USA

Friday will be a federal holiday and day of mourning in honor of Ronald Reagan, President Bush declared as plans developed for national tributes and memorials to the 40th president, who died at his home in Los Angeles last weekend. World leaders are expected to attend a funeral service at the National Cathedral in Washington. Capitol Police said they expect more than 100,000 people to file past the late president's casket as he lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said he'd cancel campaign events through Friday in Reagan's honor.

Leaders of the Group of Eight nations prepared to open their summer summit under tight security at Sea Island, Ga., with President Bush as host. The annual gathering of the US, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Canada, and Japan is officially an economic summit, but Bush is expected to use the opportunity (broadened with invitations to selected Middle East and African leaders) to press his views on Iraqi sovereignty and human rights and free trade in the Middle East.

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court paved the way for tens of thousands of Mexican trucks to use US highways without the need for extensive environmental study. The justices also ruled that Americans can sue foreign governments for the return of wrongfully acquired art and property. In doing so, they rejected a request by Austria and its government-run gallery to hold onto paintings that a Los Angles woman claimed the Nazis siezed from her uncle when they invaded Austria in 1938.

Jury selection was to begin in Houston in the first trial of former officials of scandal-ridden Enron Corp. Two lower-rung executives who served under top bosses Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling and four former Merrill Lynch & Co. executives face charges that they helped to conspire to manipulate the energy trader's books in December 1999.

Led by Phylicia Rashad in a revival of "A Raisin in the Sun," black actresses dominated Sunday night's 58th annual Tony Awards for excellence in Broadway theater. Rashad claimed the best actress award. Audra McDonald, another "Raisin" cast member, won for featured actress. Anika Noni Rose, the third black woman honored, was named best featured actress in a musical, "Caroline, or Change." The year's top play award went to "I Am My Own Wife," a one-man show. The top musical was "Avenue Q."

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