June 5, 2001

International Labor Organization says no nations have responded with concrete action to its call for sanctions against Myanmar because of military government's practice of forcing villagers to do unpaid construction work; European Union, United States and other nations had said they would impose sanctions, but are barred by World Trade Organization rules from acting against fellow WTO member; effort to isolate and punish Myanmar is losing ground; Myanmar's trade with United States and European Union has soared recently (M)

Gina Kolata reports on what is happening on frontiers of AIDS research, arena where scientists are asking questions that are stunningly fundamental; new research involves trying to understand how to make AIDS a manageable disease like mononucleosis or chicken pox; drawings illustrate how AIDS virus hides in blood and lymphatic system, and hides in tissue; photos of researchers Dr Martin Markowitz and Dr Bruce Walker (L) (Special section: AIDS at 20)

Public opinion polls show Britain's Labor Party, led by Prime Min Tony Blair, heads into June 7 national elections 17 points ahead of Tory opposition; party could increase current edge in 650-seat House of Commons by 10 percent, to about 200 seats; despite apparent popularity, party which assumed power in 1997 on wave of euphoria accompanying end of 18 years of Tory rule, is generally perceived to have failed to live up to expectations; has developed reputation for being arrogant, overly enthusiastic about its power, ruthless about stifling dissent--particularly in Parliament--and obsessed with buffing its image; is perceived as party of control freaks, reputation enhanced by its tight rein on press; despite its failures and shortcomings, many Britons--even those disillusioned with Labor--feel Tory opposition is far worse; photo (M)

Bikini, which fell from favor in 1990's, is enjoying vibrant comeback in US, including among women in late 30's and 40's; comeback attributed mainly to large social and cultural forces, such as premium placed on fitness training among older women and increasing acceptability of plastic surgery; perhaps strongest influence is pop culture's latest adoration of bareness; photos (L)

N R Narayan Murthy, chairman of Infosys Technologies, tells annual meeting that company, India's largest software exporter, plans to add up to 2,000 employees; says company will spend $80 million to add infrastructure in current fiscal year (S)