New York City

New York Times names new executive editor

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bill Keller was named executive editor of The New York Times on Monday, saying he hoped to “quickly put the wounds behind us” from the scandal involving reporter Jayson Blair.

Keller, 54, a former Times managing editor and foreign correspondent, was chosen by publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. to replace Howell Raines.

Raines and Managing Editor Gerald Boyd resigned under pressure on June 5, five weeks after the discovery that Blair, one of the paper’s young stars, had plagiarized material, invented quotes and wrote stories under datelines of places he had never been.

Keller was a top candidate for the job the last time around, when Joseph Lelyveld left as executive editor in 2001. Raines was picked instead, and Keller became a Times columnist and senior writer for The New York Times Magazine.

West Virginia

Child sexually assaulted at busy Target store

Police searched for a man Monday who allegedly sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl at knifepoint at a Target store, shuffling her from aisle to aisle to avoid being seen by shoppers.

The alleged assault was captured by a surveillance camera at the suburban Charleston department store, beginning when the suspect started stalking the girl in the toy section, police said. He then assaulted the girl in the garden and men’s clothing departments before she was freed, police said. At the time, her mother was shopping in another area.

Police Lt. H.S. Leishman said the suspect posed as a security guard Saturday night, told the girl he saw her steal something and ordered her to follow him.

“People were everywhere,” South Charleston Police Sgt. Stan Miller said. “I don’t know how anybody didn’t see it.”

Police released the surveillance video showing the man, described as a white male in his 30s.

Jerusalem

Palestinian leaders settle differences; violence persists

Top Palestinian leaders settled a rift late Monday that threatened peace efforts, an official said, and a Palestinian stabbed three people in Tel Aviv in what police called the first terror attack in an Israeli city since a truce began June 29.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and Yasser Arafat were able to resolve key differences at their meeting, Palestinian officials said. Last week Abbas threatened to resign unless Arafat’s Fatah movement gave its backing to his handling of contacts with Israel.

Legislator Saeb Erekat said the two reaffirmed an arrangement that the PLO, headed by Arafat, had final say over contacts with Israel, emphasizing that Abbas is not a free agent in his dealings with Sharon.

The attack in Tel Aviv came hours after Abbas pledged to enforce the cease-fire. “Unfortunately there are some violations of the truce, and we will deal with them in accordance with the law,” he said.