Tuesday, October 29, 2002

After Study, Zambia Rejects Altered Food. JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 29 The Zambian agriculture minister said today that after several weeks of study, the government was rejecting American genetically modified food offered as United Nations aid. By The New York Times. 11:31:22 PM

National Briefing: South. VIRGINIA: Honoring A Slave;. 11:31:16 PM

National Briefing: Midwest. IOWA: G.O.P. Repudiates Candidate ; WISCONSIN: Disease Fears Reduce Hunting; ILLINOIS: Taxi! School, Please;. 11:31:15 PM

National Briefing: Northwest. WASHINGTON: Murder Guidelines Revised ; NEBRASKA: Pastor Fined For Restraining Boy; KANSAS: Man Convicted In 3 Women'S Deaths;. 11:31:13 PM

National Briefing: West. CALIFORNIA: Blake Interview Denied; CALIFORNIA: Got Sense? Town Ponders Name ;. 11:31:11 PM

Werner Eberlein, 82, Interpreter for Khrushchev and Survivor of the Gulag, Is Dead. Werner Eberlein, who spent nearly eight years in the Siberian gulag under Stalin, later rose to become Nikita S. Khrushchev's interpreter. By David Binder. 10:31:10 PM

Rally in Washington Is Said to Invigorate the Antiwar Movement. Groups opposed to military action in Iraq said they were preparing a wave of new demonstrations across the country in the next few weeks. By Kate Zernike. 9:31:38 PM

Federal Report Makes No Call on For-Profit Schools. Claims that three private companies hired to run public schools are better or worse at improving student performance than public schools cannot be substantiated, a report says. By Diana Jean Schemo. 9:31:37 PM

Georgia About to Plunge Into Touch-Screen Vote. Georgia's new touch-screen voting system gets a trial run on Nov. 5 after nearly two years of implementing financing and voter education. By Katharine Q. Seelye. 9:31:36 PM

Bush Signs Election Law Intended to End Disputes. President Bush signed a bill to set minimum federal standards intended to prevent a repetition of the ballot disputes in the 2000 presidential election. By Robert Pear. 9:31:35 PM

U.S. and France Near Deal on Iraq Issue of 2nd Resolution. The compromise would oblige the Bush administration to consult the U.N. Security Council before embarking on military action but still leave it the freedom to act alone. By Steven R. Weisman. 9:31:34 PM

Writers Hone Words of Praise for a Treasured Mentor. When contemporary American authors debate the age-old question of whether writing can be taught, the name of Nicholas Delbanco is apt to be mentioned. By Stephen Kinzer. 9:31:33 PM

Small University in Battle for Control of Billions in Art. Students at Lincoln University give little thought to the institution's link to a Main Line legacy of art worth billions or to the current effort to wrest it from the university's control. By Ralph Blumenthal. 9:31:32 PM

Juggling 3 School Goals, Texas Trips. The Texas public education system is about to implode, with lessons for other states that will later face similar crises. By Richard Rothstein. 9:31:32 PM

Georgia About to Plunge Into Touch-Screen Vote. Georgia's new touch-screen voting system gets a trial run on Nov. 5 after nearly two years of implementing financing and voter education. By Katharine Q. Seelye. 9:31:31 PM

Rally in Washington Is Said to Invigorate the Antiwar Movement. Groups opposed to military action in Iraq said they were preparing a wave of new demonstrations across the country in the next few weeks. By Kate Zernike. 9:31:31 PM

Pleas for Cash as Campaigns Hit Final Days. A week before Election Day, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee is inundated with requests for campaign funds from struggling candidates. By Todd S. Purdum. 9:31:30 PM

Bush Signs Election Law Intended to End Disputes. President Bush signed a bill to set minimum federal standards intended to prevent a repetition of the ballot disputes in the 2000 presidential election. By Robert Pear. 9:31:30 PM

Wellstone Memorial Takes on Spirit of Rally. Some 20,000 people packed into two sports stadiums at the University of Minnesota to honor Senator Paul Wellstone at a spirited memorial that also resembled a political rally. By Jodi Wilgoren. 9:31:29 PM

