Article on transformation taking place at British Museum under directorship of Neil MacGregor; because of budgetary problems, museum will mark its 250th anniversary with modest celebration featuring music, dance, lectures and exhibitions; MacGregor says he plans to gather museum's collections scattered around London and return them home to Bloomsbury; photos (M)

British Museum, at 250, Heads to Calmer Waters

 Returning to Space  NASA has apparently concluded that with repairs to the shuttle hardware and a reshuffling of management, the space shuttle fleet may be able to return to space as early as December.   PAGE A20

INSIDE

When Armando Benitez returns to Shea Stadium one day wearing a Boston Red Sox or a St. Louis Cardinals jersey, the Mets will be confronted with an intriguing question: How should they honor him?     When the backup catcher Todd Pratt returned, he received a video tribute showing his extra-inning home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1999, a drive that won a division series. Robin Ventura's highlight reel featured his grand-slam single to beat the Atlanta Braves in the 15th inning later that same October.  

Benitez's Days With Mets May End Soon

The Supreme Court preserved affirmative action in university admissions today by a one-vote margin but with a forceful endorsement of the role of racial diversity on campus in achieving a more equal society.    ''In order to cultivate a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry, it is necessary that the path to leadership be visibly open to talented and qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity,'' Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote in her 5-to-4 majority opinion upholding the University of Michigan's consideration of race for admission to its law school. [Excerpts, Page A24.]  

JUSTICES BACK AFFIRMATIVE ACTION BY 5 TO 4, BUT WIDER VOTE BANS A RACIAL POINT SYSTEM

BP agrees to sell about half of its Algerian natural gas operations to Norwegian energy company Statoil for $740 million in cash; sale includes half BP's interest in In Amenas project and just less than half of BP's stake in In Salah project; both fields are being jointly developed by BP and Sonatrach, Algerian state oil and gas company (M)

BP Is Selling Gas Stakes In Algeria To Statoil

Supreme Court votes, 5 to 4, to uphold affirmative action program for admission to University of Michigan's law school, but votes 6 to 3 to invalidate affirmative action program for admission to university's undergradute college, which, unlike law school's, uses point system based in part on race; Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, writing majority opinion on law school's program, says it provides highly individualized, holistic review of each applicant's file in which race counts as factor but is not used in 'mechanical way'; two decisions, taken together, provide blueprint for taking race into account without running afoul of Constitution's guarantee of equal protection; outcome is enormous relief to civil rights community, as well as to public and private colleges and universities, dozens of which joined briefs supporting Michigan University; Pres Bush praises court for recognizing value of diversity on campus, without referring to fact that administration asked court to invalidate both Michigan programs; photo of Mary Sue Coleman, jubilant president of University of Michigan; photos show justices as they voted on each decision (M)

Court Upholds Law To Make Libraries Use Internet Filters

Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates because it is worried about slow pace of economic expansion; economists and investors are divided over whether cut will be one-half of percentage point or quarter-point; Fed chairman Alan Greenspan and his colleagues have reduced benchmark interest rate 12 times in less-than-effective effort to stimulate weak economy; graph; photo (M)

Fed, Impatient on Recovery, Seems Ready to Cut Again

US Special Operations forces engage in firefight with several Syrian guards during American attack on convoy suspected of carrying fugitive Iraqi officials near Iraqi border with Syria on June 18; at least one of Iraqi vehicles destroyed in attack is hit by American attack helicopters on Syrian side of border; five Syrian guards are wounded, and three of them remain in American custody for medical treatment; American officials detain as many as 20 Iraqis, but do not provide any details about their identities; US has not yet discussed matter with Syrian government because so much remains unclear, including whether Syrian guards were trying to help or hinder American effort to halt convoy; photos; map (M)

SYRIANS WOUNDED IN ATTACK BY U.S. ON CONVOY IN IRAQ

Article on Dusty Drake, country singer who moved a decade ago from Monaca, Pa, to Nashville in hopes of becoming star; Drake's first CD has just been released by Warner Brothers; photo (M)

A New Country Star, Rewarded for Patience

Jacques Steinberg analysis of Supreme Court's decision on affirmative action program at University of Michigan law school, which he says clarifies methods that universities may use to engineer a diverse freshman class and affirms Justice Lewis F Powell argument in 1978 Bakke case that white students benefit educationally from presence on campus of 'critical mass' of nonwhites, and vice versa; chronology of landmark actions on affirmative action in and out of court since 1964 (M)

An Admissions Guide

Ivo Karlovic defeats Lleyton Hewitt in first round of Wimbledon; Hewitt is only second men's defending champion in tournament's history to be eliminated in first round; unknown Karkovic is ranked 203; photos (M)

Hewitt Loses to a Giant in a Tennis Fairy Tale

Harvard University molecular biology Professor Richard M Losick and team from Madrid's National Biotechnology Center report discovery that B subtilis bacteria is cannibalistic; research also explores many other species who eat their own and discusses various reasons behind inclination, including religion, ritual, sex, anger, survival, convenience and accidental ingestion; studies of Fore culture of Papua New Guinea show cannibalism increases risk of death from disease; modern examples of human cannibalism are given; photos (L)

They Eat Their Own; the Question Is Why

Germany's WestLB chief executive Jurgen Sengera resigns under pressure as regulators investigate losses at its equity financing unit in London; Andreas Seibert, who oversaw unit, also resigns; financing unit, which is run by American banker Robin Saunders, said in May that its 2002 loss was $807 million more than previously reported; bank's parent is Landesbank NRW; photo (S)

