April 1, 1997

Federal Aviation Administration to break ground for world's first research center for airport pavement at its William J Hughes Technical Center in Egg Harbor Township (S)

Supreme Court, in 5-to-4 decision, upholds Federal law requiring cable television systems to carry signals of local over-the-air broadcast stations; ruling (Turner Broadcasting v Federal Communications Commission) rejects argument by cable industry that Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992 is unconstitutional intrusion on editorial autonomy and a form of Government-compelled speech that violates First Amendment; supports Congress's right to judge what approach would best insure competitive communications marketplace; allows Federal regulators to continue treating cable operators as local monopolies that control public's access to television programming (M)

Interview with Laurent Kabila, Zairian rebel leader who is adept at giving voice to the discontent of his countrymen but is less forthcoming about his own past as a left-wing revolutionary and his plans for Zaire's future; he insists he has abandoned Marxism and favors multiparty democracy, but his recent ctions hint otherwise; photos (M)

Edwin Bulus, who fled Nigeria after members of family were jailed for allegedly plotting coup against military regime, has been detained by Immigration and Naturalization Service since arriving at Kennedy International Airport in May 1995, and his treatment has sometimes been harsh; is accused by Federal Government of entering country with false documents, and has since been denied parole while request for asylum is pending; asylum advocates describe handling of case by immigration service as Kafkaesque; say while people caught entering country with false papers are typically detained, Bulus's case is unusual because of length and harshness of his detention and because his asylum claim centers on documents he alleges were thrown away by immigration officials; Bulus was ordered deported after plea for asylum was denied in 1995, but was later granted stay after new documents confirmed identity; has been held at eight different detention centers; will be given new hearing by immigration officer trained in asylum law (M)

Stock prices plunge for second consecutive session on March 31, fed by growing concerns over whether bull market can sustain itself after two years of double-digit returns; Dow Jones Industrial Average loses 157.11 points, or 2.33 percent, to close at 6,583.48; drop is biggest one-day decline since July 1996; two session decline of 297.22 points, or 4.3 percent, is biggest drop in percentage terms since index lost 4.63 percent over two days in August 1990, before current bull market began (M)