Police Checks on Vehicle Show Suspects' Movement. Police officers in Maryland, Virginia and Mississippi ran four checks on the license plate of the suspected snipers' Chevrolet Caprice. By Al Baker with Christopher Drew. 9:31:28 PM

With Suspects' Arrest, Tacoma Family Finds an Answer. The family of Keenya Cook, believes that John Muhammad murdered her. By Nick Madigan. 9:31:28 PM

Tensions Rise Over Who Will Prosecute, and How. The Justice Department brought federal charges against John Muhammad that could end in his execution. Tensions are high over where and how he should be prosecuted. By Eric Lichtblau. 9:31:27 PM

Synagogue Shooting Is Attributed to Borrowed Gun. The police say that the shooting last May at a Tacoma, Wash., synagogue was probably the work of John Muhammad and Lee Malvo. By Dean E. Murphy. 9:31:27 PM

Since Attacks, U.S. Admits Fewer Refugees. The number of refugees admitted to the United States declined sharply in the 2002 fiscal year because security concerns stemming from the Sept. 11 attacks bogged down the screening process. By Christopher Marquis. 9:31:26 PM

Group Formed Over Scandal Wins Meeting With Cardinal. After months of distancing himself and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston from Voice of the Faithful, Cardinal Bernard F. Law agreed to meet with the group. By Pam Belluck. 9:31:25 PM

Many Workers Ignored Anthrax Pill Regimen. Most postal, government and media workers who were advised to take an antibiotic to prevent inhalation anthrax a year ago failed to complete the full course of therapy. By Lawrence K. Altman. 9:31:24 PM

Gene-Mappers Take New Aim at Diseases. A $100 million project to develop a new kind of map of the human genome was announced by an international consortium. By Nicholas Wade. 9:31:23 PM

Judge Declares Mistrial in Lead-Paint Suit. BOSTON, Oct. 29 A judge declared a mistrial today in a groundbreaking suit in which Rhode Island tried to hold paint manufacturers responsible for the health hazards of lead-based paint. By The New York Times. 9:31:22 PM

Federal Report Makes No Call on For-Profit Schools. Claims that three private companies hired to run public schools are better or worse at improving student performance than public schools cannot be substantiated, a report says. By Diana Jean Schemo. 9:31:22 PM

Arizona Gunman Was Veteran and Marksman. A man who the police and witnesses say killed three University of Arizona nursing instructors and then himself had already chosen his victims, police say. By John M. Broder. 9:31:21 PM

Medical Marijuana Wins a Court Victory. A federal appeals court ruled that the government cannot revoke doctors' prescription licenses for recommending marijuana to sick patients. By Adam Liptak. 9:31:20 PM

Vandals, With Fire and Rockets, Attack 4 Afghan Girls' Schools. Vandals attacked four elementary schools for girls outside Kabul last week, firing rockets at two and burning blackboards and floor mats at two others. By David Rohde. 9:31:18 PM

Werner Eberlein, Interpreter for Khrushchev and Survivor of the Gulag, Dies in Berlin at 82. Werner Eberlein, a German who spent nearly eight years in the Siberian gulag under Stalin, and later rose to become Nikita S. Khrushchev's interpreter, died Oct. 11 in Berlin. By David Binder. 9:31:17 PM

Brazil Sets an Example in Computerizing Its National Elections. Brazil's elections this month had all the ingredients to be slow and messy. Yet less than 10 hours after the polls closed on Oct. 6, and again in last Sunday's presidential runoff vote, all of the votes cast had been tabulated. By Larry Rohter. 9:31:16 PM

Rally in Washington Is Said to Invigorate the Antiwar Movement. Groups opposed to military action in Iraq said they were preparing a wave of new demonstrations across the country in the next few weeks. By Kate Zernike. 9:31:15 PM

As U.S. Seeks a Trade Accord, Brazilians Recall Discord. In Ecuador, top trade negotiators from the U.S. will sit down with trade ministers to develop a blueprint for negotiating a free-trade zone from Canada to the southern tip of Argentina. By Edmund L. Andrews. 9:31:14 PM

Even in Moscow's Grimness, a Spirit of the Arts Endures. As Russia mourns the loss of at least 117 hostages who died the morning of the takeover, its vibrant cultural community is trying to stand strong against the blow. By Sabrina Tavernise. 9:31:13 PM

