By HILARY ROXE

ELECTED. JOHANNES RAU, 68, suave long-time politician known for his moderate views, accommodating manner and clean image, to the largely ceremonial five-year post of German President; in Berlin. Rau, who served for 20 years as premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, stressed the importance of national integration and urged his countrymen to be "good neighbors."

UNVEILED. THE LAST SUPPER, exalted masterwork of Leonardo da Vinci that spans a 45-sq-m wall, after more than 20 years of painstaking restoration; in Milan. To create the piece, the artist chose an experimental paint that began to chip away shortly after he finished it in 1498. Despite a series of reconditioning efforts, the mural became marred by humidity, dust, grime and pollutants. Art critics are divided on whether the restoration reveals the painting's original elegance, or steals its essence.

LAUNCHED. By GAAFAR NIMEIRI, 69, polemical ex-dictator of Sudan who recently returned to the country after a 14-year exile in Egypt, the People's Working Forces Alliance Party; in Khartoum. Sudan's violent civil war, which began during Nimeiri's harsh 16-year Islamic rule, has left nearly 2 million dead, adding to the appeal of the former army colonel's calls for national unity.

DIED. PAUL SACHER, 93, affluent Swiss conductor and industrialist, whose study of early music and support of modern composers made him one of this century's most influential music patrons; in Basel, Switzerland. Sacher, who began playing the violin at the age of six, founded Basel's Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Choir in the 1920s. After marrying the widow and sole heir to the fortune of pharmaceutical giant Hoffman-LaRoche, Sacher became a director of the company, holding the post for more than 60 years.

DIED. OWEN HART, 33, the World Wrestling Federation's popular masked "Blue Blazer," whose good-guy persona matched his real-life family values, after tumbling more than 18 m in front of 14,000 fans in a failed performance stunt; in Kansas City, Missouri. Believing the fall to be part of the sport's notoriously histrionic entertainment, audience members cheered as the youngest son of a Canadian wrestling dynasty detached from a cable as it lowered him from the rafters and then pitched into a ringpost.

DIED. RAMON RUBIAL CAVIA, 92, unwavering Spanish socialist whose allegiance to the cause helped the Spanish Socialist Workers Party survive the country's civil war and the ruthless dictatorship of General Francisco Franco; in Bilbao, Spain. For his efforts, Rubial spent nearly 20 years in prison, but led the party from the underground after his release. Later he helped usher in Spain's next generation of socialist leaders, including the future Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez. Rubial was president of the party until his death.

60 Second Symposium

ANIMATED DISCUSSION: The prominent facial mole of Israel's Ehud Barak will make him a popular man with caricaturists. We asked political cartoonists to name other figures they thought were particularly enjoyable targets.

Stephen Breen, Asbury Park Press Steve Forbes is my favorite to draw because he looks like he's on some kind of controlled substance. He has these wonderfully goofy eyeballs and this kind of semimaniacal smile. I noticed he changed his hair within the last couple of years. He looks a little more presidential, which is bad for us. We like the goofy hair.

Jack Ohman, The Oregonian I like drawing Dan Quayle because I think he looks like a Furby or one of the Campbell's soup kids, and frankly some of the other people out in politics today look like Mr. Potato Heads. Everybody is so bland looking. Those are the people who drive you crazy. My idea of hell would be having to draw George W. Bush for eight years.

Ranan Lurie, Neue Zurcher Zeitung I would say Leonid Brezhnev. His face was like an ancient map of his character. It reflected so much of his personality and gave you several different ways to express the same features. If once in a blue moon he smiled, it was such a rarity that it was like a scoop. I was impressed with how his viciousness just spread into his face.


THIS WEEK'S TABLE OF CONTENTS