Wednesday, October 23, 2002

National Briefing: Mid-Atlantic. PENNSYLVANIA: A Reborn Emissions Plan;. 11:31:11 PM

National Briefing: Midwest. INDIANA: Ordering A Parent To Do Better; MICHIGAN: `Jenny Jones' Verdict Reversed;. 11:31:11 PM

National Briefing: Southwest. ARIZONA: Ruling For Abortion Rights; NEW MEXICO: A Pamphlet Takes Sides;. 11:31:10 PM

National Briefing: Northwest. ALASKA: Big Quake, Little Damage;. 11:31:10 PM

National Briefing: West. CALIFORNIA: A Mega-Award Still Stands; CALIFORNIA: Setback For The Condor;. 11:31:09 PM

Inquiry Expands to Yard in Northwest. After a full day's search for shell casings or other ammunition in the backyard of a duplex in Tacoma, Wash., federal officials refused to say if they had found any compelling evidence in the East Coast sniper case. By Timothy Egan. 11:31:09 PM

Lawyers for Detainee Ask Judge Not to Review Classified Papers. Lawyers for Jose Padilla, the former Chicago gang member who has been accused of plotting to explode a radioactive bomb in the United States, have asked a federal judge in New York not to review a classified document that is said to lay out the evidence against Mr. Padilla because prosecutors have refused to show it to the defense. By Benjamin Weiser. 11:31:07 PM

Security at U.S. Lab Is Questioned by Senators. New York's Democratic senators have accused the Bush administration of failing to take action on a matter of national security at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center. By Marc Santora. 11:31:07 PM

Condor Death Frustrates Biologists. Stung by the loss of the first California condor chicks born in the wild in 18 years, biologists said Wednesday they will step up their vigilance of future newborns. By The Associated Press. 11:31:04 PM

Sex Film Star Is Sentenced in Stock Fraud. It was supposed to be a routine court appearance in an insider trading case. But the defendant, formerly an actress in pornographic films, showed up at Federal District Court in Manhattan wearing a cream-colored suit studded with rhinestones and beads, and silver platform shoes. By Robert F. Worth. 11:31:02 PM

World Business Briefing: Americas. CANADA: Telecom Profit; BRAZIL: Rate Unchanged;. 10:31:11 PM

World Business Briefing: Americas. CANADA: Telecom Profit; BRAZIL: Rate Unchanged;. 10:31:07 PM

World Briefing: Americas. CUBA: Europeans Honor Dissident;. 10:31:06 PM

World Briefing: Africa. IVORY COAST: Leaders Try To End Conflict;. 10:31:05 PM

Plane From Russia Is Searched After a Tip. Acting on a tip from Russia that a New York-bound jetliner might have radioactive material aboard, authorities met the plane from Moscow on the tarmac at Kennedy International Airport. By William K. Rashbaum. 10:31:04 PM

Color Prints, Laser Tweaked and Sharper Than Ever. Laser-based photo processing machines, like those found at the local one-hour photo shop, can make even the most faded print look good. By Roy Furchgott. 10:31:02 PM

Richard Helms, Ex-C.I.A. Chief, Dies at 89. As former director of central intelligence, Richard Helms defiantly guarded some of the darkest secrets of the cold war. By Christopher Marquis. 9:31:42 PM

Bush to Consider More S.E.C. Financing. The Bush administration said that it would consider increasing financing for the S.E.C beyond a 30 percent increase that White House officials last week said was enough for the agency. By Bloomberg News. 9:31:41 PM

Senator Says It's Time to Upgrade Standards. The senator who wrote the original law regulating breast-cancer screening says she will seek to rework the legislation with tougher standards for doctors who read mammograms. By Michael Moss. 9:31:41 PM

U.S. Asks Enron for Details on Dealings Involving Iran. The Treasury Department has directed Enron to provide information about deals the company did in the late 1990's involving products that originated in Iran. By Richard A. Oppel Jr.. 9:31:40 PM

Pentagon Sets Up Intelligence Unit. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld have assigned a small intelligence unit to search for information on Iraq's hostile intentions or links to terrorists. By Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker. 9:31:40 PM

U.S. Offers a New Design for Mideast Peace. A Bush administration has drafted an evolving American "road map" for achieving peace in the Mideast and creating a Palestinian state by 2005. By James Bennet. 9:31:39 PM

President Pledges Full Resources of Government in Sniper Hunt. Led by President Bush, administration officials pledged the full resources of the federal government in capturing the Washington area sniper. By Eric Lichtblau. 9:31:39 PM

Split on Nuclear Plants: Weak Spot or Fortress?. A divide has opened up among experts assessing the risk to the public from attacks on nuclear power plants. By Matthew L. Wald. 9:31:38 PM

Greenspan Hails Output Gains in Sluggish Economy. Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chairman, gave no hint as to whether the central bank might consider cutting interest rates when it meets in two weeks. By Richard W. Stevenson. 9:31:38 PM

Security Council Gets U.S. Proposal on Disarming Iraq. The move by the U.S. sharply increased pressure on France, Russia and China to agree to a tough measure to force Baghdad to disarm. By Julia Preston. 9:31:37 PM

Technology Briefing: Biotechnology. AMGEN POSTS $2.6 BILLION LOSS; SERONO REPORTS PROFIT INCREASE; APPLICATION ON MODIFIED GRASS IS WITHDRAWN;. 9:31:29 PM

Technology Briefing: Software. ARIBA REPORTS SMALLER 4TH-QUARTER LOSS;. 9:31:29 PM

Technology Briefing: Internet. HOTELS.COM 3RD-QUARTER PROFIT SURGED;. 9:31:28 PM

Free, Fast Browser in a Box Does More Than Simply Search. The chief virtue of GoBox, the free all-in-one search tool developed by a teenage programmer in New Mexico, is not just that it does a wide array of tasks. It also works at rapid speed, without the invasive accouterments of many downloadable tools. By Adam Baer. 9:31:28 PM

A Live Ballgame Unfolds on a Cellphone Screen. New technology will harness enough bandwidth to allow the transmission of streaming video and audio at rates of 2 megabits per second and higher, has yet to reach the mainstream consumer. By Marc Weingarden. 9:31:27 PM

A Mouse That Soars Far From the PC and Need Never Land. The Ultra Cordless Optical Mouse from Gyration can be used in the air, up to 25 feet from a receiver plugged into a computer's U.S.B. port. By Sarah Milstein. 9:31:27 PM

On a Sliver of a Hub, Ports for Every Gadget. The new four-port MicroHub from Iogear is the size of a cigarette lighter, making it a space-saver on the desktop or in the suitcase. By Mark Glassman. 9:31:26 PM

At Senators' Web Sites, a 60-Day Vow of Silence. Visitors to the Web site of Representative John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, can easily point and click their way to recent press releases on drought relief and other issues affecting the state's voters. 9:31:26 PM

Payoff = Points: A False Equation. WAGNER JAMES AU, a 35-year-old journalist from San Francisco, has been playing video games since he was 9, when Space Invaders and Battlezone were about as cutting-edge as games got. These days, though, Mr. Au's tastes are more discerning: instead of playing first-person shooter games, in which winning is only about getting the highest score, he finds himself gravitating toward more complex games like Grand Theft Auto and Planescape: Torment. By Janelle Brown. 9:31:25 PM

Say Cheese: A Slideshow Starring You as Narrator. Given that Olympus has long been involved with both compact voice recorders and cameras, its latest offering was perhaps inevitable: the W-10 digital voice recorder includes a tiny digital camera. By Ian Austen. 9:31:24 PM

Halloween on the Web and a Laughter Lab. Haunted, Schmaunted. By Pamela Licalzi O'connell. 9:31:23 PM

