Tuesday, February 11, 2003

Ron Ziegler, Nixon Press Secretary, Dies at 63. Ron Ziegler was the combative former press secretary to President Nixon who famously called the Watergate break-in a "third-rate burglary." By Tina Kelley. 11:15:13 PM

Administration Gives Advice on Preparing for Terrorist Attack. The Bush administration issued detailed advice but insisted that it was motivated by a sense of caution, not specific intelligence. By Philip Shenon. 11:15:13 PM

Text: Excerpt From U.S. Guide to Preparedness. Following is an excerpt from the National Security Emergencies section of "Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness," a book by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 11:15:12 PM

Conservatives Now See Deficits as a Tool to Fight Spending. Conservatives like Sue Myrick, the chairwoman of the Republican Study Committee, have adopted a new attitude toward the deficit they once abhorred. By David Firestone. 11:15:12 PM

U.S. Military Set to Provide Aid to Iraqi People in the Event of War. Gen. Tommy R. Franks said that the military would take the responsibility for providing food and medicine to the Iraqi people from the first day of any war. By Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker. 11:15:11 PM

Speaking for Terror Suspect, and for the Constitution. Lawyer Donna R. Newman has been locked in a bitter dispute with the United States government that could have ramifications for how the country deals with terrorist threats. By Chris Hedges. 11:15:11 PM

At Tax Time, Health Care Costs May Be a Factor. A deduction for people who spend more than 7.5 percent of their adjusted gross incomes on medical and dental expenses is becoming increasingly popular. By Liz Galst. 11:15:10 PM

Kerry to Undergo Surgery for Prostate Cancer. Senator John Kerry, a Democratic presidential candidate, will have his prostate removed on Wednesday. By The Associated Press. 11:15:10 PM

Bush Urges Rich Churches to Reach Out to Poor Ones. President Bush urged suburban churches to do more to promote racial reconciliation by creating partnerships with poor urban congregations. By Richard W. Stevenson. 11:15:09 PM

Renters Receiving U.S. Aid to Pay More Under Budget Proposal. The Bush administration is proposing to increase rents charged to thousands of poor people who receive federal housing aid. By Robert Pear. 11:15:08 PM

Charity Leader Accepts a Deal in Terror Case. The director of one of America's largest Muslim charities struck a plea agreement without admitting any ties to Al Qaeda or terrorism. By Eric Lichtblau. 11:15:07 PM

NASA Says It Has Electronic Parts and Piece of Wing. Wreckage from the shuttle Columbia was identified as a piece of the left wing, where evidence suggests the craft's troubles began. By David E. Sanger. 11:15:07 PM

3 NATO Members and Russia Resist U.S. on Iraq Plans. France, Germany and Belgium blocked an effort to aid Turkey, and France and Germany issued a declaration with Russia calling for intensified weapons inspections. By Craig S. Smith with Richard Bernstein. 11:15:06 PM

Technology Briefing: Hardware. NETWORK APPLIANCE PROFIT ALMOST TRIPLES; TEXAS INSTRUMENTS REAFFIRMS ESTIMATE;. 11:15:06 PM

Technology Briefing: Internet. EDUCATION DOMAIN EXPANDS ELIGIBILITY; FRENCH COURT REJECTS SUIT AGAINST YAHOO;. 11:15:05 PM

Technology Briefing: Telecommunications. QWEST RESTATEMENT TOTALS $2.2 BILLION;. 11:15:05 PM

World Business Briefing: Asia. SOUTH KOREA: Outlook Cut;. 11:15:04 PM

World Business Briefing: Europe. BRITAIN: Another Safeway Bidder; SWITZERLAND: Loss At Chemical Concern; SWITZERLAND: Insurer Reverses Loss; THE NETHERLANDS: Pharmaceutical Profit Warning; ITALY: Higher Bid For Toll Company;. 11:15:04 PM

