A prep course for the month-long World Cup soccer tournament, a worldwide pheno

rginia Denny 's refused to serve the Martin Luther King Jr. . All Children 's Ch

oir , including 132 singers and chaperones . After 11 p.m. , Denny 's says , it 

needed prior arrangements for prompt service to a group that large . It is payin

g $ 450,000 to settle this complaint , filed with the Prince William County , Va

. , Human Rights Commission . Of the $ 46 million settlement , Denny 's says , $

 8.7 million is going to lawyers . The parent company approached the National As

sociation for the Advancement of Colored People in 1991 for help in resolving is

sues of racial bias at Denny 's and other subsidiaries . Last July the two reach

ed a $ 1 billion Fair Share Agreement , which is designed to pump jobs and dolla

rs into the black community . `` We hope such incidents never again occur at Den

ny 's or any other restaurant chain , '' the NAACP said Tuesday in a prepared st

atement . ( Optional add end ) In coming months , it added , it expects to see D

enny 's hire and promote more minorities , along with stepped-up trade between D

enny 's and minority-owned media and suppliers . The flagship Denny 's opened in

 California in 1953 . Of its 1,515 outlets now , 1,025 are corporate-owned . Six

ty-three are joint ventures in foreign countries , and the rest are owned by 168

 franchisees . Thirty-eight of the franchisees are minorities , but none is blac

k .