Thinking of Radio as Smart Enough to Live Without Rules. RADIO spectrum has always been seen as a limited resource, one that needs to be divided up and managed by the Federal Communications Commission and doled out for use in the form of licenses. But what if it was possible to open up the spectrum to everyone, so that anyone could broadcast anything, on whatever frequency was most convenient, without interfering with anyone else's signal?. By Peter Rojas. 9:31:23 PM

Ruby Slippers on a Budget. That's Scary.. You dont have to be Dorothy to want ruby slippers for Halloween. And when youre looking for them, theres no place like the Web. By Michelle Slatalla. 9:31:22 PM

Bugs and Dust Balls: A 'Clean' Installation. Thinking of installing a new operating system and more memory in your PC? Get your vacuum cleaner ready. By Sarah Milstein. 9:31:22 PM

The Web on the Campaign Trail. Candidates in local elections, such as school board and city council, are increasingly turning to the Web to post campaign platforms, solicit donations and find volunteers. By Jeffrey Selingo. 9:31:21 PM

A Palmtop for the Prosecution. Law enforcement officials are finding a new source of evidence: the calendars, to-do lists, address books and memos stored on hand-held computers. By Jennifer 8. Lee. 9:31:21 PM

Lucent Narrows Quarter Loss; Revenue Decreases Further. Lucent Technologies reported its 10th consecutive quarterly loss after sales plunged 23 percent from the previous quarter and more than 50 percent from the period a year earlier. By Simon Romero. 9:31:20 PM

Xerox Reports a Profit, but Revenue Is Down 6%. Xerox, offsetting a 6 percent slump in sales with a 13 percent cut in costs, said that it had earned $105 million, or 5 cents a share, in the third quarter. By Claudia H. Deutsch. 9:31:20 PM

AOL and MSN: Two Paths to Milestone 8. Microsoft and America Online are each releasing a Version 8 of their online-service software. Which should you choose? By David Pogue. 9:31:19 PM

AOL to Restate Troubled Unit's Revenue Again. AOL Time Warner said that it had turned up several additional improper transactions at its AOL division, broadening the extent of its acknowledged accounting problems. By David D. Kirkpatrick. 9:31:18 PM

World Business Briefing: Americas. CANADA: Telecom Profit; BRAZIL: Rate Unchanged;. 9:31:17 PM

U.S. Asks Enron for Details on Dealings Involving Iran. The Treasury Department has directed Enron to provide information about deals the company did in the late 1990's involving products that originated in Iran. By Richard A. Oppel Jr.. 9:31:17 PM

Wary Companies Are Staying in Muslim World. Despite the apparently globe-girdling reach of Islamic terror groups, some of the biggest Western multinational corporations are holding fast to their investments. By Daniel Altman. 9:31:16 PM

Toronto Exchange Is Still Set to Go Public. In Canada, TSX Incorporated, the holding company for the Toronto Stock Exchange, is moving forward with plans to become a public company around mid-November. By Bernard Simon. 9:31:16 PM

Peso's Devaluation Gives Argentina Cost Advantages. The drastic devaluation of the peso in January is finally giving Argentine companies a cost advantage over even the most competitive of their competitors. By Tony Smith. 9:31:15 PM

World Briefing: Europe. GREECE: Effort To Avoid Clash On Cyprus; RUSSIA: Charges Filed Against Putin Critic; BELARUS: Russian Lawmaker Thrown Out; GERMANY: Troops To Stay In Macedonia;. 9:31:15 PM

Americans and Vatican Officials to Revise Policy on Abuse. The Vatican announced the names of the four American bishops and four Vatican officials responsible for revising the American prelates' zero-tolerance policy on sexual abuse. By Laurie Goodstein. 9:31:14 PM

With Israeli Army Pledge, a Palestinian Village's People Return. Palestinian families who abandoned the West Bank village of Khirbat Yanun because of persistent harassment by Jewish settlers have returned home. By Joel Greenberg. 9:31:13 PM

Seoul to Urge Talks to Deal With A-Arms in North Korea. Aides for South Korea President Kim Dae Jung signaled on Wednesday that he would advocate a conciliatory approach ind dealing with North Korea. By Don Kirk. 9:31:13 PM

Terror Suspect Tells of His Ties to 9/11 Hijackers. A suspect on trial for involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks detailed his relationship men accused of being members of Al Qaeda's Hamburg cell. By Desmond Butler. 9:31:12 PM

Japan Seeks Amnesty for Ex-U.S. Soldier Living in North Korea. A Japanese government official has asked the United States to grant a special amnesty to a former American serviceman who is married to a Japanese woman. By James Brooke. 9:31:12 PM

Inside, Fearful Children; Outside, Frantic Relatives. MOSCOW, Thursday, Oct. 24 ÷ It was an ordinary Wednesday night and Nadezhda Mikhailova had flicked on the evening television news while she made dinner. The news on the evening report seemed incomprehensible. She called a friend to ask if they had seen the same news. By Sabrina Tavernise. 9:31:12 PM

Iran Conducts a Crackdown on Prostitution. The police, ending their silence on a difficult issue for an Islamic government, have acknowledged that prostitution has become widespread. By Nazila Fathi. 9:31:11 PM

Pentagon Sets Up Intelligence Unit. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld have assigned a small intelligence unit to search for information on Iraq's hostile intentions or links to terrorists. By Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker. 9:31:11 PM

Jacks? Dolls? Yo-Yos? No, They Want Cellphones. Among the second graders at the Kulosaari Elementary School, the most fashionable object of desire is a Nokia cellphone. By Sarah Lyall. 9:31:10 PM

A Tiny Gulf Kingdom Bets Its Stability on Support for U.S.. Qatar's pro-Western atmosphere and the carte blanche offered to the American military have proved irresistible to Washington. By Craig S. Smith. 9:31:10 PM

Canada's Liberals, in Turmoil, Offer Ethics Rules. The Liberal government unveiled new ethics guidelines for members of Parliament on Wednesday, only a day after the solicitor general resigned. By Clifford Krauss. 9:31:09 PM

Boris Becker, Germany's Bad Boy of Tennis, Is Tried in Tax Case. Boris Becker, the onetime tennis wunderkind, could face three and a half years in jail on charges of tax evasion. By Mark Landler. 9:31:09 PM

U.S. Offers a New Design for Mideast Peace. A Bush administration has drafted an evolving American "road map" for achieving peace in the Mideast and creating a Palestinian state by 2005. By James Bennet. 9:31:08 PM

Yugoslav Aides Are Fired for Sales of Fighter-Jet Parts to Iraq. Yugoslavia has fired two men following NATO's accusations that a Bosnian Serb company exported military hardware to Iraq via Belgrade. By Daniel Simpson. 9:31:08 PM

Britain's Education Minister Quits in Dispute Over Grading Tests. Britain's education secretary, Estelle Morris, who has been under pressure in a controversy over the marking of school exams, resigned on Wednesday. By Agence France-presse. 9:31:07 PM

U.S. Labels Indonesian Faction as Terrorist. The United States on Wednesday formally declared a radical Islamic group suspected of involvement in the Bali bombing to be a foreign terrorist organization. By Jane Perlez. 9:31:07 PM

Los Angeles Police Chief Faces a Huge Challenge. Violent crime is rising around the nation after a decade of striking decreases, and Los Angeles is among the leaders. By Charlie Leduff. 8:31:48 PM

In Chicago, Killing Keeps Up a Rapid Pace. Though it may lose its title as the nation's most murderous city to Los Angeles this year, Chicago is still on a pace that almost matches the number of homicides it logged last year. By John W. Fountain. 8:31:47 PM

Split on Nuclear Plants: Weak Spot or Fortress?. A divide has opened up among experts assessing the risk to the public from attacks on nuclear power plants. By Matthew L. Wald. 8:31:47 PM