In a Dispute, Nations' Goals Clash at Brussels Meeting. A dispute between Britain and France has prompted President Jacques Chirac to back out of a traditional year-end meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair. By Warren Hoge. 9:31:13 PM

U.S. to Add to Forces in Horn of Africa. The U.S. is increasing its forces, allowing them to remain positioned to stage attacks against fighters for Al Qaeda who are believed to be hiding throughout the region. By Eric Schmitt. 9:31:12 PM

Iranian Leader Says U.S. Helps bin Laden's Image. President Mohammad Khatami of Iran said that his country opposed a war against neighboring Iraq and charged that Washington's campaign against terrorism was misguided. By Elaine Sciolino. 9:31:11 PM

At a Military Museum, the Losers Write History. The museum offers the Shinto shrine's unapologetic attitude about Japan's militaristic past to crowds of visitors year-round. By Howard W. French. 9:31:11 PM

Since Attacks, U.S. Admits Fewer Refugees. The number of refugees admitted to the United States declined sharply in the 2002 fiscal year because security concerns stemming from the Sept. 11 attacks bogged down the screening process. By Christopher Marquis. 9:31:10 PM

Haitians Dash to Freedom in Florida From Boat. About 200 refugees were stranded off Key Biscayne and lunged through chest-deep water in a scramble to evade the Coast Guard and the police. By Dana Canedy. 9:31:10 PM

North Korea Rejects Demands to End Atom Bomb Program. The rejection followed consultations in Mexico in which the United States, South Korea and Japan urged the North to end its bomb program. By Howard W. French. 9:31:09 PM

4 Are Killed When Helicopter Is Shot Down in Chechnya. A Russian military helicopter was shot down as it prepared to land at the main Russian military base in Chechnya. By Steven Lee Myers. 9:31:08 PM

Technology Briefing. TELECOMMUNICATIONS NEXTEL PARTNERS EXPECTS NARROWER LOSS Nextel Partners Inc., the seller of a combined mobile-telephone and walkie-talkie service in medium-sized cities, said yesterday that it expected a narrower fourth-quarter loss as it adds 90,000 subscribers. The loss will be 26 cents a share, the chief financial officer, John Thompson, said in a conference call. Nextel Partners, which is based in Kirkland, Wash., had a loss of 33 cents a share in the fourth quarter of 2001. Nextel Partners, like the part-owner Nextel Communications Inc., is adding customers as some its rivals, like Cingular Wireless and Sprint's PCS unit, lose subscribers. The company is paring losses as it generates higher revenue per user than some competitors by selling under the Nextel brand mainly to businesses. Shares of Nextel Partners fell 10 cents, to $7.05. Shares reached a high of $40.13 in March 2000, less than a month after its initial share sale. The stock has declined 42 percent this year. ÊÊ(Bloomberg News) BROADWING TO CUT 500 JOBS AS SALES FALL Broadwing Inc., a telephone company that is facing $1.2 billion in debt payments amid falling sales, will cut 500 jobs and defer a dividend payment to conserve cash. Net income in the third quarter was $4 million, or 1 cent a share, in contrast to a loss of $27.9 million, or 14 cents a share, in the period a year ago, Broadwing, the parent of the local-phone provider Cincinnati Bell, said in a statement yesterday. Sales fell 2.6 percent, to $562.9 million. The chief executive, Kevin W. Mooney, who replaced Richard Ellenberger last month, is cutting expenses so the company can meet $1.2 billion in debt payments due in the next two years. Mr. Mooney said on a conference call he would try to persuade Broadwing's banks to extend the maturity on $1 billion in debt due in 2004. Broadwing will cut about 500 jobs, or about 25 percent of the staff, at its Broadwing Communications unit, the company's high-speed Internet net 8:31:42 PM

Verizon, Spam Co. Reach Settlement. McLEAN, Va. (AP) -- One of the world's most prolific purveyors of bulk e-mail, or spam, has been barred from sending messages to Verizon customers under a legal settlement. By The Associated Press. 8:31:40 PM

