BRIEFLY TALKS ON EPHEDRA OPEN IN CONGRESS.

Byline: - Daily News Staff and Wire Services

Congress should rewrite a law that rolled back dietary-supplement regulations and require manufacturers to acknowledge potential side effects, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said Wednesday.

Thompson's comments came as the House Energy and Commerce oversight subcommittee opened two days of hearings on the supplements, with a particular focus on ephedra, often promoted as a weight-loss product. Ephedra has been linked to as many as 100 deaths.

Ernie and Pat Bechler, the parents of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler, were among those who testified. Their son died during spring training in February.

OLYMPICS: Nordic and Baltic ministers for gender equality expressed their ``abhorrence'' over Greek plans to increase the number of brothel permits in Athens for the 2004 Olympics.

``It is with indignation and surprise that we have learned that Greece plans to increase brothel activities during the Olympics in Athens 2004. This will lead to more women being exploited and abused,'' Cabinet ministers for gender equality in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania said in a joint letter to the mayor of Athens.

TENNIS: Defending U.S. Open champion Pete Sampras withdrew from this year's tournament. Andre Agassi, who he beat in last year's final, will be the top seed. He is the first U.S. Open men's singles champion not to defend his title since 1970 winner Ken Rosewall. The women's seedings were to be announced today.

SWIMMING: Twenty-four hours after lowering his own world record in the semifinals of the 200-meter butterfly at the world swimming championships in Barcelona, Spain, American Michael Phelps took gold in that event Wednesday with the second-fastest time in history - 1 minute, 54.35 seconds, just 0.42 off his record.

Fifty minutes later, Phelps' leadoff leg helped set an American record in the 800 freestyle relay (7:10.26).

OBITUARY: Francis David Galarneau died Tuesday at 76, leaving behind a coaching career that spanned 35 years at five area high schools. Francis, a former Marine and LAPD officer, coached football, baseball and basketball at Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, Chaminade of West Hills, St. Genevieve of Panorama City, Providence of Burbank and Salesian of Los Angeles from 1960 to 1995.