Wary but Determined, Bus Drivers Get Behind the Wheel After Colleague's Death. Bus drivers, though shaken by the shooting of a colleague by the Washington area sniper, are defiantly continuing to work. By Peter T. Kilborn. 8:31:46 PM

Now, 4 States Look to Start Tracing Shells and Bullets. Following the sniper shootings in the Washington area, four states are considering creating a ballistic fingerprinting system that would enable law enforcement to trace bullets or shell casings. By Fox Butterfield. 8:31:45 PM

Calming the Young in a Time of Confusion. The sniper's message to the public, "Your children are not safe anywhere at any time," offers an apt description of how many children and parents are feeling. By Erica Goode. 8:31:44 PM

Just What Is Best? Region's Parents Are Divided. As the sniper forces school recess inside and causes all manner of outdoor activities to be called off, parents in and around Washington are increasingly at odds. By Kate Zernike. 8:31:43 PM

Senator Says It's Time to Upgrade Standards. The senator who wrote the original law regulating breast-cancer screening says she will seek to rework the legislation with tougher standards for doctors who read mammograms. By Michael Moss. 8:31:43 PM

President Pledges Full Resources of Government in Sniper Hunt. Led by President Bush, administration officials pledged the full resources of the federal government in capturing the Washington area sniper. By Eric Lichtblau. 8:31:42 PM

National TV Focuses on Sniper, but Local Stations Pick Up the Slack on Political Coverage. Political parties have had to rely on piecemeal coverage market by market to get messages across. By Jim Rutenberg. 8:31:42 PM

A Republican Woodstock Endorsement. Ken Mehlman, the button-down White House political director enlisted the Woodstock experience of Norm Coleman, the Republican Senate candidate in Minnesota. By Robin Toner. 8:31:41 PM

Richard Helms, Ex-C.I.A. Chief, Dies at 89. Richard Helms, a former director of central intelligence who defiantly guarded some of the darkest secrets of the cold war, died of multiple myeloma on Wednesday. By Christopher Marquis. 8:31:41 PM

Calling a Candidate on 9/11. The independent candidate for governor in Oklahoma, United States Attorney Gary Richardson, released a 30-second commercial last week featuring the collapse of the World Trade Center. By Lizette Alvarez. 8:31:40 PM

A Softer Spin on the Mean Season. Media consultants say politicians have gotten shrewder about how to make the negative commercials seem less overt, while ensuring that they are as tough as always. By Lizette Alvarez. 8:31:40 PM

McAuliffe Describes Jeb Bush as the Democrats' Top Target. Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic national chairman, said that his No. 1 goal in the Nov. 5 elections was to defeat Gov. Jeb Bush in Florida. By Katharine Q. Seelye. 8:31:39 PM

Democratic Party Accuses G.O.P. of Intimidating Arkansas Voters. National Democratic officials said that Republicans had tried to intimidate black voters during early balloting in Arkansas. By Carl Hulse. 8:31:39 PM

California Panel Bans Fishing Around a Marine Sanctuary. The California Fish and Game Commission approved a network of marine reserves around the Channel Islands, creating what amounts to a network of underwater parks where fishing is off limits. By Barbara Whitaker. 8:31:38 PM

Study Favors Aspirin Use for Patients Having Bypass. Giving patients aspirin in the first 48 hours after heart bypass surgery can greatly reduce their risk of death and serious complications. By Denise Grady. 8:31:37 PM

Cancer Risk of Hormones May Linger. Scientific evidence has not shown that women can avoid the breast cancer risk from hormone replacement therapy by taking the drugs for only a short time. By Gina Kolata. 8:31:36 PM

Tentative Agreement Ends Boston Janitors' Strike. A union that represents nearly 11,000 janitors in the Boston region ended a three-week strike when it reached a tentative five-year contract. By Steven Greenhouse. 8:31:35 PM

Americans and Vatican Officials to Revise Policy on Abuse. The Vatican announced the names of the four American bishops and four Vatican officials responsible for revising the American prelates' zero-tolerance policy on sexual abuse. By Laurie Goodstein. 8:31:34 PM

States Get Federal Warning on School Standards. The Education Department sent a stern warning to educators who try to sidestep the intent of President Bush's signature education act, No Child Left Behind. By Diana Jean Schemo. 8:31:33 PM

7th Victim Dies in Baltimore Arson Tied to Drug Fight. BALTIMORE, Oct. 23 An East Baltimore man who was badly burned in an arson fire that killed his wife and five of her children died today. By The New York Times. 8:31:33 PM

Longshoremen Accused of Slowdown in West. The association of West Coast port operators said that it had complained to the Justice Department that the dock workers were engaging in a "concerted, systematic work slowdown." By Steven Greenhouse. 8:31:32 PM

At Forum, Victims of Clergy Plead and Vent. The Vatican's decision to reject portions of the American bishops' new zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse has left victims scrambling to hold on to the gains made through this year of scandal. By Jodi Wilgoren. 8:31:32 PM

Hunt for East Coast Sniper Shifts to Search of House in the West. Federal investigators searched at a home in Tacoma, Wash., for evidence that might be linked to the shootings on the East Coast. By Francis X. Clines with Christopher Drew. 8:31:31 PM

A Crime-Weary France Plans a Crackdown. The French cabinet on Wednesday approved a sweeping anti-crime bill introduced by Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. By Elaine Sciolino. 8:31:28 PM

Chechens Seize Moscow Theater, Taking as Many as 600 Hostages. At least 40 Chechen guerrillas stormed into a theater in Moscow on Wednesday night and threatened to blow up the building. By Michael Wines. 8:31:28 PM

Security Council Gets U.S. Proposal on Disarming Iraq. The move by the U.S. sharply increased pressure on France, Russia and China to agree to a tough measure to force Baghdad to disarm. By Julia Preston. 8:31:27 PM

Technology Briefing: Biotechnology. AMGEN POSTS $2.6 BILLION LOSS; SERONO REPORTS PROFIT INCREASE; APPLICATION ON MODIFIED GRASS IS WITHDRAWN;. 8:31:26 PM

Technology Briefing: Software. ARIBA REPORTS SMALLER 4TH-QUARTER LOSS;. 8:31:25 PM

Technology Briefing: Internet. HOTELS.COM 3RD-QUARTER PROFIT SURGED;. 8:31:24 PM

World Business Briefing: Americas. CANADA: Telecom Profit; BRAZIL: Rate Unchanged;. 8:31:24 PM

Toronto Exchange Is Still Set to Go Public. In Canada, TSX Incorporated, the holding company for the Toronto Stock Exchange, is moving forward with plans to become a public company around mid-November. By Bernard Simon. 8:31:23 PM

Peso's Devaluation Gives Argentina Cost Advantages. The drastic devaluation of the peso in January is finally giving Argentine companies a cost advantage over even the most competitive of their competitors. By Tony Smith. 8:31:22 PM

Wary Companies Are Staying in Muslim World. Despite the apparently globe-girdling reach of Islamic terror groups, some of the biggest Western multinational corporations are holding fast to their investments. By Daniel Altman. 8:31:22 PM

TAP Pharmaceutical Selects New Agency. TAP Pharmaceutical Selects New Agency. 8:31:21 PM

G.M. Criticized for Backing Tour of Christian Music Performers. Leaders of two religious organizations are questioning Chevrolet's sponsorship of a concert and prayer tour aimed at evangelical Christians. By Stuart Elliott. 8:31:21 PM

Lessons in Experiments Gone Wrong. Experimental economics has had a huge impact on economics, in both theory and practice, and today it is firmly established as a legitimate subject. By Hal R. Varian. 8:31:20 PM

DaimlerChrysler Has Big Profit Gain, but Is Pessimistic. DaimlerChrysler said that net income more than tripled during the third quarter because of aggressive cost-cutting. By Micheline Maynard. 8:31:20 PM

