April 30, 1991

The White House said it was considering further aid to Iran for 1.5 million Kurdish refugees camped on the Iranian border with Iraq. Page A11.

A small college and a big museum are in a tense tug of war over the ownership of a rare piece of Egyptian art stolen more than a decade ago. The case -- which may involve a murder -- raises an important legal question about who owns a stolen article later acquired in good faith. The work, a dazzling ornamental breastplate that once adorned a royal coffin, was stolen in the late 1970's from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., and later was sold to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston by an antiques dealer through Sotheby's. Neither the museum nor Sotheby's knew at the time that the work had been stolen. Nor, in fact, did Lafayette, whose president, Robert I. Rotberg, says the theft came to light only toward the end of 1987.

Last month, Cedric Holloway, a 20-year-old chef's helper, decided to invest $1,000 of his savings in a certificate of deposit or money-market account. Wearing a Syracuse University Orangemen cap, baggy jeans and a shirt, he went to a branch of the Great Western Bank in Tamarac, Fla., to investigate rates. After visiting three other banks, he returned to Great Western with more questions, then left again to go over the information. Accusation on Fifth Avenue As he sat in his car outside the bank reading brochures, he found himself surrounded by sheriff's deputies with their guns drawn. He was ordered out of the car, handcuffed and read his rights. Bank employees, thinking he might be planning a robbery, had called the police. After 45 minutes of questioning, the police accepted his explanation that he had been trying to put money into the bank.

Assemblyman James E. McGreevey often walks down Main Street in this town of middle-income residents, where tax increases and the state's Democratic Governor sent voters into a fury last year. A 33-year-old freshman legislator, Mr. McGreevey is one of 11 Democrats who have decided not to return to Trenton next year, when most politicians believe it will be very difficult for Democrats to hold on to majorities in the two houses of the Legislature.

Soviet Quake Kills 30 A powerful earthquake jolted the mountainous heart of Soviet Georgia, killing at least 30 people, demolishing buildings and cutting several villages off from communications. Page A3. The First Pressing Archeologists say they have evidence that the first wine dates from 3500 B.C., and a robust vintage it must have been. Science Times, page C1. Campeau Chains Offer Deal The bankrupt chains once controlled by Robert Campeau filed a reorganization plan that calls for suppliers to get stock in a new company. Page D1.