World Business Briefing: Americas. CANADA: Entertainment Executive Named; CANADA: Miner Posts Loss;. 11:15:03 PM

Philips Electronics Lost $3.4 Billion Last Year. Royal Philips Electronics joined a growing parade of companies announcing annual losses in the billions. By Gregory Crouch. 11:15:03 PM

Arms Makers See Great Potential in India Market. Military equipment makers are aggressively promoting their products to India, which is expected to spend $100 billion on defense in the next decade. By Saritha Rai. 11:15:02 PM

Brit Hume Renews Deal With Fox News. The Fox News Channel has struck a deal to renew the contract of Brit Hume, its political anchor, through 2005. By The New York Times. 11:15:02 PM

Daniel Toscan du Plantier, 61, Noted French Film Producer, Is Dead. Over the last 15 years, Daniel Toscan du Plantier presided over Unifrance, the French movie promotion agency. By Alan Riding. 11:15:02 PM

Olberman to Anchor Olympics on Cable. Keith Olbermann, who worked for NBC Sports and MSNBC from 1997 to 1998, will anchor CNBC's and MSNBC's Olympic coverage at the 2004 Athens Games. By Richard Sandomir. 11:15:01 PM

Giving Her Readers 'Universal' Women's Issues. Diane Weathers, the editor in chief of Essence magazine, has stepped into a more public role on the issue of AIDS. By Lynda Richardson. 11:15:01 PM

Grim Reality Dominates Berlinale Film Festival. With Europe increasingly alarmed about illegal immigration, three movies in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival are addressing the issue. By Alan Riding. 11:15:00 PM

For Your Health or Their Business?. Critics say that a new dairy campaign is masquerading as a health campaign when its intent is to get people to buy more dairy products. By Marian Burros. 11:14:59 PM

'Chicago' Tops Oscar Nominees. As expected, "Chicago" led the nominations with 13. More of a surprise was "Gangs of New York," with 10. By Rick Lyman. 11:14:58 PM

It's Harvey Weinstein's Turn to Gloat. Harvey Weinstein's Miramax Films dominated the Academy Awards race in a way that no single studio has done in more than half a century. By Rick Lyman. 11:14:57 PM

Boycott of PepsiCo Is Called Off. Boycott of PepsiCo Is Called Off A threatened boycott of PepsiCo was called off yesterday after Pepsi agreed to donate millions of dollars to nonprofit groups benefiting young people. By The New York Times. 11:14:57 PM

Brewer Tries to Rekindle a Romance. Rheingold Brewing is betting that it can get New Yorkers to embrace its beer as warmly as they did in the 1950's. By Patricia Winters Lauro. 11:14:56 PM

Bush Gains Crucial Backer for His Tax Plan in Senate. President Bush's $674 billion economic plan drew surprising support today from Senator Charles E. Grassley, the Iowa Republican. By Elisabeth Bumiller. 11:14:56 PM

Huge Stock Option Grants Raise Questions. The roots of Sprint's management turmoil lie in a decision to supplement Chief William Esrey's pay with huge grants of stock options. By Patrick Mcgeehan. 11:14:56 PM

For Sprint Chief, a Hard Fall From Grace. To hear the Sprint Corporation's board tell it, the fall from grace of its longtime chief executive, William T. Esrey, is the consequence of his having followed bad tax advice. By Simon Romero. 11:14:55 PM

Cablevision Swings to Profit in 4th Quarter. Cablevision Systems said that it had a profit in the fourth quarter, reversing a loss a year earlier. By Dow Jones / Ap. 11:14:55 PM

Chief Executive of Troubled Biotechnology Company Resigns. The founder and chief executive of Transkaryotic Therapies, Richard F. Selden, resigned after setbacks in drug development. By Andrew Pollack. 11:14:54 PM

A Building for Dot-Coms Switches to General Users. The former AT&T Long Distance Building in New York City enjoyed zero vacancy during the dot-com boom. Though times have changed, the building is still healthy. By John Holusha. 11:14:54 PM

