1.   An amendment to give the federal government a stronger role in prosecuting crimes of bias deserves swift approval when it is taken up in the US Senate Tuesday.

2.   A British Telecom Plc purchase of long-distance operator MCI Communications Corp. would likely win swift regulatory approval in the U.S., antitrust and communication lawyers said today.

3.   House supporters of the measure say they expect it to gain swift approval in the Senate before moving on to Clinton.

4.   In a move to meet that requirement, the German government today unveiled details of its telecommunications bill and pledged to push for its swift approval.

5.   It is expected to win swift Senate approval and to be signed into law by President Bill Clinton.

6.   It won swift approval in the House and Senate only to languish in a House-Senate conference committee for the last seven weeks.

7.   Officials at Sanofi said they were optimistic they could win swift approval for the drug, especially after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration pinpointed it as a priority.

8.   Senate Republican leader Trent Lott of Mississippi has said he expects swift Senate approval of Powell on Saturday, shortly after Bush is sworn into office.

9.   Swift approval of the compromise is expected in both houses of Congress, and President Clinton is expected to sign it.

10.   The designation, which is given to drugs that treat life-threatening illnesses, can lead to swift approval of a product.