September 15, 2000

27th Summer Olympic Games open, Sydney, Australia; 10,500 athletes from 199 nations prepare to march in opening ceremonies; Australia fields largest team, with 628 athletes; torch relay has been exceedingly popular in Australia, giving ordinary people link to heavily commercialized Olympics; photos (M)

Blockade of British refineries and storage depots breaks up and oil trucks procede, unimpeded, for first time in week; Prime Min Tony Blair warns it will take some time before most drivers see gas back in their neighborhhd pumps; hastily organized protest of high fuel prices was instigated by Brynie Williams, who now urges other protesters to end their protests; Williams, Welsh farmer, says he feels siege should be lifted while it still occupies 'high moral ground,' and before disruptions erode popular support for cause; Blair reports that 12 of 20 main supply depots are operating freely (M)

Pres Clinton says he is 'quite troubled' by government's actions in Wen Ho Lee case, in stinging and highly unusual rebuke of his own Justice Dept and FBI; Clinton questions whether prosecutors had adequate grounds to keep Lee in jail for nine months awaiting trial; says it is difficult to reconcile government's two positions on Lee, that one day he is terrible risk to national security and next day he is allowed to make plea agreement for offense far more modest than what had been alleged; Clinton is noncommittal when asked if he would consider pardon for Lee, but he expresses sympathy for him; Clinton's blunt remarks seem certain to heighten furor over case that has turned into major embarrassment for Atty Gen Janet Reno, FBI's director, Louis J Freeh and Energy Sec Bill Richardson, all of whom favored indictment of Lee and are unapologetic about his treatment; photos (M)

Causes Cited in Tire Recall Employees suggest that heavy production demands and lax quality control at a Firestone plant led to problems with tires. PAGE C1 Kosovo Quandary House and Senate negotiators are debating a deadline to pull G.I.'s from Kosovo, putting Gov. George W. Bush on the spot. PAGE A12 Wait for the Games Is Over The beleaguered Olympic movement tries to shift the world's focus to the competitors in Sydney, Australia. SPORTSFRIDAY, PAGE D1

United States defeats Norway, 2-0, in women's soccer at Olympic Games; photos (M)