U.S. Carmakers Losing Ground to Imports Despite Deals. The huge sums that G.M., Ford and Chrysler have spent during on the most generous sales incentives in automotive history have not bought them a bigger share of the market. By Micheline Maynard. 8:31:19 PM

Jacks? Dolls? Yo-Yos? No, They Want Cellphones. Among the second graders at the Kulosaari Elementary School, the most fashionable object of desire is a Nokia cellphone. By Sarah Lyall. 8:31:19 PM

Bush to Consider More S.E.C. Financing. The Bush administration said that it would consider increasing financing for the S.E.C beyond a 30 percent increase that White House officials last week said was enough for the agency. By Bloomberg News. 8:31:18 PM

Earnings at DuPont Triple in Quarter. DuPont said Wednesday its third-quarter profit more than tripled as it cut expenses and paid lower taxes. By Bloomberg News. 8:31:18 PM

Refinancing Wave Buoys Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, said that its third-quarter profit rose 34 percent, spurred by a record pace of home-loan refinancing. By Bloomberg News. 8:31:17 PM

Longshoremen Accused of Slowdown in West. The association of West Coast port operators said that it had complained to the Justice Department that the dock workers were engaging in a "concerted, systematic work slowdown." By Steven Greenhouse. 8:31:16 PM

Lucent Narrows Quarter Loss; Revenue Decreases Further. Lucent Technologies reported its 10th consecutive quarterly loss after sales plunged 23 percent from the previous quarter and more than 50 percent from the period a year earlier. By Simon Romero. 8:31:15 PM

2 Drug Giants to Restore Big Discounts for Elderly. Two major drug companies said Wednesday that they would return to the original, deeper discounts that they had been offering to low-income elderly. By Melody Petersen. 8:31:15 PM

Third-Quarter Sales at GlaxoSmithKline and Lilly Decrease. Eli Lilly & Company and GlaxoSmithKline said that competition from generic versions of top-selling medicines eroded their third-quarter sales. Shares of the companies tumbled. By Bloomberg News. 8:31:14 PM

United Amends Cost-Cut Plan to Try to Get Loan Guarantee. United Airlines filed a revised business plan with the federal government to increase its chances of receiving a $1.8 billion loan guarantee. By Edward Wong. 8:31:14 PM

Xerox Reports a Profit, but Revenue Is Down 6%. Xerox, offsetting a 6 percent slump in sales with a 13 percent cut in costs, said that it had earned $105 million, or 5 cents a share, in the third quarter. By Claudia H. Deutsch. 8:31:13 PM

Guilty Plea Is Expected From Trader. John M. Rusnak, the currency trader who is accused of hiding losses of $691 million at Allfirst Financial for five years, will plead guilty to bank fraud charges. By Jonathan Fuerbringer. 8:31:13 PM

U.S. Asks Enron for Details on Dealings Involving Iran. The Treasury Department has directed Enron to provide information about deals the company did in the late 1990's involving products that originated in Iran. By Richard A. Oppel Jr.. 8:31:12 PM

Wider Use Is Seen for a Drug Tested to Fight Sleepiness. Cephalon announced Wednesday that its drug Provigil had reduced sleepiness in night-shift workers in a clinical trial. By Andrew Pollack. 8:31:12 PM

Greenspan Hails Output Gains in Sluggish Economy. Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chairman, gave no hint as to whether the central bank might consider cutting interest rates when it meets in two weeks. By Richard W. Stevenson. 8:31:11 PM

Ethics Standards Overhaul Urged for Hospital Buying Groups. A specialist in corporate ethics urged that companies involved in helping the nation's hospitals buy supplies adopt sweeping policy changes to avoid conflicts of interest. By Barry Meier. 8:31:10 PM

Looking Glass on Earnings Just Got Darker. Standard & Poor's will release its calculations of "core earnings," as it defines them. That definition will make most companies look far worse than they have appeared. By Floyd Norris. 8:31:10 PM

Citigroup Hurt by Worries That Inquiry Could Widen. The possibility that Jack B. Grubman may try to implicate some of his superiors to shift blame for any wrongdoing that may be uncovered appears to be weighing on Citigroup shares. By Gretchen Morgenson. 8:31:09 PM

AOL to Restate Troubled Unit's Revenue Again. AOL Time Warner said that it had turned up several additional improper transactions at its AOL division, broadening the extent of its acknowledged accounting problems. By David D. Kirkpatrick. 8:31:09 PM

Turkish Government Takes Steps to Shut Popular Islamic Party. Just 10 days before national elections, Turkey's chief prosecutor moved on Wednesday to outlaw the most popular political party. By Ian Fisher. 7:31:30 PM

Bahrain's Women Take a Step Toward Political Power. For the first time in the history of any Persian Gulf country, women are being allowed to run for national office and vote in a parliamentary race. By Somini Sengupta. 7:31:29 PM

Israel Accuses Army Officer of Spying For Hezbollah. Israeli authorities said on Wednesday that they had arrested a lieutenant colonel on suspicion of spying for the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah. By Joel Greenberg. 7:31:28 PM

Roadblocks on the Path to Peace. The Israeli-Palestinian confrontation has a better chance of taking the right turn if there is less talk of reform and more focus on the broader political picture. By Gareth Evans and Robert Malley. 7:31:27 PM

Clean State, Dirty Politicians. The people of Wisconsin have only tainted elections and the diseased deer season to look forward to this fall. By Michael Feldman. 7:31:27 PM

Life Under Siege. The most ordinary of lives can become weird in a region contaminated by terror. By Bob Herbert. 7:31:26 PM

Hicks Nix Blix Fix. The world must not allow Iraq to gain the level of destructive power that misplaced trust permitted North Korea to achieve. By William Safire. 7:31:26 PM

Dangerous Foods. Dangerous Foods To the Editor:. 7:31:25 PM

The Commuter Tax. The Commuter Tax To the Editor:. 7:31:25 PM

Drug Use and Freedom. Drug Use and Freedom To the Editor:. 7:31:25 PM

A Vitriolic Saudi Press. A Vitriolic Saudi Press To the Editor:. 7:31:24 PM

Private Art Collections. Private Art Collections To the Editor:. 7:31:24 PM

Bush's Global Strategy. Bush's Global Strategy To the Editor:. 7:31:23 PM

Act to Reduce the Truck-Bomb Threat. Act to Reduce the Truck-Bomb Threat To the Editor:. 7:31:23 PM

Charlton Heston and the Sniper. Charlton Heston And the Sniper To the Editor:. 7:31:22 PM

On the Trail of Childhood Autism. On the Trail of Childhood Autism To the Editor:. 7:31:21 PM

For State Senate in New York City. Two State Senate races in New York City are particularly competitive this year. Here are our endorsements. 7:31:20 PM

The Disgrace of Juvenile Executions. The U.S. has the dubious distinction of being the sole Western country to impose death sentences on people younger than 18. 7:31:20 PM

A Bigger and Better Europe. European leaders must find a way to reconcile their diverging interests and allow the enlargement of the European Union to proceed promptly. 7:31:19 PM

The Vatican Objects. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a zero-tolerance policy on sexually abusive priests, the core of which is well worth defending in Rome. 7:31:19 PM

Mammogram Clinic's Flaws Highlight Gaps in U.S. Rules. The problem of x-ray screenings missing breast cancer with extraordinary frequency still exists 10 years after Congress stepped in to clean it up. By Michael Moss with Jennifer Steinhauer. 7:31:07 PM

F.B.I. Conducts Search in Tacoma in Sniper Case. The search for the sniper stretched across the country as F.B.I. agents converged on a rental home in Tacoma, Wash., with metal detectors and chain saws. By The Associated Press. 7:31:06 PM