Seeking Customers in a Blighted Area. Chesterfield Square, a $60 million, 22-acre, unfenced that opened last year, is the first significant commercial development in south-central Los Angeles since the riots of 1992. By Michael Brick. 11:14:53 PM

Toy Fair Splits After 100th Show, Not to Be Put Together Again. The largest trade show for toys, which opens on Sunday in Manhattan, will be split into separate shows for mass-market buyers and for specialty retailers starting next year. By Glenn Collins. 11:14:53 PM

Wyeth Drug Is Approved. Wyeth said that the Food and Drug Administration had approved use of its antidepressant Effexor as a treatment for social anxiety disorder. By Bloomberg News. 11:14:52 PM

Wyeth Expecting Subpoena in Inquiry. Wyeth said it expected to receive a subpoena related to an inquiry into whether it colluded with Schering-Plough in the sale of over-the-counter drugs on offshore oil rigs. By Melody Petersen. 11:14:52 PM

Salmonella Survivor Endorses Push for Food Safety Agency. Representative Rosa L. DeLauro, who was stricken with salmonella poisoning when she was 2 years old, is on a campaign to clean up the nation's dirty food. By Elizabeth Becker. 11:14:52 PM

Conferees in Congress Bar Using a Pentagon Project on Americans. A project intended to find terrorists by monitoring e-mail and commercial databases cannot be used against Americans. By Adam Clymer. 11:14:51 PM

17 Charged in Satellite TV Case. Seventeen people have been charged in connection with developing technology to steal satellite television service. By Barbara Whitaker. 11:14:51 PM

Former Money Manager Going to Prison. The former money manager Alan B. Bond has been sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison for cheating clients and taking kickbacks from brokers. By Bloomberg News. 11:14:50 PM

Rivals of Microsoft File Antitrust Complaint in Europe. An alliance of technology companies filed a new complaint with European antitrust regulators about Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. By Paul Meller. 11:14:50 PM

Chief Resigns at Pipeline Company. William A. Wise, the chief of El Paso who helped transform it into the nation's largest natural gas pipeline company, will step down. By David Barboza. 11:14:49 PM

Japan's Used Cars Find New Lives on Russian Roads. Russia is now the largest importer of used Japanese cars, many of them arriving by illicit means. By James Brooke. 11:14:48 PM

US Airways Loan Guarantee Is Reaffirmed. The federal government renewed its approval of a $900 million loan for US Airways, moving the airline a step closer to exiting bankruptcy. By Daniel Altman. 11:14:47 PM

BP Completes Big Oil Deal With Russians. BP P.L.C. will form a new oil company in a deal that puts the Russian oil industry into the center of the world's energy equation. By Sabrina Tavernise with Neela Banerjee. 11:14:47 PM

Greenspan Throws Cold Water on Bush Tax Plan. Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chairman, rebutted many of President Bush's arguments in favor of big new tax cuts. By Edmund L. Andrews. 11:14:46 PM

Looking After Life Without Leaving Office. A new survey has found that people spend more time online finishing office work at home than they do surfing the Web at work for personal reasons. By Elizabeth Olson. 11:14:42 PM

Electronic Surveillance Spies a Perfect Gift. Information Awareness coffee mugs, T-shirts and thongs have been the early best sellers. By David F. Gallagher. 11:14:42 PM

Proposal Expected on Fees Charged by Bell Companies. Lobbyists besieged the Federal Communications Commission as the agency rushed to rewrite arcane telephone rules. By Stepen Labaton. 11:14:42 PM

Applying Space Technology on Earth. Many technologies spawned by the space program have taken root in the commercial world. By Amy Harmon. 11:14:41 PM

E-Mail Spam Scam Is Sent in Bush's Name. A geography professor in Wisconsin has written a clever spoof e-mail that has circulated suprisingly widely in the last week. By Matthew Mirapaul. 11:14:41 PM