 JOHANNESBURG , South Africa On a sunny day of pomp and pageantry , President Ne

lson Mandela outlined a soaring vision for the new South Africa Tuesday in his f

irst State of the Nation speech , a carefully crafted address that tried to bala

nce the needs of poor blacks with the fears of rich whites . The nationally tele

vised speech before a joint session of the multiracial National Assembly and Sen

ate in the Parliament building in Cape Town set a healing tone and a moderate co

urse for the new democracy as it struggles to shed the social and economic inequ

ities of apartheid . The goal , Mandela repeatedly vowed , is a `` people-center

ed society . '' Its aims are nothing less than `` freedom from want , freedom fr

om hunger , freedom from deprivation , freedom from ignorance , freedom from sup

pression and freedom from fear . '' `` Let us all get down to work , '' he said 

, to a standing ovation from the 490 legislators . He pleaded for reconciliation

 and an end to racism. saying that derisive words like kaffirs for blacks , cool

ies for Asians and baas for a white boss should be expunged from the national vo

cabulary . And in perhaps the most moving section , he read a poem linking the g

rowth of an African child to the demand for freedom . The author was Ingrid Jonk

er , who committed suicide in 1965 after breaking with her father , a conservati

ve Afrikaner legislator , over the injustice and indignity of apartheid . `` To 

her and others like her , we owe a commitment to the poor , the oppressed , the 

wretched and the despised , '' Mandela said . Despite the inspiring rhetoric , M

andela 's initial programs and policies were unexpectedly modest for a country i

n which nearly half the black majority is unemployed , illiterate and without pr

oper health care or housing . The limited scope reflected the reality of a gover

nment based on a still-untested power-sharing formula and an economy emerging fr

om a four-year recession and a decade of capital flight . In his most specific p

ledge , Mandela promised to start a 100-day crash program under his personal sup

ervision to provide immediate health and nutrition services to impoverished fami

lies . Under the program , children under the age of 6 and pregnant women will r

eceive free medical care in every state hospital and clinic . Supplementary feed

ing programs for malnourished children also will begin in every primary school `

` where such need is established , '' Mandela said . Beyond that , he pledged to

 invest `` substantial amounts '' to provide nine years of free compulsory educa

tion . And he said he had given instructions `` as a matter of urgency .. . to e

mpty our prisons of children and place them in suitable alternative care . '' Ma

ndela has said as many as 25,000 children and juveniles are held in detention an

d prisons , but government leaders and corrections officials have strenuously de

nied the charge . Although Mandela conceded that `` many details .. . remain to 

be discussed , agreed ( to ) and put in place , '' he also pledged to start a pu

blic works program to `` rebuild our townships , restore services in rural and u

rban areas '' and create millions of jobs . He gave no overall cost but said his

 government would allocate $ 735 million in its first budget for the so-called r

econstruction and development plan . He said the money would come from savings a

nd redirected spending in the anticipated $ 36 billion budget , which will be an

nounced next month . ( Begin optional trim ) Mandela clearly hoped the speech wo

uld reassure the still-nervous national and international business communities ,

 which are awaiting clear signals of intent and policy from a coalition governme

nt that includes Joe Slovo , the chairman of the Communist Party , and many othe

r ANC leaders trained in the former Soviet Union and other East Bloc countries .

 Eager to create a favorable investment environment , Mandela said he is determi

ned `` to contain general government consumption at present levels and to manage

 the budget deficit with a view to its continuous reduction . '' But he offered 

something less than a no-new-taxes pledge , saying the new coalition Cabinet was

 `` agreed that a permanently higher general level of taxation is to be avoided 

. '' ( End optional trim ) Mandela 's speech was partly overshadowed by a contro

versy over the surreptitious hand-over by the former government of about 7 milli

on acres of state land to a trust controlled by Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini . 

The transfer was signed by then-President Frederik W. de Klerk a day before the 

elections and was reported by a local newspaper Friday . Both de Klerk and Zulu 

Chief Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi have denied wrongdoing in the last-minute tran

sfer of nearly one-third of the land in the new province of KwaZulu-Natal . The 

deal has raised suspicions because it was completed just as Buthelezi and the ki

ng ended an election boycott . The boycott was ostensibly based on demands for a

n autonomous Zulu homeland . Mandela , who has said he was unaware of the transa

ction , has ordered a Cabinet commission to look into the arrangement . He did n

ot mention the issue , or his campaign promises for land reform , in his address

 . The new lawmakers 400 from the National Assembly and 90 from the Senate also 

make up the Constitutional Assembly , which will draft a permanent constitution 

within two years to replace the interim charter used to guide the country throug

h last month 's election . Cyril Ramaphosa , the ANC 's secretary-general , was 

elected without opposition earlier Tuesday as the Constitutional Assembly 's cha

irman . Ramaphosa , who was widely acclaimed as the ANC 's chief negotiator for 

the interim constitution , declined to join Mandela 's Cabinet after he was pass

ed over as deputy president . ( Optional add end ) In another announcement , the

 new defense minister , Joe Modise , said he has reappointed the former governme

nt 's military chief for a five-year term . He said Gen. Georg Meiring would run

 the new South African National Defense Force , which will include both regular 

troops and former anti-government guerrillas .