RealNetworks Releases Digital Media Player Code. SEATTLE (Reuters) - RealNetworks Inc. (RNWK.O) on Tuesday made the source code for its Internet media playing software available for other software and hardware makers to use in their products, in a push to make its technology the industry standard before rival Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O) does. By Reuters. 8:31:40 PM

Samsung Says Winning U.S. Phone Market. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co. (05930.KS), the world's No. 3 maker of mobile telephones, is capturing the bulk of the U.S. market for pricier phones and is poised to gain further share, officials said on Tuesday. By Reuters. 8:31:39 PM

Activision Profit Triples, Raises Guidance. LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Activision Inc., the No. 2 independent video game publisher, said on Tuesday its quarterly profit more than quadrupled, driven by strong sales of some extreme sports titles and hits like ``Spider-Man.''. By Reuters. 8:31:39 PM

BellSouth Asks Court to Dismiss Case. MIAMI (AP) -- BellSouth Corp. asked a bankruptcy court Tuesday to dismiss phone service reseller Supra Telecommunication's bid for bankruptcy protection. By The Associated Press. 8:31:38 PM

WorldCom to Create Employee Fund. WorldCom received permission from a bankruptcy court to spend $25 million to retain key managers as morale among the rank-and-file is slipping. By The Associated Press. 8:31:38 PM

Microsoft Says Windows 2000 Passes Security Check. Microsoft said on Tuesday that Windows 2000 has received the highest level of security evaluation of any commercial operating system, an important benchmark for contracts. By Reuters. 8:31:37 PM

A New Gadget to Give You Hindsight? Just Kidding. Who is behind an ad for a company that claims to sell a "business time machine" that will erase all your costly business blunders? By Steve Lohr. 8:31:37 PM

A Lack of Money Forces Computer Initiative to Close. With nearly 1,000 community-based technology centers financed across the country, the national offices of PowerUp will close and the centers will be left to fend for themselves. By John Schwartz. 8:31:36 PM

Haitians Dash to Freedom in Florida From Boat. About 200 refugees were stranded off Key Biscayne and lunged through chest-deep water in a scramble to evade the Coast Guard and the police. By Dana Canedy. 8:31:30 PM

Investigators Say U.S. Sniper Charge Blocked Questions. Officials said John Muhammad's interrogation was yielding important information when the U.S. attorney ordered him delivered to Baltimore to face federal weapons charges. By Jayson Blair. 8:31:30 PM

Grim Figures Cast a Shadow on Japan's Bank-Debt Plan. New figures released today show industrial production in Japan slowing and the unemployment rate stuck near its postwar high. By Ken Belson. 8:31:28 PM

Globo of Brazil Credit Rating Is Downgraded. Globo, the largest media group in Latin America, said its finances had been hit so hard by the sluggish economy that it would make no debt payments for 90 days. By Tony Smith. 8:31:27 PM

Oil Pipeline Forges Ahead in Ecuador. Questions are being raised by oil analysts and economists over just how much economic impact a pipeline will have in Ecuador. By Juan Forero. 8:31:27 PM

BP Results Fall Short and Targets Are Lowered. BP reported earnings for the third quarter that fell short of expectations, and said that, for the third time in two months, it had to lower its oil production targets for 2002. By Suzanne Kapner. 8:31:26 PM

Nikon and Fallon End Relationship. Nikon and Fallon End Relationship For the second time in less than a month, a longtime client is unexpectedly parting ways with Fallon Worldwide in Minneapolis. 8:31:24 PM

Omnicom Has 37% Increase in Earnings. The Omnicom Group said that third-quarter earnings increased 37 percent as it picked up accounts from companies including Staples and Hershey Foods. By Bloomberg News. 8:31:23 PM

Viacom Leader Hopes to Keep Its President. The chairman of Viacom, Sumner M. Redstone, said that he was optimistic that Mel Karmazin, the company's president and chief operating officer, would remain at the company. By Geraldine Fabrikant. 8:31:23 PM

Swanson Focuses on Its New, Fashionable TV Dinner. Swanson, which invented the "TV dinner" in 1953 as emergency food for busy housewives, is now marketing "Food That's in Fashion". By Patricia Winters Lauro. 8:31:22 PM

