Monday, February 17, 2003

World Briefing: Middle East. JORDAN: Journalists Are Jailed; BAHRAIN: A Wintry Oasis;. 4:31:09 PM

World Briefing: Europe. RUSSIA: Tracking Foreigners; SLOVAKIA: European Union Vote Is Set;. 4:31:08 PM

World Briefing: Asia. HONG KONG: Bishop Criticizes China; PAKISTAN: Deadly Weather; CHINA: 11 Die In Mine Blast;. 4:31:07 PM

World Briefing: Africa. SOUTH AFRICA: Outcry After Speech; BURUNDI: Planning A Peace Force;. 4:31:06 PM

Terra-Cotta Army From Early Han Dynasty Is Unearthed. The Chinese have raised another army of remarkable dimensions, hundreds of foot-tall terra-cotta warriors that come from a tomb site south of Beijing. By John Noble Wilford. 4:31:06 PM

Serbia Accused of Sluggishness on War Crimes. The chief U.N. war crimes prosecutor said that "no progress" had been made in arresting the region's most-wanted war crimes fugitives. By Agence France-presse. 4:31:05 PM

Palestinians Fear Being Trapped by Israeli Wall. Under the plan, Palestinians will be left on the Israeli side of the wall, separated from the rest of Palestinian Bethlehem. By James Bennet. 4:31:05 PM

Exiled Russian Oligarch Plots His Comeback. Boris A. Berezovsky, the self-exiled Russian billionaire, aims nothing less than to sponsor political opposition to President Vladimir V. Putin. By Alan Cowell. 4:31:04 PM

A Birthday Gives G.E. a Chance to Promote Itself. General Electric celebrated the 156th birthday of its founding father, Thomas A. Edison, by publishing the results of a recent survey asking members of the public which of Edison's inventions was his greatest. By Barnaby Feder. 3:31:07 PM

Electronic Tracking System Monitors Foreign Students. A new system became the central element in the government's effort to keep tabs on nearly a million foreign students and scholars in the United States. By Diana Jean Schemo. 2:57:59 PM

South Korea, in Deal With Chile, Signs Its First Free-Trade Pact. Chile and South Korea signed a free-trade agreement that could set a precedent for similar deals for Korea with other Pacific Rim countries. By Don Kirk. 2:57:58 PM

North Koreans Celebrate Birthday of 'Dear Leader'. Sunday was the most important day on the North Korean calendar the birthday of Kim Jong Il, the country's leader. By James Brooke. 2:57:57 PM

Jerusalem Mayor Quits to Join Cabinet. The city's right-wing mayor, Ehud Olmert, submitted his resignation on Sunday to join Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's new cabinet, Israeli radio reported. By Agence France-presse. 2:57:56 PM

2 Phone Giants in Court to Fight Turkish Family. An effort by Motorola and Nokia to paint themselves as victims of a huge fraud by a secretive Turkish family goes to trial on Monday. By Barnaby J. Feder. 2:57:56 PM

U.S. Reaches Out to Younger Readers, in Arabic. Magazine editors are working with the State Department on a consumer lifestyle magazine aimed at young readers that would be printed in Arabic and sold in the Middle East. By Amy Cortese. 2:57:55 PM

Love! Power! Squalor! TV Dramas Tune in Politics. Several leading scriptwriters are convinced that Venezuelan soap operas need to reflect the reality of the country. By Juan Forero. 2:57:55 PM

Driving in London Is Pound Foolish. London's plan to fight gridlock takes effect on Monday, when motorists will have to pay £5, or nearly $8, to drive into the central city. By Sarah Lyall. 2:57:54 PM

Kurds Hope U.S. Bombs Hit Militants, Not Home. Residents of Khurmal, Iraq, fear that they will be bombed by accident because a U.S. chart mislabeled their village as a terrorist camp. By C. J. Chivers. 2:57:54 PM

Europe's Groundswell: Public Opinion. Several countries in Europe face a painful quandary: choosing between NATO and a public opinion that is increasingly opposed to a war. By Richard Bernstein. 2:57:53 PM

