots, was denounced by his own wife and eventually went into exile. Today, the 60-year-old survivor of China's upheaval and oppression became its first Nobel Prize laureate for literature. The Swedish Academy cited the novelist and playwright for the "bitter insights and linguistic ingenuity" in his writings about the "struggle for individuality in mass culture." Gao, who now lives in France, said he was "very, very surprised" at the honor. Floods hit southeast England Floodwaters swept across southeastern England today, closing roads, washing away cars and engulfing homes. Police in East and West Sussex said a night of unceasing rain left much of their counties under water. Uckfield in East Sussex was among the worst hit areas after more than four inches of rain fell in 24 hours. Meteorologists predicted more rain today, but said the showers should ease off by Friday.

L.A. county workers back on job Thousands of Los Angeles County employees returned to work today after union leaders suspended a widespread and crippling strike at the request of an archbishop. The strike by a union representing 47,000 workers -- half the public work force of the nation's most populous county -- was less than a day old when leaders temporarily called it off pending more contract talks. Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Los Angeles Roman Catholic Archdiocese made his plea to striking county workers late Wednesday, saying a solution would come only through "face-to-face negotiations."

House OKs bankruptcy reform A bill making it harder for people to sweep away their credit card debts in bankruptcy court passed the House today, but the White House said President Clinton would veto the legislation. The legislation next moves to the Senate, where staunch opponent Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.), has threatened to block the measure. However, his power to obstruct legislation is limited, and Senate Democratic leaders, including Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), have expressed support for putting it to a vote soon. The bill would establish a complex mathematical formula for determining whether debtors are able to repay part of their debts under a court-supervised plan and therefore would not be allowed to have them dissolved. But opponents said the legislation would hurt families hit by job loss, catastrophic medical expenses and other hardships.

Synagogue vandalized in France The door of a synagogue was doused with gasoline and set on fire in southern France, police said today, in the latest in a series of anti-Jewish attacks across the country. The flames were quickly contained Wednesday evening and damage to the synagogue in La Seyne-sur-Mer in the Var region was minimal, police said. The incident brings to 22 the number of anti-Semitic incidents this month. On Tuesday night, a synagogue in Trappes outside Paris was all but destroyed by fire.

Rare diamonds on display at Smithsonian Two of the world's most famous diamonds now can be seen together. The 41-carat Dresden Green diamond went on display today, joining the blue 45-carat Hope diamond at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. It's the first trip to the United States for the stone from the famous Green Vault Museum in Dresden, Germany. It will remain on show until late January. "It's rare, very rare, that you see two diamonds like this together. In fact it's probably the one and only time it will happen," said Museum Director Robert Fri.

LOAD-DATE: October 13, 2000