A Kansas Cardiologist With His Eye on the World. WICHITA, Kan. After a slow month or two, the $20 million Galichia Heart Hospital, which opened in February on the east side of this bustling agribusiness city, took off like a cornfield in July. By Edmund Newton. 8:31:22 PM

Prime Office Space Heading to Market. The vacancy rate for the most desirable class of office space in downtown Newark has remained low in recent months, but a number of large spaces are to be vacated over the next year. By Sana Siwolop. 8:31:21 PM

A Disney Resort Remodels for Business Travelers. The Tishman Hotel Corporation is spending $75 million to try to market Disney's Swan and Dolphin hotels to more business travelers and conventiongoers. By Michael Brick. 8:31:21 PM

'Girls Club' Makes Swift Exit, Dimming Creator's Golden Aura. After a second week of dismal ratings for "Girls Club," a new drama from David E. Kelley, the Fox television network canceled the series last night. By Bill Carter. 8:31:20 PM

Hospitals Battle For-Profit Groups for Patients. The battle for profitable patients is setting doctors against doctors and pitting health care entrepreneurs against established institutions. By Reed Abelson. 8:31:20 PM

William F. Treiber, Retired Fed Official, Is Dead at 94. William F. Treiber, a longtime senior official of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, died on Oct. 22 at his home in Bloomfield, Conn. He was 94. By The New York Times. 8:31:19 PM

Shares Recoup After a Sobering Confidence Report. The stock market managed to bounce back from big losses despite an unexpectedly steep drop in consumer confidence, which fell to its lowest level in nine years. By Jonathan Fuerbringer. 8:31:19 PM

A Lack of Money Forces Computer Initiative to Close. With nearly 1,000 community-based technology centers financed across the country, the national offices of PowerUp will close and the centers will be left to fend for themselves. By John Schwartz. 8:31:18 PM

Profit at Oxford Health Declines 72%. Oxford Health Plans reported that third-quarter profit dropped 72 percent, hurt by costs from lawsuits over a 1997 decline in its share price. By Bloomberg News. 8:31:18 PM

CIT Group's Earnings Fall 26%. By Bloomberg News. By Bloomberg News. 8:31:17 PM

McDonald's France Puts Its Mouth Where Its Money Is. It isn't often that a food company tells its customers that it should eat less of its food. But that is what McDonald's appears to have done in France. By Marian Burros. 8:31:16 PM

A New Gadget to Give You Hindsight? Just Kidding. Who is behind an ad for a company that claims to sell a "business time machine" that will erase all your costly business blunders? By Steve Lohr. 8:31:16 PM

Prudential and Wachovia Drop Venture. Prudential Financial and Wachovia have abandoned talks to create a joint venture that would merge their brokerage and research businesses. By The New York Times. 8:31:15 PM

Procter & Gamble Has 33% Profit Rise. Procter & Gamble said that its earnings rose 33 percent on the strength of products like Crest Spinbrush, Cascade Complete and Actonel, a bone-building drug. By Sherri Day. 8:31:14 PM

Vivendi Rebuffs Vodafone's Bid for Phone Stake. Vivendi Universal's board struck back Tuesday at its onetime partner, the Vodafone Group, intensifying a battle for control of a French phone company. By Suzanne Kapner. 8:31:13 PM

Consumer Confidence at 9-Year Low, a Warning on Economy. In a report that was seen as a warning signal for the economy, the Conference Board said that consumer confidence in October plunged to a nine-year low. By Kenneth N. Gilpin. 8:31:12 PM

Wall Street Is Near Accord on Research. The biggest firms on Wall Street are nearing an agreement with regulators for fixing the problems with stock research. But some are criticizing the plan and the process that produced it. By Patrick Mcgeehan. 8:31:12 PM

Arafat's New Cabinet, With Few New Faces, Is Approved. Yasir Arafat won overwhelming approval for his new cabinet from the Palestinian parliament, turning back a legislative challenge to his authority that had forced his ministers to resign. By Joel Greenberg. 8:31:10 PM

The Funerals Begin, and Russians Are Swept by Grief and Questions. The U.S. ambassador to Russia said that secrecy about the use of a powerful anesthetic gas may have needlessly raised the toll in Saturday's raid on Chechen terrorists in a Moscow theater. By Michael Wines and Steven Lee Myers. 8:31:09 PM

