May 26, 2001

Timo Perez touched first, turned and bolted for second, even though his single had already won the game. Tsuyoshi Shinjo sprang from the dugout and chased Perez down, leaping on his back, two Mets reveling in the outcome of a wild night at Shea Stadium. Perez was the hero on Merengue Night, flawlessly fielding a Dominican flag tossed to him from the stands after the game. But the victory was for Shinjo. The Mets beat the Florida Marlins last night, 4-3, on Perez's line drive into the right-field corner off Dan Miceli in the 10th inning. The hit scored Lenny Harris, who had a pinch-hit double, and gave the Mets their first three-game winning streak of the season. The Mets (21-27) have now won six of their last eight games.

Boeing Co takes advantage of collapse of Russian aerospace industry by filling its Moscow design center with about 650 Russian engineers, scientists and computer specialists, who are among the most agile and skillful engineers and designers in the world; Boeing plans to double its stable of designers in Moscow within a year, a development that does not sit well with Boeing's designers in US, whose union says much of Moscow center's design work has to be redone because of differences in language and methodologies; Russian engineers are glad to have their skills in demand, but newcomers have to make some adjustments to Boeing's ways; photos (M)

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts liberal whom Republicans love to vilify, is planning a swift vote on increasing the minimum wage. Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico wants to limit plans for more oil drilling in Alaska and instead encourage conservation. And Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut has his eye on President Bush's plans to relax rules on arsenic in drinking water, forest roads and mining sludge. Although they are working on short notice -- Democrats learned just Thursday they will take control of the Senate for the first time since 1995 -- the men who are expected to lead the Senate's 15 committees are already busy shaping the year ahead.

Congressional negotiators agreed today on all aspects of the biggest tax cut in 20 years, and final votes are scheduled for Saturday in the House and Senate. Under the legislation, everyone who filed an income tax return this year will receive a rebate check from the government by the end of September -- $300 for individuals and $600 for couples.

Despite some strong opposition from the public at home and by the government in the United States, Russia is preparing to open its borders to become the largest international repository for radioactive nuclear wastes. With strong backing from President Vladimir V. Putin, the Ministry of Atomic Energy is expected to get a new legal mandate from Parliament next month to offer permanent storage for the highly toxic spent nuclear fuel that has been piling up in temporary storage basins at power plants around the world.