May 19, 1999

Yugoslavia, anticipating that NATO may eventually mount ground offensive, has stationed army brigades along likely attack routes from Macedonia and Albania and is trying to fortify border; positioning of Serbian forces represents marked shift in Yugoslavia's military strategy from overseeing expulsion of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo to preparing for long battle, and focusing on blocking incursions by NATO troops as well as rebel fighters of Kosovo Liberation Army; it also signals that while two months of allied air strikes have weakened Serbian forces, it has not broken their will; map (M)

Fed Leaves Rates Alone But Hints at Increase Later The Federal Reserve left interest rates steady but put investors and consumers on notice that it might raise them in coming months if it continued to see signs of increasing inflation. The shift in stance by the central bank's policy-making committee -- from neutral to leaning toward higher rates -- was subtle but signaled a clear change in the Fed's outlook from last fall, when it cut rates three times in response to the global financial crisis. [Page A1.]

Profile of Dael Orlandersmith, author and performer of The Gimmick, searing one-woman show about childhood in the inner city; photo (M)

About New York Column on Juan Pablo Fajardo, who arrived in New York from Ecuador in 1994 and learned English while working as busboy in midtown Manhattan deli and listening to Frank Sinatra records; Fajardo is one of three City University students whose essays on social justice issues earned them awards sponsored by CUNY English as a Second Language Council (M)

Orange County (Fla) Court Judge Richard F Conrad rules that Georgette Smith, who was left paralyzed from neck down in March when her 68-year-old mother, Shirley Egan, allegedly shot her in spine, will be allowed to have her life support disconnected on May 19; Smith's decision is expected to result in murder charges against her mother; prosecutors say Egan shot her daughter because she wanted to place her in nursing home; after Lucerne Medical Center refused to disconnect Smith's life support, she sued to compel doctors there to let her die; photos (M)