TIME International

CHINA: Is There Any Way to Get Along?
An arms-smuggling scam in California adds another item to the list of vexing conflicts between Washington and Beijing. If things don't improve during this election year, there is a real danger the damage may be permanent

TAIWAN: Delicate Diplomacy with China
The new President proposes to visit Beijing in a "journey of peace." This would be a first for a Taiwanese leader

INDIA: Forced Voting Fuels Rancor
New Delhi's hope that elections would quell secessionism backfire when soldiers bully scared citizens into voting

BANGLADESH: Preserving a Fragile Democracy
Can the nation's caretaker government deliver fair elections?

EUROPE

ITALY: Nabbing a Mafioso
Black-hooded special police troops capture Italy's most wanted mobster, Giovanni Brusca. Nicknamed "The Pig," Brusca ranks among the most ruthless bosses in the history of the Corleonesi. The arrest deals the clan a major setback

State of the Mafia: Are serious weaknesses showing?

RUSSIA: Military Campaign
As the election approaches, Yeltsin tries to win over the army

MIDDLE EAST

SAUDI ARABIA: Creative Abdication
King Fahd will leave power, although no one is saying so

UNITED STATES

COVER: What's Best for the Children?
Marian Wright Edelman wants lawmakers to think about kids every time they cast a vote--yet there is sharp disagreement in Washington about what helps or harms the littlest citizens

BUSINESS

INVESTING: The Internet Takes On Wall Street
Deep-discount online brokerages as well as freewheeling forums are giving more power to small investors

MUTUAL FUNDS: A New Direction for Magellan
Jeff Vinik quits as manager of Fidelity's bellwether fund. His replacement, Robert Stansky, stands for stability

SCIENCE

ENVIRONMENT: Dying Coral Reefs
Cyanide for catching pricey fish poisons Southeast Asia's reefs

SPACE: Too Close for Comfort
Will we be ready when the next big asteroid heads for Earth?

SCIENCE: The Case of the Frozen Mummy
Modern sleuths solve a 500-year-old homicide

THE ARTS

CANNES: The Chinese director of Farewell, My Concubine joins Asian filmmakers in vying for a place in the sun

MUSIC: Not your father's soul music (or maybe just a little)

MUSIC: The Cranberries move from personal to political

FASHION: The hit musical Rent has already inspired a fad

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TRAVELER'S ADVISORY
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COVER: Photograph for TIME by Gregory Heisler

State of the Mafia: Are serious weaknesses showing?

BOSNIA: Warmonger-at-Large
Bill Clinton wants to get rid of Karadzic but doesn't know how

RUSSIA: Military Campaign
As the election approaches, Yeltsin tries to win over the army

MIDDLE EAST

SAUDI ARABIA: Creative Abdication
King Fahd will leave power, although no one is saying so

ISRAEL: Fighting to Get Respect
Ex-Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky forms a political party

AFRICA

TANZANIA: A Deadly Ferry Disaster
The passenger ship MV Bukoba capsizes in calm waters, killing more than 500 and spurring an official investigation

ASIA

TAIWAN: Delicate Diplomacy with China
The new President proposes to visit Beijing in a "journey of peace." This would be a first for a Taiwanese leader

LATIN AMERICA

MEXICO: Tough Job for a Turnaround Magician
Carlos Slim Helu buys the U.S. Prodigy computer-info service

UNITED STATES

CRUSADES: What's Best for the Children?
Marian Wright Edelman wants lawmakers to think about kids every time they cast a vote--yet there is sharp disagreement in Washington about what helps or harms the littlest citizens