July 7, 2000

FIFA, in suprise move, awards soccer's 2006 World Cup to Germany over South Africa; apparently has fears about safety and instability in South Africa; Chancellor Gerhard Schroder hails decision; Pres Thabo Mbeki calls defeat 'tragic' (M)

New York Yankees defeat Baltimore Orioles, 13-9; photos (M)

Online Business Exchanges May Raise Antitrust Issues As companies in nearly every industry rush to join business-to-business exchanges on the Internet, regulators are growing concerned that they will face a rash of new antitrust questions for which they are not prepared. The exchanges create a place for companies in the same industry to buy and sell goods, potentially saving millions of dollars. But the sites, which can compile huge amounts of sensitive data and are often jointly owned by corporate rivals, also create opportunities for collusion and price-fixing that did not exist before, antitrust experts say. [Page A1.]

Clinton administration is planning to postpone first federal execution in nearly 40 years because of absence of clemency procedures and concerns about racial and geographic disparities in death penalty cases; administration is awaiting Justice Department regulations for death row inmates to follow in seeking clemency from the president, as well as department report about fairness of federal death penalty; Juan Raul Garza, who was convicted seven years ago of three drug-related murders in Brownsville, Tex, is scheduled to be executed on Aug 5, and his lawyers say they will use new procedures to ask Pres Clinton to spare Garza's life (M)

Courtrooms and hallways of New York City's courthouses are filled each day with families of defendants and victims, a stream of human traffic driven by surging arrest rates and crowded court calendars; majority of families are those who have long been seen in criminal court--the poor; but lately, working-class families who have never before had brushes with the law are arriving in shock after a loved one is arrested and jailed overnight for minor 'quality of life' offense; experts say that, whatever family's background, their presence in court can be a critical factor in balance of justice by humanizing defendant standing before judge and jury; photos (M)