 SACRAMENTO , Calif. . A bill requiring juvenile graffiti vandals to be punished

 with as may as 10 whacks of a wooden paddle was introduced Tuesday by an Orange

 County Assemblyman , who declared the public is `` sick and tired '' of the way

 such offenders are `` coddled '' by the criminal justice system . `` It is hard

 to take pride in your neighborhood when everything you see is covered with graf

fiti , '' said Republican Assemblyman Mickey Conroy . `` That is why paddling is

 so important . `` If we can stop these punks who have no respect for other peop

le , we can give the neighborhoods back to the law-abiding citizens of this stat

e . '' Conroy said recent public opinion polls show overwhelming public support 

for his idea . Those polls were taken in connection with a highly publicized cas

e in which an American teen-ager was caned in Singapore for spraying paint on ca

rs . Conroy also said he has received almost 200 letters and telephone calls in 

support of his proposal from across the United States . Graffiti abatement cost 

Orange County $ 1.2 million in Santa Ana alone last year and the Orange County F

lood Control District spent $ 500,000 more , according to Conroy , who said the 

state spent more than $ 30 million on graffiti removal last year . Conroy 's mea

sure , AB150X , ran into immediate opposition from Democratic Assembly Speaker W

illie Brown . Asked at a Capitol news conference about the bill , Brown said he 

would not vote for the legislation . `` A harsh penalty must be imposed , '' Bro

wn said , `` but I don't think it has to be a whipping . '' Brown said he also d

oesn't believe the Assembly Public Safety Committee , the first stop for Conroy 

's bill , will agree with Conroy 's views on paddling . As proposed by Conroy , 

any juvenile convicted of graffiti vandalism would be given four to 10 whacks wi

th a wooden paddle in addition to any other sentence that might be handed down b

y the judge . The name of the juvenile also would be made public . ( Optional ad

d end ) The paddle would be made of three-quarter-inch thick hardwood , 18 inche

s long and 6 inches wide . The whacks would be administered on the outside of cl

othes , not the bare buttocks . As outlined in the bill , the paddling would be 

administered by the minor 's parent . If the parent declines or paddles too ligh

tly , the judge can order a bailiff to do the job . `` I would rather give these

 juvenile misfits a little sting on their bottom early on when they are young , 

'' Conroy said , `` so five or 10 years from now we don't see these same kids in

 adult court , facing a more serious charge of rape or murder . '' Conroy said h

e believes paddling would survive a court test on the issue of cruel and unusual

 punishment .

 WASHINGTON In a decision crucial to the future of the C-17 military cargo jet p

rogram , the House voted 330-100 Tuesday to authorize production of six of the M

cDonnell Douglas Corp. planes , restoring production of two aircraft deleted in 

previous committee action . The House action blunted efforts to force the Pentag

on to buy existing commercial jets as an alternative to the C-17 , an action tha

t would have seriously undercut the future of the program . Air Force Undersecre

tary Rudy de Leon said in an interview the House vote was an important endorseme

nt of the Pentagon 's plan to put McDonnell Douglas on probation and measure ove

r the next two years whether the company can correct longstanding problems at it

s Long Beach , Calif. , plant . `` We really want to put the C-17 on a solid pro

file so we can judge whether McDonnell Douglas can produce at cost and on schedu

le , '' de Leon said . ( Optional add End ) The House vote marked one of the few

 times the California congressional delegation formed a voting block to support 

a defense program in the state , a major departure from past years when weapons 

programs attracted weak support from California Democrats . The C-17 is assemble

d at McDonnell Douglas ' massive complex in Long Beach , supporting 10,000 jobs 

at the plant and another 8,000 at subcontractors around Southern California . Na

tionally , about 30,000 jobs are tied to the aircraft 's production , now the Pe

ntagon 's largest program . The C-17 has long been controversial . McDonnell is 

an estimated $ 1.6 billion over budget on the aircraft program and has experienc

ed a long series of embarrassing technical problems , including the failure of C

-17 wings to meet strength requirements .

 WASHINGTON Republican lawmakers stepped up pressure on Democrats Tuesday to sch

edule congressional hearings into the Whitewater affair , as Special Counsel Rob

ert B . Fiske Jr. wound down the initial phase of his investigation of President

 Clinton 's role in the failed Arkansas land venture . Ending what had been the 

Clinton administration 's first extended respite from GOP criticism over Whitewa

ter , more than 90 House Republicans led by Rep. John T. Doolittle , R-Calif. , 

introduced a resolution calling for concurrent hearings by five congressional co

mmittees . The hearings would begin no later than Aug. 15 , the resolution state

s . In the Senate , Republicans were threatening to force a vote on hearings bef

ore the end of the week if behind-the-scenes negotiations between party leaders 

fail to resolve a long-running partisan dispute over the timing and forum for a 

congressional probe . GOP sources said `` some progress '' was made following a 

meeting Monday between Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell , D-Maine , and Mi

