EVENTS

U.S. ECONOMY SEEN AS IMPROVING Despite last week's decline in the stock market, 37 percent of Americans polled about the US economy think it is improving while 26 percent said it was getting worse, according to a Newsweek poll released Saturday. The poll found an additional 34 percent thought the economy is staying about the same and 3 percent did not know. The Dow Jones industrial average slumped sharply last week as near-panic selling, against the background of rising interest rates, triggered five straight sessions of losses before the index regained its footing slightly Thursday. (See story, Page 1.) Asked if they agreed with the Federal Reserve's recent interest rate hikes, 34 percent of those polled said rates had gone up the right amount, but 37 percent thought the increase was too high. Lastly, a majority of people polled 53 percent said they were not likely to change their personal spending habits and 61 percent said they would not sell or buy stocks now. Bosnia unrest

In Bosnia, new attacks were reported yesterday on the Muslim enclave of Gorazde, which has been under siege by Bosnian Serbs for more than a year. Meanwhile in northwestern Bosnia, the Red Cross made plans to evacuate thousands of Muslims and Croats being terrorized by Serbs. On Friday, Bosnian radio reported some of the fiercest battles in Gorazde and said dozens of Serb troops were killed. There was no independent confirmation of the Serb bombardment. Serbs have amassed 50 tanks in the region and defenders claim the troops are being reinforced by soldiers from Serb-dominated Yugoslavia. Egypt sentences

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has approved the death sentences of nine Muslim extremists for trying to assassinate Prime Minister Atef Sedki last November. Mr. Sedki escaped unhurt when a car bomb exploded. The explosion occurred near a school, killing a 12-year-old schoolgirl and wounding at least 21 others. The Jihad group, which assassinated President Anwar Sadat in October 1981, claimed responsibility for the attack. It was the third unsuccessful attempt to kill a Cabinet minister last year. Guatemala assassination

Gunmen killed the president of Guatemala's highest constitutional court in a drive-by shooting Saturday. Epaminondas

Gonzalez Dubon assumed the presidency of the Constitutional Court last June under President Ramiro De Leon Carpio. Earlier, as head of another court, Gonzalez had condemned the May 1993 attempt by then-president Jorge Serrano Elias to seize power. NCAA hockey

This time, Lake Superior State didn't need overtime. The Lakers won their second NCAA hockey title in three seasons on Saturday, routing Boston University 9-1. The Michigan team, also NCAA champions in 1992, had gone into overtime 13 times this season, including its first three tournament games.