The search for rare B decays and direct CF violation at BABAR is described. The following measurements (based on integrated luminosities ranging from 56.4 to 81.9 fb[sup -1]) are summarized: the inclusive branching fractions and direct CF asymmetries of B[sup+][yields] h[sup+]h[sup -]H[sup+] (h=[pi], K), the exclusive branching fractions of B[sup+][yields] K[sup+][pi][sup -][pi][sup+] (where significant signals are observed in the B[sup+][yields] K*[sup 0](892)[pi][sup+], B[sup+][yields] f[sub 0](98)K[sup+], B[sup+][yields][chi][sub c0]K[sup+], B[sup+][yields][bar D][sup 0][pi][sup+] and B[sup+][yields] higher K*[sup 0][pi][sup+] channels), the branching fractions of B[sup+][yields][rho][sup 0][rho][sup+] and B[sup+][yields][rho][sup 0] K*[sup+], and finally, the branching fractions, the longitudinal components, and the direct CF asymmetries in B[yields][phi]K*.

During the first year of data taking, the 1999-2000 run, the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric collider has collected an integrated luminosity of 20.7 fb[sup -1] corresponding to 22.7 million B[bar B] pairs at the[Upsilon](4S) resonance. Using this data, we present the measurement of sin2[beta] based on samples of B[sup 0][yields] J/[psi] K[sub S][sup 0], B[sup 0][yields][psi](2S) K[sub S][sup 0] and B[sup 0][yields] J/[psi] K[sub L][sup 0] L decays. Our measured value is sin2[beta]= 0.34[+-] 0.20 (stat)[+-] 0.05 (syst). In addition we report on the measurement of branching fractions for exclusive B decays to charmonium final states, measurements of charged and neutral B meson lifetimes and also the B[sup 0][bar B][sup 0] oscillation frequency.

The BABAR and Belle experiments study CP violation in the B meson system. Recent measurements on direct and time-dependent CP asymmetries in B decays are reviewed.