U.S. Presents New Draft on Iraq. The U.S. circulated a new draft resolution on Iraq today which warns Iraq it will face "serious consequences" if it fails to comply with inspections. By The Associated Press. 4:31:13 PM

Weak Online Unit Hits AOL Time Warner. AOL Time Warner said third-quarter earnings fell because of prolonged weakness at its online division. By Reuters. 3:31:29 PM

California High Court Upholds Ford Cases. The California Supreme Court let stand a $290 million verdict against the Ford over a deadly 1993 rollover accident involving a Ford Bronco. By The Associated Press. 3:31:28 PM

Weak Online Unit Hits AOL Time Warner. AOL Time Warner said third-quarter earnings fell because of prolonged weakness at its online division. By Reuters. 3:31:24 PM

Federal Agents Meet Airliner From Moscow at J.F.K. Airport. NEW YORK (AP) -- Federal agents met an airliner from Moscow at Kennedy Airport on Wednesday after receiving a tip that it may have radioactive material on board, law enforcement officials said. By The Associated Press. 1:31:15 PM

Federal Reserve Survey Finds Economy 'Sluggish'. The U.S. struggled with a "sluggish" economy over the past two months, with weak retail sales and a lackluster job market, the Federal Reserve reported today. By The Associated Press. 1:31:08 PM

Armed Men Take Moscow Audience Hostage. Armed men entered a Moscow theater today and took the audience hostage, the Federal Security Service said. By The Associated Press. 12:31:10 PM

Greenspan Optimistic on Productivity. WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans' productivity should continue to post solid gains in coming years although not at the level of this year's surge, which is likely to be one of the strongest increases in three decades, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Wednesday. By The Associated Press. 12:31:03 PM

Richard M. Helms Dies at 89; Dashing Ex-Chief of the C.I.A.. Richard M. Helms, a former director of central intelligence who defiantly guarded some of the darkest secrets of the cold war, died today. By Christopher Marquis. 9:31:06 AM

Philippine Suspects Caught Planning. Five alleged members of the Muslim militant group Abu Sayyaf were arrested as suspects in a deadly series of bombings in the southern Philippines. By The Associated Press. 8:31:14 AM

Bush Signs $355 Billion Military Spending Bill. WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush is getting the tools he wants to wage an expensive, no-end-in-sight global fight against terror. Winning it, he says, is ``a duty to future generations of Americans.''. By The Associated Press. 8:31:03 AM

Letters. In Defense of a Scientist To the Editor:. 7:21:44 AM

On Your Own Trail: The New Tracking Devices. Drivers who buy cars with manufacturer-installed navigation systems have the comfort of knowing that if the vehicles crash or break down, someone will know how to find the people in them. By Rebecca Fairley Raney. 7:21:43 AM

Climate Talks Will Shift Focus From Emissions. The latest round of international talks on global warming begins on Wednesday in New Delhi, with delegates focused more on ways to adapt to changes. By Andrew C. Revkin. 7:21:42 AM

Brazil's Democracy Takes a Chance. If democracy is to persist, one question must be answered: Will democracy better people's lives?/ By Jeffrey W. Rubin. 7:21:42 AM

From Vertical to Horizontal. We have a dashing top cop riding into Los Angeles from the East, promising to rehabilitate the reputation of the L.A.P.D. and rout danger. By Maureen Dowd. 7:21:41 AM

Under the Arab Street. Small groups of super-empowered angry men have slipped away from the Arab street into underground cells. By Thomas L. Friedman. 7:21:40 AM

Requiem for a Valley. Requiem for a Valley To the Editor:. 7:21:39 AM

Giuliani in Mexico. Giuliani in Mexico To the Editor:. 7:21:38 AM

A Stake in Health Care. A Stake in Health Care To the Editor:. 7:21:37 AM

Box-Office Patriots. Box-Office Patriots To the Editor:. 7:21:36 AM

Clean Up Your Act. Clean Up Your Act To the Editor:. 7:21:36 AM

Silk Stocking Race. Silk Stocking Race To the Editor:. 7:21:35 AM

Recipe for Success. Recipe for Success To the Editor:. 7:21:34 AM

Progress on Food Safety. Progress on Food Safety To the Editor:. 7:21:34 AM

International Sex Trade. International Sex Trade To the Editor:. 7:21:33 AM

A Mideast Buffer. A Mideast Buffer To the Editor:. 7:21:33 AM

Do Not Let Fear Rule Our Lives. Do Not Let Fear Rule Our Lives To the Editor:. 7:21:32 AM

The Prisons of Saddam Hussein. The Prisons of Saddam Hussein To the Editor:. 7:21:32 AM

For Assembly and New York City Council. For the general election on Nov. 5, here are our endorsements for three State Assembly races and one special election for New York City Council. 7:21:31 AM

Keep the Sidewalks Ad-Free. Out of respect for the urban environment and the law, companies should not try to turn the city's sidewalks into free, horizontal billboards to promote their products. 7:21:30 AM

Escalating Tuition Bills. The public college tuition increases can be partly traced to the recession, but also to the long-term tendency of state legislatures to attack higher education in times of hardship. 7:21:30 AM

The Illusory Prague Connection. For an administration that has prided itself on a disciplined approach to public pronouncements, the Bush team has offered confused and scattered assertions about Iraq. 7:21:29 AM

New Life for New York Rock. Many associate the DFA record label with the artful blend of independent rock and electronic dance music that is its specialty. The DFA, however, is not quite so easy to define. By Neil Strauss. 7:21:26 AM

Poet a Contender to Run Federal Arts Agency. The poet, critic and anthologist Dana Gioia has emerged as the leading candidate to become the next chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. By Robin Pogrebin. 7:21:26 AM

Shark's Pearly Teeth Gnash Near 'The West Wing'. The first four episodes of "The West Wing" this fall have been contrived and dull a startling tumble from the show's gripping, sophisticated heights. By Caryn James. 7:21:25 AM

A Succession at Anti-Drug Group. James E. Burke will soon step down after 13 years as chairman of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America in New York. By The New York Times. 7:21:25 AM

A New Campaign for Nicotrol Patch. Nicotrol is betting that a $50 million marketing campaign laced with humor will reinvigorate the antismoking patch's domestic sales. By Courtney Kane. 7:21:24 AM

Times Appoints Two to Newsroom Positions. The New York Times announced that John Darnton would become associate editor for special projects and that Steven Erlanger would succeed him as cultural news editor. 7:21:24 AM

Untypically, a Rockefeller Tells the Story of His Life. David Rockefeller, 87, has become the first in three generations of Rockefellers to publish an autobiography. By Diana B. Henriques. 7:21:23 AM

Climate Talks Will Shift Focus From Emissions. The latest round of international talks on global warming begins on Wednesday in New Delhi, with delegates focused more on ways to adapt to changes. By Andrew C. Revkin. 7:21:22 AM

Canadian Writer Wins a Revamped Booker Prize. Yann Martel won the newly renamed Man Booker Prize for his novel "Life of Pi," the magical fable of a young man shipwrecked in the company of a Bengal tiger. By Alan Cowell. 7:21:22 AM

French Author Acquitted of Charges for Anti-Islam Comment. Michel Houellebecq was acquitted by a Paris court of charges of inciting racial hatred when he declared last year that Islam was "the most stupid religion." By Alan Riding. 7:21:21 AM

Chechnya's Wine Industry Clings to Remaining Roots. An infusion of cash from the Russian government is aimed at reinvigorating Chechnya's wine industry, which has been in shambles since the collapse of the Soviet Union. By Steven Lee Myers. 7:21:20 AM

TV Program Raises New Assertions of Abuse by Priests in Ireland. A documentary last weeek aired on Irish television focused on routine abuse of young boys by a number of priests in the Dublin diocese. By Brian Lavery. 7:21:18 AM

