Today's Story Line:

A lobster war is now under way in Canada. The fundamental issue: Is a 240-year-old treaty - giving unrestricted fishing rights to Indians - still valid? The courts say yes. Commercial fishermen say no way.

Indonesia's legislative assembly is choosing its political leadership. But redefining the military's role may be the most difficult challenge facing this nascent democracy.

- David Clark Scott World editor

REPORTERS ON THE JOB

*PROTEST BY INVITATION ONLY: The French penchant for protest is so deeply rooted that even the bosses demonstrated this week. They were balking at the move to mandate a 35-hour workweek. But they stayed indoors, renting a huge exhibition hall (seating 30,000), and it was a demo unlike any other that the Monitor's Peter Ford has attended. For a start, he had never seen so many suits and ties at a protest rally; nor had he ever had to be officially accredited to attend a demo before. Most unusually, this was an "invitation only" demo: One man who showed up "out of sympathy," he said, was not allowed in until an authorized participant gave him an invitation.

*ARTIFACT OR ARTIFICE? While in Cuzco, Peru, covering last week's stolen artifact conference, reporter Catherine Elton stopped in a jewelry store. In a glass case, she spotted some small pieces of pre-Columbian looking textiles. The description read: "authentic Paracas culture weavings." A saleswoman approached and told Catherine that they were "originals." "Do you know it's illegal to commercialize such artifacts?" Catherine asked. Another saleswoman piped up and said they were "replicas." "But it says right here, 'authentic,' " Catherine said. "Oh no, they're not originals," replied the saleswoman. "I am no expert in native textiles," says Catherine. "But it was the first time I've hoped that the saleswoman was trying to charge me too much for a fake, rather than selling the real thing."

CULTURAL SNAPSHOT

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