A Corporate Cliffhanger Starring Disney and Pixar. The most watched drama at the Walt Disney Company these days is not its live-action football hit, "Remember the Titans," but the real-life clash of two executive giants. By Laura M. Holson. 11:14:40 PM

Amazon Tries Word of Mouth. Amazon is asking itself a vexing question: Is television advertising worth the expense? By Saul Hansell. 11:14:39 PM

A Bid by SBC for DirecTV Would Confirm Cable's Reach. Edward E. Whitacre Jr., the chairman of SBC, has good reason to consider making a bid to take over DirecTV. By Andrew Ross Sorkin. 11:14:38 PM

Sun Rolls Out Its New Effort to Gain Edge Over 2 Rivals. Sun is set to announce new computer and software offerings in an effort to regain a sense of leadership in corporate computing. By Steve Lohr. 11:14:37 PM

As Big Airlines Struggle, Computer Booking System Prospers. While the airline industry heads closer to insolvency, Sabre Holdings, the world's largest computer reservations system, is doing quite well. By Saul Hansell. 11:14:37 PM

Scientists of Very Small Draw Disciplines Together. Nanotechnology, biotechnology, electronics and brain research are converging into a field of science vital to the nation's security. By Barnaby J. Feder. 11:14:36 PM

After Arrest in Drug Buy, 'Dell Dude' Gets a Cell. After a night in jail, Benjamin Curtis, 22, who plays Steven, the Dell dude, faced a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession. By Marc Santora. 11:14:36 PM

Order Extended for BellSouth Executive. The BellSouth Corporation won an extension of a court order preventing its vice chairman, Gary D. Forsee, from becoming chief executive of a rival telephone company. By Bloomberg News. 11:14:35 PM

Marketers Shift Tactics on Web Ads. A site for Lexus hopes to help the automaker attract customers by applying the increasingly important dictum of online advertising: make yourself useful. By Nat Ives. 11:14:35 PM

A Glimpse of a Future in a New Kind of Light. The ubiquitous lightbulb is quietly on its way to being replaced by light emitting microchips that work longer and use less power. By Barnaby J. Feder. 11:14:34 PM

Heavy Rains Threaten to Entomb Debris in Muck. Time is running out to recover space shuttle debris from the woods of East Texas because heavy rains are beginning to bury objects under a layer of muck. By Jeffrey Gettleman. 11:14:33 PM

Boeing Official Defends Reports Discounting Peril After Liftoff. A Boeing executive defended the work of company analysts who concluded that the space shuttle Columbia faced no catastrophic safety threat from damage caused by debris. By David Barstow. 11:14:33 PM

Though Vulnerable, Wings' Leading Edges Lack Sensors. The absence of sensors could help explain why the Columbia's astronauts apparently had no idea of imminent danger until the orbiter began wobbling out of control. By James Glanz and Warren E. Leary. 11:14:32 PM

A Nation Remembers a Pioneer on a Mission of Peace. Across a rain-slicked tarmac at dusk Monday evening, Israel received home the remains of its first man in space, its lost astronaut, Col. Ilan Ramon. By James Bennet. 11:14:32 PM

Long-Forgotten Debris May Pose a Fatal Threat. As investigators try to determine how the shuttle Columbia was lost, space debris the flotsam from hundreds of satellite launches is a suspect. By Andrew C. Revkin. 11:14:31 PM

Flaws Seen in Campus Policies Replacing Affirmative Action. The admissions policies that have replaced affirmative action at public universities in Texas, Florida and California have failed to create freshman classes as diverse as their predecessors. By Jacques Steinberg. 11:14:31 PM

National Briefing: New England. MASSACHUSETTS: Affirmative-Action Program Ends; MASSACHUSETTS: Hockey Father Seeks New Trial; NEW HAMPSHIRE: Evacuation Atop Mountain;. By The New York Times. 11:14:30 PM

