Today's Story Line:

The inhumane conditions faced by people in Mexico's big mental health institutions were exposed this past week. But there are viable and effective alternatives, including small, community-based programs.

Residents of Mitrovica also face inhumane conditions - of a different sort. But K-FOR troops continue their attempts to defuse the ethnic tensions.

Forever Mir? The Russian space station will soon star in a feature film.

David Clark Scott World editor

REPORTERS ON THE JOB..

*TRACKING AN ARTIST: One of the challenges facing reporter Shawn Donnan was how to find one of Australia's most famous Aboriginal artists. Clifford Possum, he was told, often sleeps in a different place each night. And he has a drinking problem. But Shawn found out that a gallery owner in Alice Springs, who was notoriously suspicious of journalists, could probably find Mr. Possum. Shawn spent an hour talking with the gallery owner. "I didn't want the first thing out of my mouth to be 'where is Clifford Possum?' so, I hung on and suddenly, he surprised me. 'I wouldn't normally do this, but follow me.' He took me upstairs and showed me his stock of unstretched canvases. I asked if he had any Clifford Possums. He did. 'Wow,' I said. 'I'd love to meet him.' " The gallery owner called his Sri Lankan driver, Arnie, and told him to get Clifford the next morning and "make sure he didn't drink too much that night so he'd be lucid the next morning."

PRESS CLIPPING..

*EAST TIMOR EXIT: UN troops will replace a 19-nation peacekeeping force in East Timor this week, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. When it was deployed last September, the tiny territory was in chaos. "We sincerely thank Interfet, in particular Australia, because Australia took the greatest burden ... politically and financially," said East Timorese leader Jos Ramos-Horta.

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