Milestones

HANNAH BEECHDIED. ROLF LIEBERMANN,88, skilled Swiss composer, who guided European opera houses with flair; in Paris. After a 13-year stewardship of the Hamburg Opera, Liebermann took the helm of the struggling Paris Opera in 1973 and energized it with top conductors like Georg Solti and Pierre Boulez. Although he preserved the institution's traditional repertoire, his own compositions, including a jazz concerto and several symphonies and operas, were more experimental.DIED. MICHEL PETRUCCIANI,36, adventurous French jazz pianist, whose deft improvisations showcased his technical discipline; in New York. Afflicted with glass bone disease, an ailment that stunted his growth at 0.9 m and left his bones so brittle that he had to be carried to and from the stage, Petrucciani nevertheless recorded more than a dozen albums, including a tribute to his hero, Duke Ellington.GRANTED ASYLUM. SERGEI STANKEVICH,44, former adviser to Russian President Boris Yeltsin, after fleeing Moscow where he was accused of pocketing $10,000 in bribes as the city's deputy mayor; by Poland. After months of deliberation, Warsaw gave Stankevich political refugee status, worsening the already frosty relations between Russia and the former East- bloc nation. Stankevich claims he was the big-name scapegoat of a foundering Russian anti-corruption drive.GRANTED STAY OF EXECUTION. LEO ECHEGARAY,38, Filipino house painter convicted in 1994 of repeatedly raping his 11-year-old daughter, of at least six months; by the Philippines' Supreme Court. Echegaray's scheduled execution--the first since the country reinstated the death penalty in 1994--has split a nation angered by surging crime but guided by its predominantly Catholic beliefs.CHARGED. CHEE SOON JUAN,36, Singaporean opposition politician who accused the government of censorship and human rights violations, with entertainment without a license, for leading a 250-person rally in December; in Singapore. Ignoring the charge, which carries a possible $3,000 fine and a five-year political ban, the head of the Singapore Democratic Party spoke out against the government again last week--this time to an audience of some 600 people.NAMED. ABULLAH AMAD BADAWI,59, Malaysia's Foreign Minister, as Deputy Prime Minister, by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad; in Kuala Lumpur. Abdullah replaces the ousted Anwar Ibrahim, who is on trial on charges of sodomy and corruption. Meanwhile, outrage over Anwar's beating while in police custody last September prompted the resignation last week of the nation's chief of police, Abdul Rahim Noor.