Blair, Increasingly Alone, Clings to Stance. Prime Minister Tony Blair's destiny is now pinned to the uncertain progress of the campaign against Saddam Hussein. By Alan Cowell. 2:57:53 PM

Bombing Site Fuels Politics of Bitterness. The horror that dropped down 12 years ago on the Amiriya neighborhood of Baghdad has now become two stories. By Ian Fisher. 2:57:52 PM

Hyundai Sorry for Paying North Korea. The chairman of South Korea's Hyundai group admitted on Sunday to sending $500 million secretly to North Korea. 2:57:52 PM

Briefly Noted. ROME MAYOR CANCELS AZIZ MEETING Rome's mayor, Walter Veltroni, canceled a meeting with the Iraqi deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz, because Mr. Aziz had refused to answer a question from an Israeli journalist at a news conference on Friday. Mr. Veltroni said he sent a letter to Mr. Aziz canceling a scheduled meeting because of the incident. 2:57:52 PM

Austria Coalition Fails. The conservative party of Chancellor Wolfgang Sch[florin]ssel failed on Sunday in an attempt to form a coalition government with the Greens. By Agence France-presse. 2:57:51 PM

Germans Near Air Base Don't Hate U.S., Just the Noise. Once viewed as a potent symbol of cold war vigilance, American soldiers are now seen by some Germans as something approaching a nuisance. By Mark Landler. 2:57:51 PM

U.S. Praises Indonesia for Its Fight on Terrorism. The Indonesian police in recent months have rounded up more than two dozen suspected terrorists, including several men thought to be senior Qaeda operatives. By Raymond Bonner. 2:57:50 PM

Deaths Mount in Thai Drug Crackdown. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has vowed to eliminate Thailand's drug problems within three months. So far, 350 people are dead. By Seth Mydans. 2:57:50 PM

U.S. Sees Kidnapping of 3 as Shift by Colombia Rebels. The three Americans believed kidnapped by Colombian rebels could be held as war booty by a guerrilla group that is believed to be making a major change in tactics. By Juan Forero. 2:57:49 PM

Trade Talks in Japan Produce Little. Trade officials meeting in Japan failed to make progress on issues crucial to the World Trade Organization talks. By Ken Belson. 2:57:49 PM

Iran Reports Sweep Against Qaeda Smugglers. Iran has arrested several suspected members of Al Qaeda as part of a crackdown that American and Iranian officials say has shut down a major smuggling operation. By Elaine Sciolino with Eric Schmitt. 2:57:48 PM

U.S. Planning Sanctions Against North Korea. Officials said the possibility of sanctions would be part of a broader diplomatic campaign intended to get North Korea to step back from its nuclear programs. By James Dao. 2:57:48 PM

Hamas Says Israel Killed at Least 6 in Gaza Blast. The incident happened hours after Israel's defense minister vowed retaliation for a Hamas bombing in Gaza on Saturday that killed four soldiers. By James Bennet. 2:57:47 PM

Britain Charges Man Found With Grenade at Airport. A Venezuelan man arrested last week at Gatwick Airport with a live grenade in his luggage was formally charged with terrorist crimes today. By Warren Hoge. 2:57:46 PM

U.S. Announces Military Exercises With South Korea. The United States command said that the exercises were routine annual events that indicated no change in the defense of South Korea. By Don Kirk. 2:57:46 PM

No Big Problems as London Starts Charging Drivers. London's bold new program to control traffic by charging motorists to drive in to the center of town started off smoothly. By Sarah Lyall. 2:57:45 PM

Qaeda Informant Helps Trace Group's Trail. The informant has provided names and descriptions of dozens of Qaeda members, helping authorities to disrupt terrorist plots in Europe and the United States. By Desmond Butler and Don Van Natta Jr.. 2:57:45 PM

A New Power in the Streets. President Bush appears to be eyeball to eyeball with a tenacious new adversary: world public opinion. By Patrick E. Tyler. 2:57:44 PM