Scores Die in Fire in Heart of Ho Chi Minh City. A huge fire in the heart of the city Tuesday afternoon in a six-story building trapped hundreds of people, killing at least 54 and injuring more than 100, officials said. By Seth Mydans. 8:31:09 PM

U.S. Woos Muslims by Video, but Early Reviews Are Mixed. Four videos about the life of American Muslims are part of a campaign to sell the United States to a skeptical and in places, hostile Muslim world. By Jane Perlez. 8:31:08 PM

U.S. and France Near Deal on Iraq Issue of 2nd Resolution. The compromise would oblige the Bush administration to consult the U.N. Security Council before embarking on military action but still leave it the freedom to act alone. By Steven R. Weisman. 8:31:07 PM

Wellstone Memorial Takes on Spirit of Rally. Some 20,000 people packed into two sports stadiums at the University of Minnesota to honor Senator Paul Wellstone at a spirited memorial that also resembled a political rally. By Jodi Wilgoren. 8:31:04 PM

Gay History Is Still in the Closet. Why are the gay movement's roots so obscured? The reason is the invisibility of gay history. By Richard Goldstein. 7:31:32 PM

Russia's Poison Gases. The media has focused on whether Russia's use of gas against terrorists was a violation of a 1997 treaty. But this focus, while important, risks overlooking the big picture. By Christopher Chyba. 7:31:31 PM

Rummy Runs Rampant. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has become redolent of Donald Regan, the brusque Reagan chief of staff who had trouble remembering who was president. By Maureen Dowd. 7:31:31 PM

The Democracy Thing. Americans have a real stake in Bahrain's democratic experiment working and influencing others. By Thomas L. Friedman. 7:31:30 PM

Effective Political Ads. Effective Political Ads To the Editor:. 7:31:30 PM

Advice for Students. Advice for Students To the Editor:. 7:31:29 PM

Bridges and Streets. Bridges and Streets To the Editor:. 7:31:29 PM

North Korea Puzzle. North Korea Puzzle To the Editor:. 7:31:28 PM

Old Lies, New Media. Old Lies, New Media To the Editor:. 7:31:27 PM

Risks of Small Aircraft. Risks of Small Aircraft To the Editor:. 7:31:27 PM

I Want My Cellphone, and I Want It Now!. I Want My Cellphone, and I Want It Now! To the Editor:. 7:31:26 PM

A War for Oil?. A War for Oil? To the Editor:. 7:31:24 PM

Improve the Health of Afghan Women. Improve the Health Of Afghan Women To the Editor:. 7:31:23 PM

To Loosen the Bonds of Violence. To Loosen the Bonds of Violence To the Editor:. 7:31:23 PM

Frank Lautenberg for U.S. Senate. Frank Lautenberg has the background to deal with the complex issues of war, the economy and health care. We endorse Mr. Lautenberg for United States senator in New Jersey. 7:31:22 PM

The Search for a Knockout Weapon. Russia's use of a dangerous gas to knock out terrorists has underscored the urgent need to develop safer methods to immobilize hostage takers without harming their hostages. 7:31:22 PM

Brazil's Next President. Since Brazil was governed by a military dictatorship only two decades ago, Luiz In[omega]cio Lula da Silva's election is a tribute to the triumphant consolidation of democracy. 7:31:21 PM

Competing for the Sniper Trial. The Justice Department and prosecutors from Virginia and Maryland are engaged in unseemly jockeying over who will be first to try the accused Beltway snipers. 7:31:21 PM

World Business Briefing: Europe. FRANCE: T[infinity]L[infinity]Com Sales Lag; FRANCE: Drug Revenue Rises; SWITZERLAND: Drug Maker Acquired;. 7:31:20 PM

World Business Briefing: Asia. SOUTHEAST ASIA: Shifting Credit Outlook; INDONESIA: Carmaker In Debt Deal; JAPAN: Canon'S Profit Rises; JAPAN: Another Loss At Fujitsu; INDIA: Rates Lowered;. 7:31:20 PM

Globo of Brazil Credit Rating Is Downgraded. Globo, the largest media group in Latin America, said its finances had been hit so hard by the sluggish economy that it would make no debt payments for 90 days. By Tony Smith. 7:31:19 PM

