August 6, 2001

Comprehensive new census data show American standard of living increased markedly throughout most of country in 1990's, with gains in education, housing and mobility along with higher income; provide latest evidence that magnet of readily available jobs is attracting immigrants at ever faster pace; finds about 44 percent of nation's 30.5 million foreign-born residents arrived in 1990's and that immigrants make up 11 percent of country's population--largest share since 1930's; nearly one in five Americans does not speak English at home; survey finds much of nation's wealth is still concentrated in Northeast, but that region lost some of its edge in decade as jobs and people migrated to fast-growing, economically vibrant areas like Southeast and West; other findings highlighted (M)

Maurice Greene wins third consecutive world title in 100-meter race at World Championships in Edmonton, Alberta; photo (M)

BT Offered $25.7 Billion For Its Fixed-Line Network A consortium led by a major German bank has offered to buy the fixed-line network of British Telecommunications for £18 billion, or $25.7 billion, people close to the discussions said. The offer, by Westdeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale, is more comprehensive than an earlier $11.4 billion bid for British Telecom's local loop -- the copper wires that connect 28 million customers to its network. BT rebuffed that offer, from an American group made up of Babcock & Brown, an asset finance company, and Chancery Lane Capital, an investment bank, late last month. [Page C2.]

Annual summer preview season of Eliot Feld's Ballet Tech troupe begins Aug 8 at Joyce Theater; Al Jarreau's Hot Summer Nights tour will make three stops in New York region: Westbury Music Fair, Beacon Theater and New Jersey Performing Arts Center; pianist-singer Diana Krall is headliner at JVC Jazz Festival Newport; Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles and Chuck Mangione are among others who will perform; photo; four short works are being staged in repertory in Blueprint series at Ontological Theater in East Village (M)

Special report, Council Contests: A Crowded Field, focuses on New York City Council races; from borough to borough, imposition of term limits on 35 of City Council's 51 members and retirement of two others has swung election wide open, allowing hundreds of candidates flush with public campaign matching funds to run for office; composition of broad field of more than 300 candidates reflects city's diversity and its surging immigrant population more closely than in any other election year in memory; there are candidates from Guyana and nearly every island in Caribbean, as well as Russia, India, Taiwan and Peru among others; while native politics is infusing some races with multiple candidates, old-style borough politics dominates campaign chatter in others; party organizations in several boroughs are leading court fights against petitions of outsider candidates, little more than month before September primary, trying to bump as many as possible off ballot; maps of election districts depicting ethnic diversity in each (L)