October 15, 1997

Britain's new Labor Government, which committed itself during election campaign to respecting budget ceilings fixed by Tories, has cut Government spending on the arts for coming year and indicates that it will do so again in 1998 and 1999; theaters, orchestras and opera companies are demoralized; photo of Chris Smith, new Secretary of State for Culture, and Nicholas Serota, director of Tate Gallery, burying time capsule at Tate's new $120 million modern art museum, being built beside Thames (M)

Florence Fabricant article on colorful, exotic rices that have come onto market in recent years, including jasmine, Bhutanese red, vialone nano, Wehani, Turkish baldo and black japonica; photos; recipes (L)

Interviews with diplomats, Jordanian and Israeli officials and witnesses to bungled Israeli bid to assassinate Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in Amman in late Sept provide fuller picture of effort and its aftermath; incident has proven very costly to Israel, angering King Hussein, rupturing decades-old covert intelligence ties between Israel and Jordan, threatening to scuttle peace process and damaging Israel's vaunted Mossad spy service; Israeli Prime Min Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Amman in middle of night four days after attack to apologize to Crown Prince Hassan; Hussein refused to meet with him and agreed to discuss release of reported eight Mossad agents involved, including two in jail, only after Israel provided full accounting of attack; Pres Clinton mediated discussions, which led to release by Israel of Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin (L)

Immigration and Naturalization Service is holding Jesus Collado, Bronx restaurant manager and legal resident of US, in detention center in Pennsylvania for misdemeanor he committed 23 years ago; INS wants to deport Collado to Dominican Republic, which he left in 1972; says that under tougher laws passed by Congress last year, it has no choice but to deport him; some members of Congress say they are troubled by cases like Collado's and are considering whether some of language of new laws needs to be clarified; say it was never Congress's intention to deport people who committed minor crimes decades ago but have spotless records since; photo (M)

David Gonzalez column notes that dozen Dutch students from Breukelen recently visited New York City and spent two days in Brooklyn, borough named after their village, where they got glimpse into teen-age life at Midwood High School; says dozen Midwood students will visit Netherlands next year (M)