Turkey Signals Delay in Decision on U.S. Troop Deployments. Turkey entered into a political war of nerves with the U.S. today when it signaled it was delaying a decision on allowing U.S. troops to deploy on Turkish soil. By Reuters. 2:57:44 PM

First Mammal Clone Dies; Dolly Made Science History. Dolly, the sheep who made history as the first clone from a mammal, died on Friday in Edinburgh. She was 6. By Gina Kolata. 2:57:43 PM

Monarch Butterflies Alive and Well in Mexico. After last year's largest known die-off, researchers say that monarch butterflies appear to have recovered to near normal population levels. By Carol Kaesuk Yoon. 2:57:42 PM

Coming Together in Time of Remorse. Thousands of pieces of flaming wreckage rained down on the people of East Texas on Feb. 1, but somehow, no one was hurt. By Jeffrey Gettleman. 2:57:42 PM

Legislator Seeks Inquiry Panel Not Influenced by NASA. The senior Democrat on the House space subcommittee criticized NASA for its unwillingness to allow an independent investigation of the shuttle disaster. By Richard A. Oppel Jr.. 2:57:41 PM

Volunteers Say Goodbye as Their Role in Shuttle Debris Search Ends. As federal crews took over the search for shuttle remnants, the group of more than 1,500 emergency volunteers who rushed to Texas to help retrieve debris disbanded. By Jeffrey Gettleman. 2:57:41 PM

Investigators Say Hole in Skin Wrecked Shuttle. While the cause is a mystery, a panel said that a hole in the Columbia's skin allowed hot gas to flow into the left wing. By John Schwartz with James Glanz. 2:57:40 PM

Excerpts From News Conference With Columbia's Flight Director. Following are excerpts from a news briefing by LeRoy E. Cain, the flight director of the Columbia, in Houston yesterday, as recorded by The New York Times. The full text of the briefing can be found online at nytimes.com/columbia:. 2:57:40 PM

Agonizing Decision Awaits if Root Cause of Disaster Remains Elusive. If NASA engineers do not eventually isolate the exact cause of the Columbia's disintegration, the implications for the future of space shuttle flights could be profound. By John Noble Wilford. 2:57:39 PM

Outside Space Experts Focusing on Blow to Shuttle Wing. Several experts said that recent findings in the Columbia inquiry sharpened a theory that a blow to the orbiter's wing may have led to its fiery destruction. By William J. Broad. 2:57:39 PM

NASA Official Says He Held on to Hope in Shuttle's Final Moments. Despite the accumulating signs of trouble aboard the shuttle, the NASA flight director remained confident that it would land safely. By John Schwartz. 2:57:38 PM

Investigators Look at Possible Causes for Loss of Foam Insulation. Investigators at a NASA plant are considering whether air bubbles beneath the insulation on the shuttle's external fuel tank caused a chunk of foam to fly off during liftoff. By Edward Wong. 2:57:38 PM

Organic Methods Are Urged for Lawns and Farms. Spurred in part by the agency that supplies water to most of Suffolk County, a campaign is under way to ask residents to rethink the way they keep their lawns green. By Carole Paquette. 2:57:37 PM

Journals to Consider U.S. Security in Publishing. More than 20 leading scientific journals have made a pact to censor articles that they believe could compromise national security, regardless of their scientific merit. By Amy Harmon. 2:57:36 PM

Brain Scans Reflect Problem-Solving Skill. A new study offers the first glimpse of how differences in the ability to reason might translate into differences in the firing of neurons in the brain. By Erica Goode. 2:57:35 PM

Shuttle Tried to Right Itself Near the End, Tapes Reveal. The scrambled data from the final moments of the shuttle Columbia's flight showed that two thrusters fired briefly in a last-ditch effort to regain control. By John Schwartz. 2:57:35 PM

Contractors' Windfall Is Not Doing Much Trickling Down in Military Towns. Experts are speculating about what a war with Iraq might do to the nation's economy, but the effects are already being felt in cities where military bases and weapons plants are economic mainstays. By Peter T. Kilborn. 2:57:34 PM