National Briefing: Southwest. ARIZONA: An Earlier Presidential Primary;. 11:14:30 PM

National Briefing: Rockies. COLORADO: Police Close Ramsey Investigation; COLORADO: Pets As Companions;. By The New York Times. 11:14:29 PM

Wetlands Protection Fades. The Army Corps of Engineers revised its count of federally protected wetlands that would be lost to a new container port in Texas. That was bad news for environmentalists. By Douglas Jehl. 11:14:28 PM

Hospital Prescribes Food to Aid Children's Growth. The only treatment for undernourished children is nutritious food, a medical necessity that many families cannot afford. By Katherine Zezima. 11:14:28 PM

'I'm Home!' For Astronauts, Words Defy Translation. Even in the best of circumstances, landing a space shuttle is never routine: A retired astronaut's first-person account of re-entry. By Norman E. Thagard, M.d.. 11:14:26 PM

Unexpected Evolution of a Fish Out of Water. This is the story of two small, plastic, adhesive plaques and all that came forth and multiplied after them: the Jesus fish and the Darwin fish. By Carol Kaesuk Yoon. 11:14:25 PM

At Tax Time, Health Care Costs May Be a Factor. A deduction for people who spend more than 7.5 percent of their adjusted gross incomes on medical and dental expenses is becoming increasingly popular. By Liz Galst. 11:14:24 PM

Speaking for Terror Suspect, and for the Constitution. Lawyer Donna R. Newman has been locked in a bitter dispute with the United States government that could have ramifications for how the country deals with terrorist threats. By Chris Hedges. 11:14:24 PM

Wanted in Space: Gregarious Loners Who Take Risks, Cautiously. Like polar explorers, the select group of men and women who make up the nation's astronaut corps must possess a unique blend of personality traits. By Erica Goode. 11:14:23 PM

Thinking Beyond the Shuttle. Long-term alternatives to the shuttle are limited only by imagination. In the meantime, Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavour carry on. By Kenneth Chang. 11:14:22 PM

Wall Street by the Sea, Exclusively. So many financial firms and hedge funds have flocked to Greenwich, Conn. that it is called Wall Street by the Sea. By Tanya Mohn. 11:14:22 PM

Dispute Over Drought Aid Stalls Spending Agreement. Congressional negotiators' efforts to close a deal that has eluded them for months stalled over financial help for drought-stricken farmers. By Carl Hulse. 11:14:21 PM

Moody's Cuts Bond Rating for California. The bond rating for California was cut by Moody's Investors Service because of a record $34.6 billion budget shortfall expected in the next two years. By Bloomberg News. 11:14:21 PM

Vendors Rally Round the War Protesters. The prospect of military confrontation with Iraq that has ignited a new antiwar movement has also set off a demand for antiwar paraphernalia. By The New York Times. 11:14:20 PM

Renters Receiving U.S. Aid to Pay More Under Budget Proposal. The Bush administration is proposing to increase rents charged to thousands of poor people who receive federal housing aid. By Robert Pear. 11:14:20 PM

Ron Ziegler, Nixon Press Secretary, Dies at 63. Ron Ziegler was the combative former press secretary to President Nixon who famously called the Watergate break-in a "third-rate burglary." By Tina Kelley. 11:14:19 PM

Florida Struggles to Find a Way to Achieve Smaller Classes. After Florida voters approved a measure to impose the most restrictive class-size limits in the nation, the state is grappling with just how to accomplish it. By Dana Canedy. 11:14:19 PM

Murder Defendant's In-Laws Remain Her Strongest Supporters. As Dr. Clara Harris sits in court every day, her staunchest supporters are the parents of her husband, the man she is accused of killing with her Mercedes-Benz. By Nick Madigan. 11:14:18 PM

Administration Gives Advice on Preparing for Terrorist Attack. The Bush administration issued detailed advice but insisted that it was motivated by a sense of caution, not specific intelligence. By Philip Shenon. 11:14:18 PM