Grim Figures Cast a Shadow on Japan's Bank-Debt Plan. New figures released today show industrial production in Japan slowing and the unemployment rate stuck near its postwar high. By Ken Belson. 7:31:18 PM

BP Results Fall Short and Targets Are Lowered. BP reported earnings for the third quarter that fell short of expectations, and said that, for the third time in two months, it had to lower its oil production targets for 2002. By Suzanne Kapner. 7:31:17 PM

Oil Pipeline Forges Ahead in Ecuador. Questions are being raised by oil analysts and economists over just how much economic impact a pipeline will have in Ecuador. By Juan Forero. 7:31:15 PM

Investigators in Jordan Seek Clues in Death of U.S. Envoy. A day after a senior American diplomat was assassinated here, Jordan began rounding up dozens of men with links to training camps in Afghanistan or other militant Islamic causes. By Neil Macfarquhar. 7:31:10 PM

Israel Coalition Nears Collapse. Ministers from the Labor Party said they would depart to protest Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's budget proposal to spend money on settlements. By James Bennet. 7:31:09 PM

Bush Signs Bill Overhauling National Elections System. President Bush signed a bill intended to prevent a repetition of the voting problems that occurred in Florida two years ago. By Robert Pear. 6:31:11 PM

Thousands Gather to Honor Minnesota Democrat and Family. Some 100 members of Congress and thousands of others attended a memorial service tonight for Paul Wellstone, his wife and his daughter. Vice President Dick Cheney was asked not to attend. By The Associated Press. 6:31:10 PM

Prosecutor Opens Probe Into Vivendi. Prosecutors opened an investigation into whether Vivendi Universal under former chairman Jean-Marie Messier misled investors with falsified financial reports. By The Associated Press. 4:31:15 PM

IBM Chief to Add Chairman's Role. I.B.M. named chief Samuel Palmisano to the additional job of chairman, taking over for Louis Gerstner, who will retire at the end of the year. By Reuters. 4:31:08 PM

C.I.A. Warns of Net Terror Threat. It's not just Al-Qaida that American businesses and government agencies may have to worry about. The CIA warns that other terrorist groups could launch a "cyberattack." By News.com. 4:31:06 PM

Immigrants Run Ashore in Miami. More than 200 illegal Haitian immigrants jumped overboard, waded ashore and rushed onto a major highway. By The Associated Press. 3:31:22 PM

Megawati Makes Surprise Visit to Bali Bombsite. BALI, (Reuters) - Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, under fire over her passive handling of the Bali bomb attacks, made a surprise visit to the island on Tuesday and thanked the international community for its help in dealing with the crisis. By Reuters. 3:31:19 PM

Powell Sees Path to Iraq Compromise. WASHINGTON (AP) -- Signaling compromise, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday ``there may be a way'' to bridge remaining differences with France and Russia on a U.N. resolution designed to force Iraq to disarm. By The Associated Press. 3:31:18 PM

Federal Court Backs Doctors on Recommending Marijuana. A federal appeals court ruled that the government cannot revoke doctors' prescription licenses for recommending marijuana to sick patients. By The Associated Press. 2:31:19 PM

U.S. Envoy Offers Criticism of Kremlin as Burials Begin. The U.S. ambassador offered the first muted criticism of Russia's handling of last weekend's hostage crisis. By Michael Wines. 2:31:10 PM

Chechen Rebels Shoot Down Russian Helicopter. Chechen guerrillas shot down a helicopter near a military base in Chechnya, killing four servicemen, officials said. By Reuters. 1:31:18 PM

Moscow Mourns, U.S. Envoy Criticizes Gas Secrecy. MOSCOW (Reuters) - A grieving Russia buried the first victims of the Moscow theater siege Tuesday, but the U.S. ambassador said some still could be alive if the Kremlin had been less secretive about a gas that poisoned them. By Reuters. 1:31:16 PM

Arafat Wins Approval for New Cabinet. Yasir Arafat turned back a legislative challenge to his authority that had forced his ministers to resign last month. By Joel Greenberg. 1:31:14 PM