New Californian Identity Predicted by Researchers. While hospitals serving East Los Angeles have long admitted large numbers of Hispanic patients, it is in the suburbs that the face of California is changing radically. By Dean E. Murphy. 2:57:34 PM

In Case of Emergency, Cupboards May Be Bare. Duct tape, which quickly became a bad joke after Tom Ridge recommended its use, was probably a good idea. But who had time in the frenzy of last week to buy it? By Elisabeth Bumiller. 2:57:33 PM

Ridge Says Warning Levels Might Be Lowered in Days. Tom Ridge, the domestic security chief, said that the alert level warning of possible terrorist attacks might be lowered depending on threats received by the government. By David Johnston. 2:57:33 PM

Medicare Plan's Trouble Could Offer a Lesson. Tensions over a $400 billion proposal for overhauling Medicare are striking for a White House trying to juggle terrorism, a possible war and a domestic agenda. By Robin Toner. 2:57:32 PM

David E. Feller, Dead at 86; Lawyer Who Argued Key Labor Cases. David E. Feller argued important civil rights and labor cases, including more than a dozen that went to the Supreme Court. By Eric Pace. 2:57:32 PM

George E. Freestone, Oldest Known Scout, Is Dead at 104. George E. Freestone joined the Boy Scouts when the organization was just starting in America and was still active 92 years later. By Douglas Martin. 2:57:32 PM

Wage Gap Between Men and Women Shrinks. Most American families can thank the woman of the house for nearly all of the pay gains they have received over the last year. By David Leonhardt. 2:57:31 PM

The Battle Over Online Sales Tax Turns Acrimonious. The online tax debate has suddenly become loud and bitter, with Wal-Mart Stores and Amazon.com as the leading antagonists. By Bob Tedeschi. 2:57:31 PM

Shuttle Tried to Right Itself Near the End, Tapes Reveal. The scrambled data from the final moments of the shuttle Columbia's flight showed that two thrusters fired briefly in a last-ditch effort to regain control. By John Schwartz. 2:57:30 PM

Brain Scans Reflect Problem-Solving Skill. A new study offers the first glimpse of how differences in the ability to reason might translate into differences in the firing of neurons in the brain. By Erica Goode. 2:57:30 PM

Electronic Tracking System Monitors Foreign Students. A new system became the central element in the government's effort to keep tabs on nearly a million foreign students and scholars in the United States. By Diana Jean Schemo. 2:57:29 PM

A Day Late, but Not a Marcher Short, in San Francisco. The protest in San Francisco came the day after millions of people attended peace rallies around the world. By Dean E. Murphy. 2:57:29 PM

Snow Piles Up as Storm Rolls Across the East. A major storm swamped the East Coast, slowing commerce and travel, and affecting national security during a long weekend. By Jennifer 8. Lee. 2:57:28 PM

Night Club Stampede Kills 14 in Chicago. A disturbance at a crowded Chicago night club early Monday sent people rushing for the exits in a scramble that police said left 14 dead. By The Associated Press. 2:57:28 PM

After Liftoff, Uncertainty and Guesswork. For days after the Columbia was launched, small teams of engineers and technicians were consumed by the left wing. By David Barstow. 2:57:27 PM

After Liftoff, Uncertainty and Guesswork. For days after the Columbia was launched, small teams of engineers and technicians were consumed by the left wing. By David Barstow. 2:57:26 PM

In Case of Emergency, Cupboards May Be Bare. Duct tape, which quickly became a bad joke after Tom Ridge recommended its use, was probably a good idea. But who had time in the frenzy of last week to buy it? By Elisabeth Bumiller. 2:57:25 PM

Medicare Plan's Trouble Could Offer a Lesson. Tensions over a $400 billion proposal for overhauling Medicare are striking for a White House trying to juggle terrorism, a possible war and a domestic agenda. By Robin Toner. 2:57:25 PM