Charity Leader Accepts a Deal in Terror Case. The director of one of America's largest Muslim charities struck a plea agreement without admitting any ties to Al Qaeda or terrorism. By Eric Lichtblau. 11:14:17 PM

State Can Make Inmate Sane Enough to Execute. The ruling allows officials in Arkansas to make a prisoner eligible for execution by forcing him to take antipsychotic medication. By Adam Liptak. 11:14:16 PM

Conferees in Congress Bar Using a Pentagon Project on Americans. A project intended to find terrorists by monitoring e-mail and commercial databases cannot be used against Americans. By Adam Clymer. 11:14:16 PM

Tapes of Shuttle's Descent Show Dawning of Disaster. NASA has released audio tapes of the final communications among ground controllers and the crew of the Columbia. By Matthew L. Wald and John M. Broder. 11:14:15 PM

Japan's Used Cars Find New Lives on Russian Roads. Russia is now the largest importer of used Japanese cars, many of them arriving by illicit means. By James Brooke. 11:14:13 PM

BP Completes Big Oil Deal With Russians. BP P.L.C. will form a new oil company in a deal that puts the Russian oil industry into the center of the world's energy equation. By Sabrina Tavernise with Neela Banerjee. 11:14:12 PM

Rivals of Microsoft File Antitrust Complaint in Europe. An alliance of technology companies filed a new complaint with European antitrust regulators about Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. By Paul Meller. 11:14:11 PM

Arms Makers See Great Potential in India Market. Military equipment makers are aggressively promoting their products to India, which is expected to spend $100 billion on defense in the next decade. By Saritha Rai. 11:14:10 PM

Philips Electronics Lost $3.4 Billion Last Year. Royal Philips Electronics joined a growing parade of companies announcing annual losses in the billions. By Gregory Crouch. 11:14:08 PM

World Briefing: Middle East. WEST BANK: Arrest In Olive Tree Thefts; LEBANON: Power Struggle;. 11:14:07 PM

World Briefing: Europe. IRELAND: Defending A Deal;. 11:14:05 PM

World Briefing: Asia. PHILIPPINES: Kidnapping Suspects Escape;. 11:14:04 PM

World Briefing: Americas. COLOMBIA: Rebels Demand Own Zone; COLOMBIA: U.S. Experts Help At Bomb Site;. 11:14:03 PM

World Briefing: Africa. SOUTH AFRICA: 'No Decision' On Zimbabwe; LIBERIA: Ex-Ally Challenges President; CONGO REPUBLIC: 10 Die In Attack On Town;. 11:14:02 PM

Grim Reality Dominates Berlinale Film Festival. With Europe increasingly alarmed about illegal immigration, three movies in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival are addressing the issue. By Alan Riding. 11:14:01 PM

One Man, One Team, 29 Bosses. Omar Minaya, Major League Baseball's first Hispanic general manager, is trying to handle an unsettled situation with the Montreal Expos. By Murray Chass. 11:14:00 PM

Conferees in Congress Bar Using a Pentagon Project on Americans. A project intended to find terrorists by monitoring e-mail and commercial databases cannot be used against Americans. By Adam Clymer. 11:13:58 PM

Report Suggests Use of Facial and Fingerprint Scanning on Foreigners. Government scientists are recommending a combination of facial recognition and fingerprint scanning technologies for identity documents to be issued to foreigners. By Jennifer 8. Lee. 11:13:57 PM

Full Text: Words of C.I.A. and F.B.I. Chiefs 11:13:56 PM

Words of C.I.A. and F.B.I. Chiefs: Dangers America Faces From Al Qaeda. Following are excerpts from opening statements in testimony yesterday by George J. Tenet, director of central intelligence, and Robert S. Mueller III, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, before the Senate select intelligence committee. 11:13:55 PM