Finding a Reincarnated American Classic on a Trip to Australia. On his trip to Australia, General Motors' vice chairman Robert Lutz found a sports coupe he hopes will invigorate the Pontiac brand. By Mark Phelan. 7:21:16 AM

Technology News Briefing. SOFTWARE SHARES IN 2 VIDEO GAME COMPANIES FALL Share prices of two video game companies dropped markedly yesterday, as industry analysts have begun to wonder whether video game sales will be as robust this holiday season as originally expected. Shares in Eidos P.L.C., based in Britain, fell about 15 percent, to 84 pence, after the company said it would delay the release of 7:21:14 AM

The Healthier Side of Health Care. If the makers of drugs are struggling, why is the health care industry thriving? By Milt Freudenheim. 7:21:13 AM

Warren Fenzi, Phelps Dodge President, 87, Dies. Warren E. Fenzi, a former president of the mining and manufacturing company Phelps Dodge, had a 43-year career in copper mining. By The New York Times. 7:21:12 AM

Computer Associates Has Loss. Computer Associates International, a software maker, reported a smaller second-quarter loss today as it cut costs and sales rose. By Bloomberg News. 7:21:10 AM

Regulators Meet With Wall Street Firms. State and federal regulators will meet with 10 of the largest securities firms on Thursday to propose limits on contact between analysts and bankers. By Bloomberg News. 7:21:09 AM

AT&T Posts a Small Profit After Three Quarters of Losses. AT&T had a small profit for the third quarter after three consecutive quarters of losses and attributed it to cost cutting. By Simon Romero with Seth Schiesel. 7:21:08 AM

Theater Founders Are Charged With Fraud. The Canadian police have charged the two founders of a Toronto theater group that staged Broadway hits with defrauding investors and creditors of $325 million. By Bernard Simon. 7:21:06 AM

Lucent Posts 10th Straight Quarterly Loss. CHICAGO (Reuters) - Telecommunications equipment maker Lucent Technologies Inc. (LU.N) on Wednesday posted a $2.88 billion net loss, its 10th straight quarterly loss, as customers continued to slash spending and warned sales may drop by as much as 10 percent in its current quarter. By Reuters. 7:21:06 AM

DaimlerChrysler Beats Earns Forecast. FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- U.S.-German automaker DaimlerChrysler said Wednesday its profit fell 22 percent in the third quarter from a year ago amid difficult market conditions, but its latest results beat analysts' expectations. By The Associated Press. 7:21:04 AM

Xerox Reports Third Quarter Profit. STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Xerox Corp. reported third-quarter earnings of $105 million Wednesday, reversing a loss from the same period last year as the world's largest copier company cut costs and launched new products. By The Associated Press. 7:21:03 AM

Times Co. to Take Control of International Herald Tribune. The New York Times has signed a letter of intent to buy the Washington Post's share of The International Herald Tribune. By Felicity Barringer. 7:21:02 AM

New WorldCom Losses Hint at a Disputed Future. Despite its troubles, WorldCom still generates about $80 million in revenue daily. It is also a deeply unprofitable company. By Seth Schiesel. 7:21:01 AM

Weill Says He Volunteered to Talk With Investigators. Citigroup's chief, Sanford Weill, today said he had volunteered to testify about the company's research practices and denied a report that his legal interests have diverged from Citigroup's. By Reuters. 7:21:00 AM

Japan Delays Banking Changes. Bankers and conservatives forced Heizo Takenaka, Japan's new economic czar, to postpone plans for big changes in bank regulation. By James Brooke and Ken Belson. 7:20:58 AM

S.E.C. Move Could Mean Stewart's Resignation. Martha Stewart could be forced to step down from the company that bears her name, lawyers say, if the S.E.C. brings a complaint against her in the coming weeks. By Constance L. Hays. 7:20:57 AM

Vivendi Near $1.2 Billion Deal. Vivendi Universal is close to selling its French publishing business, excluding Houghton Mifflin, to Lagardere for about $1.2 billion. By Andrew Ross Sorkin and Suzanne Kapner. 7:20:55 AM

Voter Mandates and Bilingual Education. A flat ban on bilingual education is unlikely to improve immigrants' chances of success. By Richard Rothstein. 7:20:52 AM

National Briefing: South. NORTH CAROLINA: Hearing In Family Killings; FLORIDA: Atlantic War Games; LOUISIANA: No Charges In Corruption Case;. 7:20:51 AM

National Briefing: Midwest. OHIO: Ex-First Lady Ordained, Then Excommunicated; ILLINOIS: Blanket Clemency Unlikely; WISCONSIN: 2 Replace Ousted Leader;. 7:20:51 AM

National Briefing: Southwest. ARIZONA: Proudly Claiming Tax Debt;. 7:20:50 AM

National Briefing: West. HAWAII: Threats Against Muslims;. 7:20:49 AM

Amino Acid May Not Predict Heart Attacks. Levels of homocysteine in the blood may not be very helpful in predicting heart attacks and strokes in healthy people, a new study finds. By Donald G. Mcneil Jr.. 7:20:47 AM

Scientists Debating Future of Hormone Replacement. Participants in once-halted hormone studies that are continuing have had to give their consent again. By Gina Kolata. 7:20:46 AM

Sniper Plays a Contrary Game of 'Catch Me if You Can'. The sniper is playing, and so far winning, a contrary and coldblooded game of cat and mouse in the suburbs and exurbs of Washington. By Blaine Harden. 7:20:46 AM

U.S. Role in Inquiry Grows Amid Tales of Turf Battles. The Washington area sniper case inquiry has been described by officials as hobbled by turf battles and a fear of leaks that has kept information from street-level authorities. By Eric Lichtblau and David Johnston. 7:20:45 AM

For Schools, No Shutdown but Spread of Lockdown. School officials in the Washington area decided against shutting schools or taking even more drastic steps than they have since the sniper first began killing strangers. By Diana Jean Schemo. 7:20:44 AM

Slain Bus Driver Is Recalled as a Good Family Man and Neighbor. Like the victims before him, Conrad Everton Johnson's life seemed heartbreakingly straightforward, before he was cut down by the Washington-area sniper's bullet. By Kate Zernike. 7:20:43 AM

Study Is Unsure on Tainted Polio Vaccine's Cancer Role. After years of study it is not clear whether the polio vaccine used in the United States from 1955 to 1963 is linked to any cancers in people. By Denise Grady. 7:20:42 AM

Candidates for Governor in Florida Spar Over Education. In their third debate on Tuesday, Gov. Jeb Bush and his Democratic challenger, Bill McBride, traded verbal punches about education as each sought to turn the tight race in his favor. By Dana Canedy. 7:20:42 AM

Subsidiary Issue Enters Pledge Case. A federal appeals court's decision in June that the words By Adam Liptak. 7:20:41 AM

Age-Old Culinary Questions Still Stir a Fire. More than 300 people gathered on the campus of Ole Miss last weekend to praise barbecue, argue about barbecue and gorge on barbecue. By R. W. Apple Jr.. 7:20:40 AM

Disbelief and Desperation in the Sniper Zone. The threats to children and the slaying of a bus driver left Washington area residents feeling discouraged and manipulated. By Jeffrey Gettleman. 7:20:39 AM

Heston Takes Last Lap in the Cause of Guns. Charlton Heston, who has Alzheimer's symptoms, expects this election season to be his final campaign on behalf of Republicans, gun owners and the Second Amendment. By Katharine Q. Seelye. 7:20:38 AM

U.S. Sees Threat to Terror Trial. Federal law enforcement officials say terrorism defendant Zacarias Moussaoui's legal team has been clashing with the Bush administration in recent weeks. By Philip Shenon. 7:20:37 AM