U.S. Praises Indonesia for Its Fight on Terrorism. The Indonesian police in recent months have rounded up more than two dozen suspected terrorists, including several men thought to be senior Qaeda operatives. By Raymond Bonner. 2:57:24 PM

Electronic Tracking System Monitors Foreign Students. A new system became the central element in the government's effort to keep tabs on nearly a million foreign students and scholars in the United States. By Diana Jean Schemo. 2:57:24 PM

A Day Late, but Not a Marcher Short, in San Francisco. The protest in San Francisco came the day after millions of people attended peace rallies around the world. By Dean E. Murphy. 2:57:23 PM

Contractors' Windfall Is Not Doing Much Trickling Down in Military Towns. Experts are speculating about what a war with Iraq might do to the nation's economy, but the effects are already being felt in cities where military bases and weapons plants are economic mainstays. By Peter T. Kilborn. 2:57:23 PM

Snow Piles Up as Storm Rolls Across the East. A major storm swamped the East Coast, slowing commerce and travel, and affecting national security during a long weekend. By Jennifer 8. Lee. 2:57:22 PM

The Battle Over Online Sales Tax Turns Acrimonious. The online tax debate has suddenly become loud and bitter, with Wal-Mart Stores and Amazon.com as the leading antagonists. By Bob Tedeschi. 2:57:22 PM

A Fox News Ad Roils Some Readers of The Nation. Executives at The Nation, a magazine of the political left, are being criticized for accepting an ad from the Fox News Channel, an outlet considered to be in the enemy camp. By The New York Times. 2:57:21 PM

U.S. Planning Sanctions Against North Korea. Officials said the possibility of sanctions would be part of a broader diplomatic campaign intended to get North Korea to step back from its nuclear programs. By James Dao. 2:57:21 PM

Liberal Radio Is Planned by Rich Group of Democrats. Democratic donors plan to start a liberal radio network to counterbalance the tenor of conservative radio programs. By Jim Rutenberg. 2:57:20 PM

Ridge Says Warning Levels Might Be Lowered in Days. Tom Ridge, the domestic security chief, said that the alert level warning of possible terrorist attacks might be lowered depending on threats received by the government. By David Johnston. 2:57:20 PM

NATO Settles Rift Over Aid to Turks in Case of a War. The accord resolves a bitter dispute that pitted the United States against France and Germany over military plans on Iraq. By Richard Bernstein with Steven R. Weisman. 2:57:19 PM

For the Fit or the Flabby, a Digital Conscience. At home or away, software can help track diet and exercise. By Toni L. Kamins. 2:57:13 PM

Out With the Old? It's Not So Simple. Sometimes outdated hardware, the modern-day fossil, is the only way to excavate precious data. By Katie Hafner. 2:57:12 PM

Ubiquitous Yet Little Used, the Diskette Hangs On. WITH its measly 1.44 megabytes of storage capacity, the 3.5-inch diskette is an anachronism in a world of 20-gigabyte MP3 players, DVD burners and tiny memory cards that can hold hundreds of digital photos. Yet like a lingering party guest who hasn't realized that it's time to go home, it somehow holds on as a form of removable storage. By Peter Rojas. 2:57:12 PM

The America's Cup Up Close, Without Binoculars. The Web and the Global Positioning System will make it easy to follow the 2003 America's Cup. By Warren St. John. 2:57:11 PM

A Cash Infusion for Digital Archives. Congress has set aside $100 million to carry out a plan for collecting and preserving digital information, including images, CD's, Web pages and electronic journals. By Katie Hafner. 2:57:10 PM

Hey, Hasn't My Computer Heard You Somewhere Before?. An ideal digital assistant would remember both phone numbers and their owners faces. By Bruce Headlam. 2:57:10 PM

Shake a Phone Tree. Shake Again.. Customer service experts say it is impossible to determine what proportion of a company's customers end up dissatisfied. That's small consolation. By Sarah Milstein. 2:57:09 PM