U.S. Officials Disclose Plans to Rebuild Iraq, Seeing 2-Year Occupation. The officials outlined steps for administering and democratizing Iraq after the ouster of Saddam Hussein. By James Dao. 11:13:54 PM

Talks at NATO Fail to Mend Rift Over Iraq. The members of NATO failed to heal the rift that erupted on Monday over Iraq, causing one of the worst crises the alliance has ever faced. By Richard Bernstein. 11:13:52 PM

France Offering Plan to Expand Iraq Arms Hunt. With the support of Russia and Germany, France proposed to double and eventually triple the number of inspectors and to increase aerial surveillance flights. By Julia Preston with Steven R. Weisman. 11:13:50 PM

As Cold War Link Itself Grows Cold, Europe Seems to Lose Value for Bush. Many officials are wondering why the Bush administration has not tried harder to preserve what Senator John McCain last week described as "the greatest political military alliance in the history of mankind." By Patrick E. Tyler. 11:13:49 PM

French Move Toward Curbs on Smoking by Minors. In an effort to curb smoking among minors, the French Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to ban cigarette sales to children under 16. By Elaine Sciolino. 11:13:46 PM

African Cricket Matches Disrupted by Political Turmoil. It was born as an African sportfest, a mammoth 54-match tournament across three nations to celebrate cricket. Then politics got in the way. By Alan Cowell. 11:13:44 PM

Polish Tale of Bribery and/or Politics and/or Journalism. Adam Michnik, the editor of Poland's leading daily newspaper, delayed publishing a corruption report and, critics say, so aided his friend, Prime Minister Leszek Miller. By Peter S. Green. 11:13:41 PM

With Vivid Palette, Mandela Depicts the Jailhouse Years. Nelson Mandela has sketched in charcoal and lively pastels memories of his 18-year imprisonment. By Rachel L. Swarns. 11:13:40 PM

Chinese Freer to Speak and Read, but Not Act. As China edges toward more pluralism, dissidents struggle to redefine their role in a society where once radical ideas are increasingly mainstream. By Elisabeth Rosenthal. 11:13:39 PM

Drive is Stalled Against Rebels in Philippines. A government offensive against Muslim separatist rebels in the southern Philippines was suspended on Tuesday amid widespread chaos in the region. By Carlos H. Conde. 11:13:38 PM

Suspect in Bali Bomb Attack Says Americans Were Target. A principal suspect in the bomb attack in Bali last October that killed nearly 200 people said that Americans had been the primary target. By Raymond Bonner. 11:13:36 PM

Ambushed in Afghanistan, G.I.'s Call in Airstrikes. Two Dutch F-16 planes and American A-10 planes fired machine guns into the ridge and caves where the gunmen had been seen. By Carlotta Gall. 11:13:35 PM

Violence Follows a Ban on Palestinians' Holiday Travel. The burst of violence came as the army shut Palestinians into their cities, citing warnings of terrorist attacks during the Muslim holiday of Id al-Adha. By James Bennet. 11:13:32 PM

U.S. to Ask Atom Agency to Chastise North Korea. The Bush administration will ask the International Atomic Energy Agency to find Pyongyang in violation of international nuclear weapons agreements. By James Dao. 11:13:29 PM

Tape Ascribed to bin Laden Urges Muslims to Stand With Iraq. The message stressed that fighting on the same side of regimes like that of Saddam Hussein was justified by the greater good of battling the U.S. By Neil Macfarquhar. 11:13:27 PM

Jordan Pressing U.S. to Offer Exile to Hussein and His Aides. Top Jordanian officials say they are pushing for incorporation of the idea in any new resolution on Iraq by the U.N. Security Council. By John F. Burns. 11:13:24 PM

Top U.S. Officials Tell Lawmakers of Iraq-Qaeda Ties. The secretary of state cited a new tape believed to be of Osama bin Laden, and the C.I.A. director said officials had powerful evidence showing a connection. By David Johnston. 11:13:20 PM