nority Leader Bob Dole , R-Kan. , but the two sides continued to disagree over g

round rules . If no agreement is reached by Wednesday , they said , Republicans 

might try to force a Whitewater vote before lawmakers leave town for a weeklong 

Memorial Day recess . Both the House and the Senate voted in March to recommend 

that Congress hold hearings on the Whitewater affair provided Democratic and Rep

ublican leaders could structure them in a way that did not interfere with Fiske 

's criminal investigation . Since then , Republicans have repeatedly accused the

 Democrats of stalling the public probe in hopes that public interest in Whitewa

ter would completely subside . In recent days , several developments have given 

Clinton 's GOP critics what they see as an opportunity to renew their calls for 

public Whitewater hearings . One involves charges of sexual harassment filed aga

inst Clinton by former Arkansas state employee Paula Corbin Jones . Another is t

he anticipated indictment of House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dan Rostenk

owski , D-Ill. , on felony charges . Both situations , while unrelated to Whitew

ater , have provided GOP sharpshooters with new ammunition to use in their ethic

s attacks on Democrats . `` The Paula Jones thing makes Clinton more vulnerable 

on Whitewater , and visa versa , because they both address the character questio

n , '' said one Republican leadership aide . ( Optional add end ) Fiske , meanwh

ile , is nearing the end of the first phase of his investigation into Whitewater

 Development Corp. and its possible contribution to the failure of a Little Rock

 , Ark. , thrift . Fiske has repeatedly stated that , while he would prefer no p

ublic hearings at this stage , he would not object to a limited congressional pr

obe once the first phase of his investigation was completed . House Speaker Tom 

Foley , D-Wash. , plans to meet with Fiske Thursday to `` sound him out '' on po

ssible hearings once his initial probe is finished , a Democratic aide said . Bu

t Doolittle and other Republicans charged that the Democrats were still playing 

for time , hoping that health care reform and other concerns will once again sub

merge questions about Whitewater . `` Two months have elapsed since the House pa

ssed '' a resolution recommending Whitewater hearings and `` those hearings have

 yet to materialize and no timetable has been set , '' Doolittle said , adding t

hat , `` it 's time we do something about it . ''

 NEW YORK From Madison Avenue to Wall Street Tuesday , they were watching CBS . 

Not `` Hard Copy '' or `` Geraldo , '' but CBS ' business prospects for success 

in the coming months as the network faces the daunting reality that it will lose

 up to eight of its major affiliate stations to Rupert Murdoch 's brash young fo

urth network , Fox Inc. , which last year stole away CBS ' long-held contract to

 broadcast National Football Conference games . Tuesday , CBS stock continued it

s two-day decline sparked by Monday 's announcement that Fox Inc. had agreed to 

invest $ 500 million in New World Comunications Group . As part of that bargain 

it will gain up to 12 TV stations as affiliates , many in major markets , that c

urrently are affiliated with CBS , NBC and ABC . The biggest loser was CBS . CBS

 ' stock price fell 33 , or 11 percent , since its Friday closing of 303 , finis

hing out Tuesday at 270 . That means Loews Corp. , the conglomerate controlled b

y CBS Chairman Laurence Tisch and his brother Preston R. Tisch , lost about $ 10

0 million on paper over two days . Although advertising executives said the news

 was clearly a major blow for CBS , they said the full impact of Fox 's deal cou

ld not be calculated . The timing is tricky , since it is the beginning of the s

eason known as the `` upfront . '' That 's when advertisers lock up rates for pr

ime-time shows and make ad time commitments for the September to August season .