Treats to Mollify a Crabby Cellphone. Can strategic accessorizing do anything to improve a cranky relationship with a new cellphone? 2:57:08 PM

Software Success Has India Worried. Is the United States going to start turning its back on outsourcing, the lifeblood of India's software and services industry? By Saritha Rai. 2:57:06 PM

Yahoo Outlines Plans for Adding Premium Services. Yahoo outlined plans for premium services that it expects to introduce later this year. But it disappointed some analysts. By Saul Hansell. 2:57:06 PM

Web's Tin Cups Find Soft Touches Aplenty. Why do people help with a stranger's debts or dreams? For many, online appeals just strike a chord. By Joanna Pearlstein. 2:57:05 PM

Scrawl to Screen, With a Pen. A tablet computer is not the only way to capture handwritten notes. Two new digital pens can transfer handwritten scrawl to the screen. By David Pogue. 2:57:05 PM

Sega to Merge With a Mainstay of Japanese Arcades. The Sega Corporation, the video game maker, said on Thursday that it would merge with Sammy, a leading manufacturer of pachinko machines. By Ken Belson. 2:57:04 PM

Dell Quarterly Sales and Profit Jump Smartly. Dell Computer reported strong quarterly gains in both sales and profits, demonstrating that it is largely immune from the travails of its rivals in the personal computer business. By Steve Lohr. 2:57:04 PM

Waiting Online, Not in Line. Moviegoers say buying in advance can be confusing, not convenient. By Terry Pristin. 2:57:03 PM

White House Scales Back Cyberspace Plan. The White House on Friday scaled back plans for a more active government role in protecting cyberspace from attacks from terrorists and criminals. By Jennifer 8. Lee. 2:57:03 PM

Developing Software for Managing Real Estate. A group of real estate companies is investing in the creation of computer software tailored to suit the needs of property managers. By Antoinette Martin. 2:57:02 PM

Around the World, Gains in Internet Use. DIARY Around the World, Gains in Internet Use. By Compiled by Vivian Marino. 2:57:02 PM

Seeking the Missing, Chinese Find Hope Online. Families searching for missing loved ones are finding some hope in a band of Internet-savvy volunteers. By Chris Buckley. 2:57:02 PM

Software or the Web? (And New Free Filing). The fastest, easiest way for many Americans to prepare their own tax returns is to go online and file electronically. By Jan M. Rosen. 2:57:01 PM

The Efficient Way to Not See Each Other. E-mail is rapidly replacing phone conversation for working couples. It is particularly helpful when time zones get in the way. By Lisa Belkin. 2:57:00 PM

Who's Blocking the Xbox? Sony and Its Games. Microsoft faces a chicken-and-egg problem: video game makers won't make games for a console without a wide base of users, but it is hard to build a base without a lot of games. By Matt Richtel. 2:57:00 PM

A Birthday Gives G.E. a Chance to Promote Itself. General Electric celebrated the 156th birthday of its founding father, Thomas A. Edison, by publishing the results of a recent survey asking members of the public which of Edison's inventions was his greatest. By Barnaby Feder. 2:56:59 PM

Dell's on the Cutting Edge, but It's Only a Movie. In "The Recruit," Dell is made to look like the employer of choice for technology geniuses -thanks to a product placement deal. By David F. Gallagher. 2:56:57 PM

Looking Beyond a War in Iraq. The telecommunications equipment industry is pinning its hopes on a quick Iraqi war that would be followed by an American-led effort to rebuild. By Simon Romero. 2:56:56 PM

Microsoft in Second Deal to Sell Phone Software. T-Mobile, Germany's leading cellphone carrier, will start selling "smart phones" using Microsoft software. By Victoria Shannon. 2:56:56 PM

Microsoft Loosens Apple's Hold on Schools. Apple, formerly the undisputed leader in sales of computers to schools, has lost ground to lower-priced PC's that run Microsoft Windows. By Laurie J. Flynn. 2:56:55 PM

Google Deal Ties Company to Weblogs. Google has bought Pyra Labs, the creator of software for publishing Weblogs, which is a form of hyperlinked online journal. By Amy Harmon. 2:56:54 PM