Officials Push Use of a 20-Minute H.I.V. Test. Federal health officials are urging wider use of a rapid H.I.V. test to identify newly infected people earlier and so reduce their chances of passing on the virus. By Lawrence K. Altman. 11:13:18 PM

Official Raised Concerns About Quality of Contractor's Images. A contractor's blurry images of Columbia's final liftoff may have undermined efforts to assess the damage sustained by the shuttle's left wing. By Michael Moss and Stefano S. Coledan. 11:13:17 PM

A Glimpse of a Future in a New Kind of Light. The ubiquitous light bulb is quietly on its way to being replaced by light-emitting microchips that work longer and use less power. By Barnaby J. Feder. 11:13:16 PM

Consumers in Europe Resist Gene-Altered Foods. No matter what the outcome of U.S. efforts to sell genetically modified foods in Europe, public revulsion there runs deep. By Lizette Alvarez. 11:13:16 PM

Letters. Loss and Illness To the Editor:. 11:13:16 PM

'I'm Home!' For Astronauts, Words Defy Translation. Even in the best of circumstances, landing a space shuttle is never routine: A retired astronaut's first-person account of re-entry. By Norman E. Thagard, M.d.. 11:13:15 PM

Long-Distance Swimmer. This week's column includes items on Chilean sea bass found in Greenland, how undersea noise is hurting mammals and Mount Etna's eruptions. By Henry Fountain. 11:13:14 PM

The Icy Hudson. This week's question: At the end of January, the Hudson was largely covered over with sheets of thick ice. The East River had a few small slabs of floating ice. Why? By C. Claiborne Ray. 11:13:14 PM

In Times of Turmoil, Clarion Call for Doctors Often Goes Unanswered. Smallpox vaccination is off to a slow start in the United States, as the argument among doctors over its pros and cons is escalating. By Abigail Zuger, M.d.. 11:13:14 PM

Wanted in Space: Gregarious Loners Who Take Risks, Cautiously. Like polar explorers, the select group of men and women who make up the nation's astronaut corps must possess a unique blend of personality traits. By Erica Goode. 11:13:13 PM

A Prolific Genghis Khan, It Seems, Helped People the World. A remarkable living legacy of the Mongol empire has been discovered by geneticists in a survey of human populations from the Caucasus to China. By Nicholas Wade. 11:13:13 PM

A Marine Biologist Won Over by the Charisma of Sharks. Dr. Ram[~]n Bonfil, a marine biologist, is head of the Wildlife Conservation Society's research project on great white sharks. By Claudia Dreifus. 11:13:12 PM

Flawed Snowfall Data Jeopardize Climate-Change Research. No matter what you hear on the Weather Channel, snow measurement has grown increasingly unreliable and spotty. By Fred Bernstein. 11:13:12 PM

Unexpected Evolution of a Fish Out of Water. This is the story of two small, plastic, adhesive plaques and all that came forth and multiplied after them: the Jesus fish and the Darwin fish. By Carol Kaesuk Yoon. 11:13:11 PM

Thinking Beyond the Shuttle. Long-term alternatives to the shuttle are limited only by imagination. In the meantime, Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavour carry on. By Kenneth Chang. 11:13:11 PM

Hearings Open at Capitol With Vast Range of Queries for NASA. Lawmakers will examine both the technical aspects of the shuttle tragedy and broader issues about safety, costs and the ultimate goals of the space program. By Richard A. Oppel Jr.. 11:13:11 PM

Tapes of Shuttle's Descent Show Dawning of Disaster. NASA has released audio tapes of the final communications among ground controllers and the crew of the Columbia. By Matthew L. Wald and John M. Broder. 11:13:10 PM

For Astronomers, Big Bang Confirmation. The most detailed and precise map yet produced of the universe just after its birth confirms the Big Bang theory and reveals some early cosmic history, astronomers say. By Dennis Overbye. 11:13:10 PM