In Homestretch, Bush Makes Push for G.O.P. Gains. The White House has dispatched President Bush to campaign almost nonstop between now and Election Day, as officials seek to turn his popularity into Republican victories. By Elisabeth Bumiller with Adam Nagourney. 7:20:36 AM

Ex-Investigator Charged With California Prosecutor's Murder. A former investigator in a California district attorney's office was arrested on charges of slaying a longtime prosecutor who had become a father figure to his drug-addicted son. By The Associated Press. 7:20:35 AM

Ruling Clears Way to Ease Beach Access in California. California officials said they would move quickly to begin opening access to several beaches after the Supreme Court rejected two challenges to their efforts on Monday. By Barbara Whitaker. 7:20:34 AM

Police Investigate Killings of Illegal Immigrants in Desert. Police are investigating whether armed vigilantes, self-appointed guardians of the border with Mexico, fatally shot at least two illegal immigrants in the desert last week. By Nick Madigan. 7:20:33 AM

Bus Driver Killed; Sniper's Threat to Children Revealed. In the wake of what is feared to be the 10th fatality attributable to the suburban Washington sniper, police said the attacker warned that area children were not safe. By Francis X. Clines with Christopher Drew. 7:20:31 AM

World Business Briefing: Asia. TAIWAN: Chip Company'S Profit Misses; JAPAN: Bond Sale Limit May Change;. 7:20:29 AM

Canadian Bank's Invasion of U.S. Fizzles. Canadian Imperial will "substantially" reduce or close the United States operations of Amicus, the unit it set up to lead the charge into the United States. By Bernard Simon. 7:20:28 AM

Big Turnaround at Nissan Leads to Record Profits. Thanks to strong sales of Altima and Infiniti cars and progress in cutting costs, Nissan Motor will announce record profits for the six months ended Sept. 30. By Ken Belson. 7:20:27 AM

Confidence Erodes in Big Swiss Engineering Company. ABB, the house that Percy Barnevik built, is crumbling and investors, banks, analysts and ratings agencies no longer appear willing to support it. By Alison Langley. 7:20:27 AM

Vivendi Near $1.2 Billion Deal. Vivendi Universal is close to selling its French publishing business, excluding Houghton Mifflin, to Lagardere for about $1.2 billion. By Andrew Ross Sorkin and Suzanne Kapner. 7:20:26 AM

Japan Delays Banking Changes. Bankers and conservatives forced Heizo Takenaka, Japan's new economic czar, to postpone plans for big changes in bank regulation. By James Brooke and Ken Belson. 7:20:25 AM

Court Deals New Setback to Europe's Antitrust Policy. A European Union court overturned a ruling by the union's executive body that had blocked a proposed corporate takeover on antitrust grounds. By Paul Meller. 7:20:25 AM

World Briefing: United Nations. WORKERS CLEARED IN SEX ABUSE INQUIRY;. 7:20:24 AM

World Briefing: Asia. JAPAN: Kidnapping Victims May Stay Longer; CHINA: Leadership Shuffle Starts;. 7:20:23 AM

Finding a Reincarnated American Classic on a Trip to Australia. On his trip to Australia, General Motors' vice chairman Robert Lutz found a sports coupe he hopes will invigorate the Pontiac brand. By Mark Phelan. 7:20:22 AM

U.S. Sees Threat to Terror Trial. Federal law enforcement officials say terrorism defendant Zacarias Moussaoui's legal team has been clashing with the Bush administration in recent weeks. By Philip Shenon. 7:20:21 AM

Canadian Writer Wins a Revamped Booker Prize. Yann Martel won the newly renamed Man Booker Prize for his novel "Life of Pi," the magical fable of a young man shipwrecked in the company of a Bengal tiger. By Alan Cowell. 7:20:21 AM

France Links Tunisian in Jail to Terror Cells in 5 Nations. A 33-year-old Tunisian man arrested in Marseille last week is believed to be an important player in a terror network based in Europe, French officials said. By Elaine Sciolino. 7:20:20 AM

U.S. Aide Touring Europe to Cut Qaeda Finances. A senior Bush administration official is pressing European financial regulators and bankers to make a more determined effort to shut down Al Qaeda's financial network. By The New York Times. 7:20:19 AM

Draft of a U.S.-British Resolution on Iraq. Following is the working version of an Iraq resolution drafted by the United States and Britain, not including the preamble, as it stood late Sunday. It has been under negotiation in closed meetings since then. 7:20:17 AM

Havel Denies Telephoning U.S. on Iraq Meeting. President Vaclav Havel denied a report that he told U.S. officials that the Czechs had no proof that a meeting between a Sept.11 hijacker and an Iraqi spy had taken place. By Peter S. Green. 7:20:15 AM

In German Trial, Hijacker's Friend Admits to Qaeda Training. A man accused by German prosecutors of being a member of Mohamed Atta's terrorist cell admitted that he had attended a training camp in Afghanistan. By Desmond Butler. 7:20:14 AM

Israel Buries Bomb Victims, but Does Not Strike Back. In what officials said was a nod to American concerns, Israel did not retaliate on Tuesday for the bombing of a bus that killed 14 passengers on Monday. By Joel Greenberg. 7:20:13 AM

Chechnya's Wine Industry Clings to Remaining Roots. An infusion of cash from the Russian government is aimed at reinvigorating Chechnya's wine industry, which has been in shambles since the collapse of the Soviet Union. By Steven Lee Myers. 7:20:12 AM

To Grandparents, English Word Trend Isn't 'Naisu'. The use of English words has created a communication gap in Japanese families and prompted a government effort to stem the trend. By Howard W. French. 7:20:10 AM

Romania Pins Hope for NATO Seat on U.S. Friendship. The poor and once-forgotten nation of Romania looks set to join NATO, and the very happy sailors at Constanta, a Black Sea port, have no doubt whom to thank. By Ian Fisher. 7:20:08 AM

French Author Acquitted of Charges for Anti-Islam Comment. Michel Houellebecq was acquitted by a Paris court of charges of inciting racial hatred when he declared last year that Islam was "the most stupid religion." By Alan Riding. 7:20:07 AM

TV Program Raises New Assertions of Abuse by Priests in Ireland. A documentary last weeek aired on Irish television focused on routine abuse of young boys by a number of priests in the Dublin diocese. By Brian Lavery. 7:20:06 AM

Climate Talks Will Shift Focus From Emissions. The latest round of international talks on global warming begins on Wednesday in New Delhi, with delegates focused more on ways to adapt to changes. By Andrew C. Revkin. 7:20:04 AM

Car Blast in Bogota Kills 2. Suspected leftist Colombian rebels detonated a car bomb outside Bogota's police headquarters today, killing two people and wounding 36, in the first attack on the nation's capital in months. By Reuters. 7:20:04 AM

War Clouds Darken Asia-Pacific Meeting in Mexico. The agenda of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference has been transformed by developments in Bali, Iraq and North Korea. By Tim Weiner. 7:20:03 AM

Latin Death Squads and U.S.: A New Disclosure. A plan to have U.S. ambassadors urge South American dictators to stop using death squads abroad was canceled a day before a top Chilean official was killed, according to government documents. By Diana Jean Schemo. 7:20:02 AM

Some Guant[omega]namo Prisoners Will Be Freed, Rumsfeld Says. The defense secretary said that a small number of the nearly 600 prisoners would be released to their home countries because they were no longer of interest to the U.S. By Katharine Q. Seelye. 7:20:00 AM

Russians, Openly Skeptical Before, Are Silent After North Korea Brief. It was not clear whether that silence signaled continued skepticism or Russian agreement that the North Korea's nuclear program must face united opposition, as the White House has urged. By Michael Wines. 7:19:58 AM

