Milestones

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INDUCTED. Assia Djebar, 69, Algerian writer and filmmaker, into the élite Académie française, its first member from France's former North African colonies; in Paris. In a writing career spanning half a century, Djebar has won acclaim for tackling difficulties faced by women in Muslim societies. Currently a professor of French literature at New York University, Djebar becomes one of only 40 "immortals," as the Académie's members are known.

ADMITTED. Magen David Adom, Israeli aid society, as a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, ending decades of isolation from the humanitarian group; in Geneva. Since 1949, the Israeli agency had been excluded for refusing to wear the Movement's official red cross or red crescent symbols because of their religious connotations. Last week the international group adopted a new official emblem, the neutral red crystal. It also amended rules excluding non-sovereign states from membership, enabling the Palestine Red Crescent Society to join, too.

CHOSEN. Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, 71, Archbishop of Genoa, as Pope Benedict XVI's next secretary of state; in the Vatican. A longtime aide to the current Pope, Cardinal Bertone will become the Vatican's de facto prime minister, replacing fellow Italian Angelo Cardinal Sodano in September.

LEAVE GRANTED. To Martin George, 44, commercial director of British Airways (BA), and Iain Burns, 47, BA's head of communications, while a probe is conducted by British and U.S. regulators into alleged price-fixing by BA and other airlines; in London. The investigation is focused on ticket prices and fuel surcharges levied on flights to and from the U.K. American Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic have confirmed that they are cooperating with investigators. If found guilty, BA could be fined up to $1.6 billion. The airline said it complies with all antitrust regulations, and declined to comment on the executives' leave of absence.

DIED. Claydes Charles Smith, 57, a co-founder of the funk-pop band Kool and the Gang—once called the Jazziacs—whose instrumental-heavy monster hits of the '70s and '80s included Ladies' Night, Jungle Boogie, Joanna—which Smith wrote—and the now standard wedding anthem Celebration, which he co-wrote; after a long illness; in Maplewood, New Jersey.

DIED. Aaron Spelling, 83, gentle, trailblazing TV tycoon; in Los Angeles. Set on transcending his Dallas boyhood as the son of poor immigrant Jews, he produced his first hit, Burke's Law, in 1963, presaging a gift for what he called "mind candy." He made more than 3,000 shows in his five-decade career, including TV movies (The Boy in the Plastic Bubble), drama (Family) and addictive soaps (Charlie's Angels; Dynasty; Beverly Hills, 90210) that invigorated watercooler chatter but sometimes drew critical derision. "The knocks," he said, "bother you. But you have a choice of proving yourself to 300 critics or 30 million fans."

DIED. Vincent Sherman, 99, gifted studio-era director and lothario famous less for his films than for the luminous, gritty performances he elicited, especially from women; in Los Angeles. Known for his affairs with Rita Hayworth and Bette Davis, he juggled the egos of rivals Davis and Miriam Hopkins in Old Acquaintance and pressed a skeptical Ida Lupino to abandon makeup to play a pushy older sister in the bleak 1943 drama The Hard Way—a film that won Lupino accolades. "My strong points were my relationships with the actors," Sherman said. "My weak points were accepting assignments when I should have said no."

DIED. Harriet, 175, a giant tortoise said to have been brought from the Galápagos Islands by Charles Darwin and believed to be the world's oldest animal in captivity; near Brisbane. Although dna tests indicate the beloved resident of Queensland's Australia Zoo was at least over 170, her precise age, provenance and even sex have been disputed—for more than a century, the 150-kg grand dame was mistakenly called Harry.

Numbers
3,000 Estimated number of giant pandas left in the wild, according to a new study
1,000 Previous estimate of the giant panda population. The latest study, which relies on DNA testing of panda droppings, has eased fears over the animals' possible extinction

8.7 million Number of millionaires on the planet, according to a recent study
$44 trillion Projected total wealth of the world's millionaires by 2010

$1.4 billion Estimated annual value of the Japanese market for U.S. beef, which has been banned since 2003 over fears of mad cow disease. Japan agreed to lift its ban on U.S. beef imports last week
3 Total confirmed cases of mad cow disease in the U.S., versus 27 in Japan

$135 million Amount paid by cosmetics tycoon Ronald Lauder for Gustav Klimt's 1907 portrait Adele Bloch-Bauer I—the highest price ever paid for a painting
$104 million Price paid in 2004 for Picasso's 1905 Boy With a Pipe, the previous record holder