 The Fox deal could hurt CBS , which expects to control $ 1 billion of an estima

ted $ 4 billion upfront ad market , by making buyers less willing to pay top rat

es . `` An astute buyer will use this as leverage , '' said Steven Auerbach , a 

media buying consultant . Added Bruce Goerlich , senior vice president and media

 director USA for ad agency DMB&B : `` This is a good shot over the bow , and it

 will cause CBS to list a bit . '' Losing affiliate VHF stations those with chan

nel positions of up to 13 on the dial is a serious blow for CBS , observers said

 . CBS already faces a strong challenge to its fall lineup from rival ABC , whic

h reaches the younger audience desired by advertisers . CBS could wind up with w

eak lead-ins to its strong shows , such as the `` Late Show with David Letterman

 , '' as it is forced to replace the affiliates with less popular stations , som

e of them UHF stations that appear above 13 on the dial . The Fox deal is likely

 to spark a scramble as networks compete for the stronger affiliates . The loss 

of the eight stations will not happen all at once because of different contract 

periods . It also might not affect where advertisers put their money this year .

 Those decisions are driven largely by the demographic profiles of the network a

udiences , said Betsy Frank , senior vice president and director of TV informati

on and new media at Saatchi & Saatchi . But , she added , concerns over CBS ' li

neup of affiliates in major markets could cause media buyers to push for discoun

ts . ( Optional add end ) CBS ' Tony Malara , president of affiliate relations ,

 got the bad news early Monday morning that CBS would be losing its five affilia

te stations owned by New World in Atlanta , Tampa , Cleveland , Detroit and Milw

aukee , and stood to lose three more once New World completes its planned acquis

ition of two other companies that own CBS affiliates . Soon Malara was on the ph

one talking to station owners . Malara said Tuesday that he actually sees some p

otential opportunities , such as finding new affiliates that will carry Letterma

n . Currently , four of New World 's stations air Letterman a half hour late , a

nd Milwaukee doesn't carry him at all .

 WASHINGTON Presidential candidate Bill Clinton vowed he would punish Chinese le

aders by revoking China 's preferential trading status if they failed to demonst

rate documented progress in human rights . President Clinton is just about to do

 the opposite . Clinton is expected to announce soon that he is renewing China '

s most-favored-nation trading status despite China 's inability to meet several 

human rights objectives outlined by Clinton in an executive order a year ago . I

n doing so , Clinton would begin the process of de-linking human rights issues f

rom trade policy a link that has been a hallmark of Democratic party foreign pol

icy for 20 years . Clinton is not alone . In Congress where the sentiment for su

ch a linkage was first nurtured and frequently promoted many members who previou

sly supported revoking China 's trading rights have changed their minds . Indeed

 , Secretary of State Warren Christopher Tuesday went to Capitol Hill to gauge h

ow much the sentiment has changed in the past year , his spokesman said . Christ

opher said he hasn't made a recommendation to the president . Clinton told repor

ters he would make an announcement before departing for Europe June 1 by law his

 deadline is June 3 . `` The administration is definitely moving toward de-linki

ng human rights and trade , and there is widespread support in Congress for that

 , '' said Bonnie Glaser , a Washington-based consultant on Chinese affairs . Re

p. Gary Ackerman , D-N.Y. , chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee o

n Asia and Pacific Affairs and a longtime advocate of tying economic relations t

o a nation 's human rights record , said Clinton `` should abandon the charade o

f linking MFN to human rights. .. . This has become a silly dance . We demand th

ey take action , they let three or four people out of jail and we call it a vict

ory . We should be using other levers , so let 's drop the fig leaf of MFN . '' 

Clinton may not explicitly say that he is de-linking human rights and trade , an

d indeed may levy some minor sanctions on China to indicate his displeasure with

 its human rights policies . Aides indicate the president will portray his actio

ns as a middle course , but experts say he essentially will be abandoning his pr

evious tough line on China . `` That 's just trying to prevent Bill Clinton from

 having egg all over his face , '' Glaser said . The main reason for the change 

is that the prospect of 1.2 billion Chinese one day buying American goods has pr

oven far more persuasive than the forced labor camps , silenced dissidents and j

ammed Voice of America broadcasts . All but nine nations have MFN status with th

e United States , and those nine are minor economic powers like Cuba and Vietnam