May 30, 2002

Julie Salamon reviews Barbara Kopple's four-hour TV documentary The Hamptons; photo (M)

Wayne Arthurs defeats Andy Roddick in first round of French Open; photo (M)

European Parliament is expected to vote to approve new data protection law that will make it much easier for police in 15 European Union countries to obtain and use communications records in investigations; civil rights groups, telecommunications companies and Internet service providers oppose law; flash point in law is provision inserted in draft last December by member governments; it requires phone and Internet service companies to retain 'traffic data'--information on their customers' phone calls, e-mail messages and Internet connections--long after it would be discarded under current law, at end of each billing cycle of one or two months; it would also loosen some restrictions on law enforcement access to records; compromise language adds requirement that police surveillance of citizens' phone and Internet use be appropriate, proportionate and limited in length; draft law also makes reference to European Convention on Human Rights, though only in footnote; terror attacks last fall softened opposition to law's data retention provision by many civil liberties advocates and European Comr Erkki Liikanen; other provisions that Parliament is expected to approve include ban on unsolicited e-mail advertising, known as spam, unless recipient has specifically 'opted in' and agreed to receive such mailings (M)

FBI director Robert S Mueller III acknowledges for first time that Sept 11 terrorist attacks might have been preventable if officials in his agency responded differently to all pieces of information that were available; says FBI will be 'redesigned and refocused' and its fundamental mission will now be prevention of new terrorist operations; says, regarding Sept 11, that there were no specific warnings, but there were 'dots that should have been connected'; this is sharp turnabout from substance and tone of remarks Mueller and other admininistration officials made in weeks after Sept 11; as recently as May 8 Mueller told Senate hearing that there was nothing agency could have done to prevent attacks; that stance has become increasingly untenable in recent weeks after news reports that two FBI field offices might have had important pieces of information that were never connected by officials at headquarters; Mueller thanks Coleen Rowley, veteran agent and general counsel in Minneapolis office, for her 15-page letter complaining that officials in Washington blocked field office's requests to investigate Zacarias Moussaoui further; photo (M)

Daniel Donohue, 37-year-old former seminarian, details allegations he had made that led to suspension of Msgr Charles M Kavanagh, influential monsignor in New York Archdiocese, interview; Donohue describes intense spiritual tie that he says grew sexually charged and emotionally abusive; outlines six-year relationship with Kavanagh that began when Donohue was 14-year-old freshman at Cathedral Preparatory Seminary in 1978 and continued to end of his second year at Cathedral College in Douglaston, NY; says he dropped out of seminary then, at 19, emotionally shattered by the experience (M)

David Pogue State of the Art column examines new cellular telephones from Nokia and Handspring that incorporate features generally associated with laptop computer and personal digital assistant; phones include organizing functions, Web and e-mail, as well as standard word processing and spreadsheet programs; photos; drawing (M)

Pres Bush says federal government will spend total of $235 million to buy back oil and natural gas rights in Everglades and off white-sand beaches of Florida Panhandle; Gov Jeb Bush says action is likely to help his re-election campaign; administration officials say agreement, if approved by Congress, would protect 765,000 acres in three preserves in Everglades, Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, by paying wealthy family of Florida $120 million for mineral rights under three preserves, which are home to several endangered species; under plan $115 million will be paid to three oil companies to buy offshore oil and gas leases to prevent drilling; Florida politicians of both parties have fiercely resisted drilling off coast for two decades; environmental groups praise Bush's plan, but say it is politically motivated to help his brother win re-election; photo; map (M)

Embattled Vivendi Universal SA chairman Jean-Marie Messier survives all-day meeting with directors concerned about company's strategic direction, ballooning debt and poor stock performance; company's board appears to support Messier in his effort to remake himself and his professional reputation; company says it will not convene another shareholder meeting this year; Messier had said Vivendi would consider holding new meeting because electronic voting system at original meeting in April had been tampered with; company also announces that board has approved Messier's proposal to create new committee to oversee corporate governance procedures; new committee is to be led by vice chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr and Marc Vienot, chairman of board's audit committee and former chairman of Societe Generale; photo (M)

Italian and German investigators have disclosed new data suggesting that hints of an air attack in the United States were more widespread in European law enforcement before Sept. 11 than previously suspected. Article, Page A21.

Osbournes, stars of most surprising success on television this year, agree to terms of new contract with MTV that will extend for at least 20 more episodes real-life adventures of raucous, crude-talking family headed by longtime rock star Ozzy Osbourne; negotiations turned out to be every bit as bizarre as series itself; deal is being valued at $5 million to $7 million by MTV and more than $20 million by agents representing Osbournes; MTV president Van Toffler comments; photo (M)

Analysis of Robert S Mueller III's painfully candid mea culpa for his embattled FBI; says his presence and that of Atty Gen John Ashcroft at two-hour news conference shows importance Bush administration attaches to rebuilding confidence in nation's keystone law enforcement agency; says by speaking so apologetically and self-critically, and by promising to redefine bureau's mission, Mueller is seeking to quell rising fury of criticism in Congress and elsewhere over FBI's shaky performance in advance of Sept 11; says his candor may lose him support among rank-and-file agents; notes some senior intelligence officials at FBI headquarters are said to be fearful that Mueller will not protect them as lawmakers demand that someone at bureau take fall for mistakes of last summer (M)

Barclays plans to eliminate about 1,000 consumer banking jobs, or 4 percent of unit's staff; reductions are in addition to 1,800 job cuts announced in February (S)