Group Program Manager Bids Flippant Farewell to Microsoft. A farewell missive sent by David Stutz, a respected technical thinker at Microsoft, is more intriguing than most. By Steve Lohr. 2:56:53 PM

Cross-Cultural Ventures With Digital Artworks. Boundary crossing has suddenly emerged as a hot topic in new-media circles, particularly in the world of art. By Matthew Mirapaul. 2:56:53 PM

BlackBerry Battle Could Reverberate. As the battle over technology used in BlackBerry pagers heads to court, a broader patent challenge could be on the horizon. By Teresa Riordan. 2:56:52 PM

Smithsonian Folkways Dusts Off Titles With New Technology. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings is using recordable CD's, or CD-R's, to ensure that each release in its extensive catalog is always available. By Chris Nelson. 2:56:52 PM

The Battle Over Online Sales Tax Turns Acrimonious. The online tax debate has suddenly become loud and bitter, with Wal-Mart Stores and Amazon.com as the leading antagonists. By Bob Tedeschi. 2:56:51 PM

Nokia-Led Group Forms Cell-Phone Alliance With Samsung. Symbian Ltd. got a financially small but symbolically important endorsement today from the Samsung Electronics Company. By Victoria Shannoninternational Herald Tribune. 2:56:51 PM

Driving in London Is Pound Foolish. London's plan to fight gridlock takes effect on Monday, when motorists will have to pay £5, or nearly $8, to drive into the central city. By Sarah Lyall. 2:56:48 PM

Trade Talks in Japan Produce Little. Trade officials meeting in Japan failed to make progress on issues crucial to the World Trade Organization talks. By Ken Belson. 2:56:48 PM

South Korea, in Deal With Chile, Signs Its First Free-Trade Pact. Chile and South Korea signed a free-trade agreement that could set a precedent for similar deals for Korea with other Pacific Rim countries. By Don Kirk. 2:56:47 PM

Noriko Flynn, Advocate For Unions and Civil Rights, Is Dead at 79. Noriko Sawada Bridges Flynn was a writer and civil rights worker who managed to transcend the struggle between management and labor. By Michael T. Kaufman. 2:56:45 PM

David E. Feller, Dead at 86; Lawyer Who Argued Key Labor Cases. David E. Feller argued important civil rights and labor cases, including more than a dozen that went to the Supreme Court. By Eric Pace. 2:56:43 PM

A Fox News Ad Roils Some Readers of The Nation. Executives at The Nation, a magazine of the political left, are being criticized for accepting an ad from the Fox News Channel, an outlet considered to be in the enemy camp. By The New York Times. 2:56:42 PM

From Classy to Brassy: Music at the White House. PBS's program, which connects the choice of music at the White House with the political agendas of its occupants, offers an unfocused viewpoint and haphazard storytelling. By Anthony Tommasini. 2:56:41 PM

With Michael Jackson, the Gloves Are Now Off. War or no war, the public appetite for celebrity scandal and the February sweeps-driven Michael Jackson feeding frenzy continues. By Alessandra Stanley. 2:56:40 PM

Cross-Cultural Ventures With Digital Artworks. Boundary crossing has suddenly emerged as a hot topic in new-media circles, particularly in the world of art. By Matthew Mirapaul. 2:56:39 PM

Just a Note to Clarify That Your Editor Is a Fool. The competition among men's magazines has taken a personal turn, if correspondence by Art Cooper, left, editor in chief of GQ, and Greg Gutfeld, editor of Stuff magazine, is any indication. By David Carr. 2:56:38 PM

Smithsonian Folkways Dusts Off Titles With New Technology. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings is using recordable CD's, or CD-R's, to ensure that each release in its extensive catalog is always available. By Chris Nelson. 2:56:36 PM

U.S. Reaches Out to Younger Readers, in Arabic. Magazine editors are working with the State Department on a consumer lifestyle magazine aimed at young readers that would be printed in Arabic and sold in the Middle East. By Amy Cortese. 2:56:34 PM