World Business Briefing | Europe: Germany: Bank Chief Resigns

Japan's merchandise trade surplus expanded 12.5 percent in May from month year earlier as growth in exports outpaced increase in imports; Japan's surplus increased to 694 billion yen ($5.8 billion) in month and exports grew 3.5 percent, slowest growth in 13 months (S)

World Business Briefing | Asia: Japan: Trade Surplus Expands

Harvey Araton Sports of The Times column discusses memorial for former Major League Baseball player Larry Doby, who was first black player to play in American League; discusses admiration of Doby within Montclair (NJ) community, where he settled and raised family; photo (M)

Sports of The Times; Larry Doby Knew It Was About Home

Central issue in power industry and among alternative power advocates is how best to eliminate bottlenecks in transmission grid: by building more long-distance transmission lines or by generating more power in small quantities close to where it is needed; aging transmission grid prevents much of power from flowing easily into areas where it is most needed during summer consumption spikes; traditional solution--to build more and bigger transmission lines--has few fans outside industry; many utility executives and regulators believe building more long-distance transmission lines and finding alternatives to long-distance transmission are both necessary; United Technologies is developing fuel cells and wants to adapt them to use with other local forms of power generation; chairman-chief executive George David comments; how Connecticut Valley Electric Exchange, or Convex, tracks movement of power in Connecticut and western Massachusetts discussed; photos (M)

Redrawing the Electric Power Grid

Indonesia's Bank Mandiri is moving back into equity markets with initial public offering to global investors that looks to raise at least $300 million; bank has received so many orders for shares that it has decided to double number in offering to four billion, equivalent of 20 percent of bank's equity; Indonesia was forced effectively to nationalize banking system on verge of collapse more than five years ago (M)

Investors Clamor for Stake in Biggest Indonesian Bank

Dr Trish M Perl, Johns Hopkins University chief hospital epidemiologist and volunteer to relieve health care workers in Toronto, gives insight into Canada's battle with SARS; describes fear and stress of overworked hospital staff while praising preparedness; Canadian infectious disease specialists appealed to US for help, with offer to pay expenses and $1,400 daily; around 300 doctors volunteered; surreal environment described; hospital workers must wear protective clothing at meetings and are quarantined; photos (M)

Behind the Mask, The Fear of SARS

Anna Kisselgoff reviews US premiere of work by French choreographer Maguy Marin at American Dance Festival in Durham, NC; Marin is awarded annual Samuel H Scripps American Dance Festival Award for lifetime achievement in modern dance; photo (M)

An Artist Dares the World to Change

New Jersey agrees to create independent panel to oversee its Division of Youth and Family Services as part of sweeping settlement to lawsuit that accused state of endangering lives of its foster children; researchers hired by Children's Rights, which brought suit, were given access to state files during discovery proceedings, and they reported that one in 10 children in foster care were abused and one in 5 did not receive proper services for their medical needs (M)

New Jersey Sets Outside Review Of Foster Care

Heineken Warns About a Sluggish First Half

Tenet Healthcare tells investors to expect significantly lower profits this year than anticipated; company, which is under regulatory scrutiny for its Medicare billing practices, blames higher costs and its limited success in negotiating more favorable prices with private health plans for care; also expects lower reimbursements from Medicare and state governments under Medicaid; acting chief executive Trevor Fetter comments; graph; photo (M)

Already Battered, Tenet Reduces Earnings Forecast For Rest of Year

Supreme Court's endorsement of affirmative action program at University of Michigan law school sets off wave of consternation among conservative groups, and several their leaders plan to demand that Pres Bush choose someone whose opposition to affirmative action is beyond doubt for next vacancy on court; several fault Alberto R Gonzales, White House counsel who is frequently mentioned as likely choice to fill any court vacancy, for blocking White House from submitting more hard-line brief in court on Michigan case; administration's brief held university's affirmative programs to be unconstitutional, but acknowledged that racial diversity could be worthwhile goal, principal rationale behind court's endorsement of law school's program; photo (M)

SOME ON THE RIGHT SEE A CHALLENGE

Central Bank of Ireland expects gross national product to increase 1.5 percent this year, up from 0.6 percent in 2003; expects gross domestic product to rise 2.75 percent (S)

World Business Briefing | Europe: Ireland: G.N.P. Growth Forecast

 Apple to Use I.B.M. Chip For Its Newest Computers  Steven Jobs, left, the chief executive of Apple Computer, introduced an alliance with I.B.M. that will install a powerful 64-bit microprocessor chip on Apple computers.    The new G5 chip, Mr. Jobs said, is also the foundation for the company's future software developments that will be based on an updated version of its OS X operating system -- called Panther -- that Apple will begin selling before the end of the year. [Page C6.]

June 24, 2003

Headlines from June 24, 2003

British Museum, at 250, Heads to Calmer Waters

INSIDE

Benitez's Days With Mets May End Soon

JUSTICES BACK AFFIRMATIVE ACTION BY 5 TO 4, BUT WIDER VOTE BANS A RACIAL POINT SYSTEM

BP Is Selling Gas Stakes In Algeria To Statoil

Billboard 200

St. Anger

0304

Get Rich Or Die Tryin'

Fallen

2 Fast 2 Furious

Historical Context for June 24, 2003