Fire in Vietnam Office-Building Kills at Least 54. A huge fire in Ho Chi Minh City trapped hundreds of people inside a six-story office building, killing at least 54. By Seth Mydans. 12:31:05 PM

Israel's Coalition Government on Brink of Breaking Apart. Ministers from the Labor party said they would bolt rather than support Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's proposed budget. By James Bennet. 12:31:04 PM

Jordanian Forces Hunt for American Envoy's Killer. Jordanian security forces rounded up scores of political activists in a nationwide hunt for the U.S. diplomat's killer. By Neil Macfarquhar. 12:31:02 PM

U.S. Files Charges in Sniper Case. Federal prosecutors filed a 20-count complaint in Greenbelt, Md., against the adult suspect in the sniper shootings. By Eric Lichtblau with Jeffrey Gettleman. 11:31:21 AM

Stocks Drop With Consumer Confidence. Stocks fell today and bond prices surged as investors were surprised by an unexpectedly step drop in consumer confidence to its lowest level in nine years. By Jonathan Fuerbringer. 11:31:08 AM

Consumer Confidence Plunged to 9-Year Low. The report is not only a warning signal for the economy but could also have an impact on next week's Congressional elections. By Kenneth N. Gilpin. 11:31:06 AM

Wellstone's Family Asks Cheney to Stay Away From Memorial. The family of Senator Paul Wellstone asked Vice President Dick Cheney to stay away from tonight's memorial service. By The Associated Press. 10:31:11 AM

Arafat Gains Approval of New Cabinet. RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- The Palestinian parliament approved Yasser Arafat's new Cabinet on Tuesday, effectively ending a challenge to the Palestinian leader that began last month with demands he share power. By The Associated Press. 9:31:32 AM

Bush Signs Bill to Clean Up Election Procedures. One week before Election Day, President Bush signed legislation revamping the nation's voting system. By The Associated Press. 9:31:19 AM

Procter & Gamble Earnings Rise. Procter & Gamble's first-quarter earnings increased by 33 percent, beating Wall Street's expectations. By The Associated Press. 9:31:06 AM

Stocks Sink as Consumer Confidence Drops. Stocks tumbled after a report showed consumer confidence in October scraped its lowest level in nine years. By Reuters. 9:31:04 AM

North Korea Rejects Demands to Abandon Nuclear Program. North Korea rejected demands to abandon its program in the opening session of normalization talks with Japan. By Howard W. French. 8:31:11 AM

Reports: Vietnam Building Fire Kills at Least 48. HANOI (Reuters) - Fire swept through a five-story commercial building in south Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday killing at least 48 people, state-run Vietnam Television said. Flames billowed from windows of the International Trade Center sending dense black smoke into the sky as workers from the foreign offices, shops, a disco and a restaurant fled for their lives, many down steel ladders reaching up from fire trucks below. By Reuters. 7:31:13 AM

Jordan Searches for Assailants Who Killed American Envoy. Investigators in Jordan searched for suspects in the assassination of a senior U.S. diplomat and tightened security. By Reuters. 7:31:11 AM

U.S. Suspects Opiate in Gas Used in Theater. American officials suspect that the Russian police may have used an aerosol version of a powerful opiate in their raid on the theater. By Judith Miller and William J. Broad. 7:31:09 AM

American Envoy Killed in Jordan. The killing of Laurence Foley, a senior official in the U.S. aid program to Jordan, appeared to be the latest in a string of terror attacks against Western targets. By Neil Macfarquhar. 7:31:06 AM

North Korea Rejects Demands to Disarm Nuclear Weapons Program. North Korea today rejected demands that it give up its nuclear weapons program, marring the country's first talks with Japan in two years on establishing diplomatic ties. By The Associated Press. 4:31:04 AM

Arafat Names New Cabinet. Under pressure to reform his Palestinian Authority, Yasir Arafat announced a new cabinet today and extended an olive branch to Israel. By Reuters. 4:31:03 AM

World Business Briefing: Asia. JAPAN: Honda'S Profit Rises; CHINA: Regional Trade Proposal; JAPAN: Power Plant Shut; HONG KONG: Bank Sells Shares; MALAYSIA: Mobile Phone Merger;. 1:31:09 AM