Rapper 50 Cent Has Top-Selling First Album. The new album by 50 Cent is the highest-selling first album on a major label since Nielsen SoundScan began tabulating record sales. By Lynette Holloway. 2:56:33 PM

Anna Wintour Steps Toward Fashion's New Democracy. Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue, has taken the magazine's haughty tone down and broadened its editorial content. The strategy is working. By David Carr. 2:56:32 PM

Looking Beyond a War in Iraq. The telecommunications equipment industry is pinning its hopes on a quick Iraqi war that would be followed by an American-led effort to rebuild. By Simon Romero. 2:56:31 PM

BlackBerry Battle Could Reverberate. As the battle over technology used in BlackBerry pagers heads to court, a broader patent challenge could be on the horizon. By Teresa Riordan. 2:56:29 PM

Group Program Manager Bids Flippant Farewell to Microsoft. A farewell missive sent by David Stutz, a respected technical thinker at Microsoft, is more intriguing than most. By Steve Lohr. 2:56:28 PM

Microsoft in Second Deal to Sell Phone Software. T-Mobile, Germany's leading cellphone carrier, will start selling "smart phones" using Microsoft software. By Victoria Shannon. 2:56:27 PM

Google Deal Ties Company to Weblogs. Google has bought Pyra Labs, the creator of software for publishing Weblogs, which is a form of hyperlinked online journal. By Amy Harmon. 2:56:26 PM

Dell's on the Cutting Edge, but It's Only a Movie. In "The Recruit," Dell is made to look like the employer of choice for technology geniuses -thanks to a product placement deal. By David F. Gallagher. 2:56:25 PM

Microsoft Loosens Apple's Hold on Schools. Apple, formerly the undisputed leader in sales of computers to schools, has lost ground to lower-priced PC's that run Microsoft Windows. By Laurie J. Flynn. 2:56:24 PM

Chief Will Inherit a Different Deloitte Touche. The accounting firm that William G. Parrett will take over in June will be far different from the one his predecessor inherited four years ago. By Jonathan D. Glater. 2:56:22 PM

The Battle Over Online Sales Tax Turns Acrimonious. The online tax debate has suddenly become loud and bitter, with Wal-Mart Stores and Amazon.com as the leading antagonists. By Bob Tedeschi. 2:56:21 PM

2 Phone Giants in Court to Fight Turkish Family. An effort by Motorola and Nokia to paint themselves as victims of a huge fraud by a secretive Turkish family goes to trial on Monday. By Barnaby J. Feder. 2:56:19 PM

Airline Executives Discuss Impact of Possible War in Iraq. Top executives from 15 international airlines gathered today on their marketing alliance but spent much of their time talking about the potential impact of a war against Iraq. By Don Kirk. 2:56:18 PM

Liberal Radio Is Planned by Rich Group of Democrats. Democratic donors plan to start a liberal radio network to counterbalance the tenor of conservative radio programs. By Jim Rutenberg. 2:56:15 PM

Germany Accuses 6 in Case Tied to Mannesmann Takeover Bid. German prosecutors said today that they had filed criminal charges against six corporate executives following an investigation of big payments to top managers of Mannesmann. By Alan Cowell. 2:56:12 PM

Great-West to Buy Canada Life, Trumping Rival Bid. Great-West Lifeco, a Canadian insurer, agreed today to acquire Canada Life Financial for 7.3 billion Canadian dollars ($4.7 billion) in cash and stock. By Bernard Simon. 2:56:10 PM

Nokia-Led Group Forms Cell-Phone Alliance With Samsung. Symbian Ltd. got a financially small but symbolically important endorsement today from the Samsung Electronics Company. By Victoria Shannoninternational Herald Tribune. 2:56:04 PM

Wage Gap Between Men and Women Shrinks. Most American families can thank the woman of the house for nearly all of the pay gains they have received over the last year. By David Leonhardt. 2:56:03 PM