Falun Gong Sues China's President in U.S. Federal Court. Falun Gong supporters filed a lawsuit against Chinese President Jiang Zemin in U.S. federal court, accusing him of committing torture and genocide in China's crackdown on the spiritual movement. By The Associated Press. 7:19:57 AM

Moroccan Tells German Court of His Ties With Sept. 11th Plotters. A Moroccan charged with helping the Sept. 11th hijackers told a German court today he had close personal ties to a wanted man who fled Hamburg on the eve of the attacks. By Reuters. 7:19:55 AM

Unmanned U.S. Planes Comb Arabian Desert for Suspects. Pilotless U.S. surveillance aircraft are looking for operatives of Al Qaeda who have sought refuge in the vast Arabian desert known as the Empty Quarter. By Neil Macfarquhar. 7:19:54 AM

U.S. Envoy Arrives in Jerusalem for Mideast Talks. Washington launched its most ambitious Mideast mediation mission in months today by sending Assistant U.S. Secretary of State William Burns to the region. By The Associated Press. 7:19:54 AM

'Big 5' at the United Nations Still Jockeying Over Iraq Text. In what U.S. and British diplomats regarded as an important advance, France said that it would not present a competing resolution. By Julia Preston. 7:19:53 AM

In Opening the Gates of Its Gulag, Iraq Unleashes Pain and Protest. Small but remarkable protests over the last two days show a willingness among ordinary people to speak for rights obliterated by President Saddam Hussein. By John F. Burns. 7:19:52 AM

Cost Moves Aid BellSouth's Profit. BellSouth said hat its third-quarter profit rose on lower investment costs. By Bloomberg News. 7:19:51 AM

My Car Sounds Better Than Yours. While some car owners can spend hours under the hood, others find themselves tweaking their custom-designed car audio systems. By David F. Gallagher. 7:19:50 AM

On Your Own Trail: The New Tracking Devices. Drivers who buy cars with manufacturer-installed navigation systems have the comfort of knowing that if the vehicles crash or break down, someone will know how to find the people in them. By Rebecca Fairley Raney. 7:19:49 AM

No Tapes, No Discs, No Top-10 Limit. Computer hard drives have melded with car stereos, and even the humble radio has joined the space age. By J. D. Biersdorfer. 7:19:48 AM

Technology News Briefing. SOFTWARE SHARES IN 2 VIDEO GAME COMPANIES FALL Share prices of two video game companies dropped markedly yesterday, as industry analysts have begun to wonder whether video game sales will be as robust this holiday season as originally expected. Shares in Eidos P.L.C., based in Britain, fell about 15 percent, to 84 pence, after the company said it would delay the release of 7:19:47 AM

The Universe Seems So Simple, Until You Have to Explain It. It's not the strange science fiction sounding ideas animating cosmology these days that defeat us, but the simple ones. By Dennis Overbye. 7:19:46 AM

Global Crossing to Restate Results. Global Crossing, the bankrupt fiber optic network operator, will restate results for the first nine months of 2001, cutting sales by $19 million. By Bloomberg News. 7:19:45 AM

The Inquiring Minds Behind 200 Years of Inventions. To celebrate its 200th anniversary, the United States Patent and Trademark Office last week brought together inventors to talk about what they do. By Warren E. Leary. 7:19:45 AM

Using Technology to Add New Dimensions to the Nightly Call Home. Using the latest gizmos, travelers are keeping up with home life and sharing virtual family moments from far away. By Maggie Jackson. 7:19:44 AM

Computer Associates Has Loss. Computer Associates International, a software maker, reported a smaller second-quarter loss today as it cut costs and sales rose. By Bloomberg News. 7:19:43 AM

New WorldCom Losses Hint at a Disputed Future. Despite its troubles, WorldCom still generates about $80 million in revenue daily. It is also a deeply unprofitable company. By Seth Schiesel. 7:19:41 AM

Your Mentor in Cyberspace Is Standing By Now. Dozens of Web sites link students to tutors who can help with the complicated and the mundane via e-mail, chat rooms or bulletin boards. By Jennifer Medina. 7:19:39 AM

Assault on Net Servers Fails. A distributed denial-of-service attack hit the computers that serve as the address books for the Internet, but the effort appears to have had little real effect. By Robert Lemos, Staff Writer, News.com. 7:19:37 AM

Unmanned U.S. Planes Comb Arabian Desert for Suspects. Pilotless U.S. surveillance aircraft are looking for operatives of Al Qaeda who have sought refuge in the vast Arabian desert known as the Empty Quarter. By Neil Macfarquhar. 7:19:36 AM

AT&T Posts a Small Profit After Three Quarters of Losses. AT&T had a small profit for the third quarter after three consecutive quarters of losses and attributed it to cost cutting. By Simon Romero with Seth Schiesel. 7:19:34 AM

AOL Expected to Keep Inquiry Open. AOL Time Warner executives plan to leave open the possibility that an internal revenue inquiry will continue indefinitely. By David D. Kirkpatrick. 7:19:32 AM

Poet a Contender to Run Federal Arts Agency. The poet, critic and anthologist Dana Gioia has emerged as the leading candidate to become the next chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. By Robin Pogrebin. 7:19:28 AM

S.E.C. Move Could Mean Stewart's Resignation. Martha Stewart could be forced to step down from the company that bears her name, lawyers say, if the S.E.C. brings a complaint against her in the coming weeks. By Constance L. Hays. 7:19:25 AM

Latin Death Squads and U.S.: A New Disclosure. A plan to have U.S. ambassadors urge South American dictators to stop using death squads abroad was canceled a day before a top Chilean official was killed, according to government documents. By Diana Jean Schemo. 7:19:22 AM

Romania Pins Hope for NATO Seat on U.S. Friendship. The poor and once-forgotten nation of Romania looks set to join NATO, and the very happy sailors at Constanta, a Black Sea port, have no doubt whom to thank. By Ian Fisher. 7:19:20 AM

Russians, Openly Skeptical Before, Are Silent After North Korea Brief. It was not clear whether that silence signaled continued skepticism or Russian agreement that the North Korea's nuclear program must face united opposition, as the White House has urged. By Michael Wines. 7:19:17 AM

U.S. Aide Touring Europe to Cut Qaeda Finances. A senior Bush administration official is pressing European financial regulators and bankers to make a more determined effort to shut down Al Qaeda's financial network. By The New York Times. 7:19:12 AM

Some Guant[omega]namo Prisoners Will Be Freed, Rumsfeld Says. The defense secretary said that a small number of the nearly 600 prisoners would be released to their home countries because they were no longer of interest to the U.S. By Katharine Q. Seelye. 7:19:08 AM

Havel Denies Telephoning U.S. on Iraq Meeting. President Vaclav Havel denied a report that he told U.S. officials that the Czechs had no proof that a meeting between a Sept.11 hijacker and an Iraqi spy had taken place. By Peter S. Green. 7:19:06 AM

Draft of a U.S.-British Resolution on Iraq. Following is the working version of an Iraq resolution drafted by the United States and Britain, not including the preamble, as it stood late Sunday. It has been under negotiation in closed meetings since then. 7:19:04 AM

U.S. Role in Inquiry Grows Amid Tales of Turf Battles. The Washington area sniper case inquiry has been described by officials as hobbled by turf battles and a fear of leaks that has kept information from street-level authorities. By Eric Lichtblau and David Johnston. 7:19:04 AM

'Big 5' at the United Nations Still Jockeying Over Iraq Text. In what U.S. and British diplomats regarded as an important advance, France said that it would not present a competing resolution. By Julia Preston. 7:19:03 AM

U.S. Sees Threat to Terror Trial. Federal law enforcement officials say terrorism defendant Zacarias Moussaoui's legal team has been clashing with the Bush administration in recent weeks. By Philip Shenon. 7:19:02 AM