Sunday, February 23, 2003

Jacques Chirac. BORN Nov. 29, 1932, in Paris. EDUCATION Institut d'[infinity]tudes Politiques, 1953; [infinity]cole Nationale d'Administration, 1959. Attended Harvard University, summer 1953. MILITARY SERVICE Officer in French Army, 1954-57. Wounded in combat in colonial Algeria. POLITICAL CAREER 1967: Elected to National Assembly on Gaullist ticket. 1967-68: State Secretary for Social Affairs. 1968-71: State Secretary for the Economy and Finance. 1971-72: Minister Delegate (Prime Minister's Office) with responsibility for relations with Parliament. 1973-74: Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. 1974: Minister of the Interior. 1974-76: Prime Minister. 1977-95: Mayor of Paris. 1981: First unsuccessful run for president. 1986-88: Prime Minister. 1988: Second unsuccessful run for president. 1995 to present: President. 8:24:31 PM

The Anti-Anti-American. After a while, the Yank-bashing gets to you. And makes for even uglier Americans. By Walter Kirn. 8:24:30 PM

Europe's Response to Iraq Reflects an Old Rift. For centuries Western Europeans have tended to regard their Eastern neighbors with indifference and contempt. Last week, that scorn came from France's president. By Niall Ferguson. 8:24:30 PM

To Bush, the Crowd Was a Blur. Most politicians around the world were impressed by the scale and intensity of last weekend's global protests against a war with Iraq. Not President Bush. By Todd S. Purdum. 8:24:29 PM

No, Chirac Didn't Say 'Shut Up'. Did President Jacques Chirac of France actually tell half of Europe to shut up last week? Not exactly. By Eleanor and Michel Levieux. 8:24:28 PM

French Center Creates a Controversy. A French cultural center in San Francisco censored a piece of art rather than risk stirring up more anti-French sentiment. By Dean E. Murphy. 8:24:28 PM

A Crucial Nod From Turkey. The Bush administration won approval from Turkey this week for a $15 billion economic package in exchange for allowing American troops to use the country for an attack on Iraq. By Dexter Filkins. 8:24:27 PM

North Korea's Need for Electricity Fuels Its Nuclear Ambitions. Behind the standoff between North Korea and the world over its nuclear weapons crisis is a power crisis. By James Brooke. 8:24:27 PM

Blair, the Hawk, Finds Himself With Some Unlikely Friends. As he prepares for a war in Iraq as America's junior partner, Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain has secured support from the conservative figures he once spurned. By Alan Cowell. 8:24:26 PM

From a Chinese Cell, a Lama's Influence Remains Undimmed. In Litang, China, Tibetan spirituality seems to be alive and well, if slightly disheveled. By Erik Eckholm. 8:24:26 PM

With Iraq Stance, Chirac Strives for Relevance. President Jacques Chirac, it seems, sees France in a decisive struggle to assert its relevance in the post-cold-war world. By Alan Riding. 8:24:25 PM

Behind Duct Tape and Sheeting, an Unlikely Proponent. The man behind duct tape and plastic sheeting is not Tom Ridge, the homeland security secretary, nor some anonymous policy maven at a Washington research group. By Stephanie Strom. 8:24:25 PM

Agencies Warn of Lone Terrorists. The F.B.I. has warned authorities to be on the alert for terrorists who are not directed by groups like Al Qaeda. By David Johnston and James Risen. 8:24:24 PM

Powell Seeks Asian Support for New U.S.-Backed Resolution on Iraq. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said on Sunday that he had urged Japan's leaders to help the United States lobby members of the United Nations Security Council. By James Dao. 8:24:23 PM

U.S. Officials Review Plan to Rebuild Iraq After a War. The Bush administration's new office of postwar planning held a secret session this weekend to assess the government's plans for securing and rebuilding Iraq. By Judith Miller. 8:24:22 PM

Foreign Policy's Big Moment Looks for a Big Idea. At moments of historical crisis, a thinker will come forward with an idea so provocative that it makes waves in the world. The classic example is George F. Kennan. By Sam Tanenhaus. 8:24:22 PM

Iraq Pins Hopes on Antiwar Mood at U.N. and in Streets Around the World. Iraq appears convinced that its best chance to forestall war lies in cultivating antiwar sentiment. By Neil Macfarquhar. 8:24:21 PM

Officials From Wealthy Nations Discuss Efforts to Spur Growth. Finance officials from the world's leading industrialized nations met in Paris on Saturday to coordinate efforts to spur economic growth. By Craig S. Smith. 8:24:20 PM

An Executive Is Arrested in South Korea. The chairman of the SK Corporation, flagship of the country's third-largest conglomerate, was arrested on Saturday on charges of insider trading. By Don Kirk. 8:24:20 PM

Iraqi Kurds Are Wary of a Turkish-Led Force. Kurdish officials say they worry that a Turkish-led peacekeeping force may play an unexpected role in a war with Iraq. By C. J. Chivers. 8:24:19 PM

Croatia Waiting for a European Balkans Plan. Croatia's application to join the European Union has challenged Western Europe to devise a strategy for admitting countries from the Balkans. By Daniel Simpson. 8:24:19 PM

Colombia Rebels Admit Kidnapping 3 Americans After Crash. Marxist rebels confirmed on Saturday that they had kidnapped three American government employees, and described them as C.I.A. employees. By Juan Forero. 8:24:18 PM

Gunmen Kill 7 Worshipers at a Mosque in Pakistan. Gunmen opened fire inside a Shiite mosque in the southern port city of Karachi on Saturday, killing at least seven worshipers. By Raymond Bonner. 8:24:18 PM

Tensions Remind U.S. Troops in South Korea of Their Mission. If a war were to break out between North Korea and South Korea, the 37,000 American troops stationed in the South would be priority targets. By Howard W. French. 8:24:17 PM

Israeli Troops Kill 6 Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli forces killed six Palestinians, at least five of them armed, in the Gaza Strip today in the latest phase of the army's week-old military offensive against Islamic militants. By Reuters. 8:24:17 PM

Venezuela's Chavez Tells World to Back Off. CARACAS, (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned the world to stop meddling in the affairs of his troubled South American nation on Sunday, as police locked up a prominent strike leader on ``civil rebellion'' charges. By Reuters. 8:24:16 PM

Ulster Militia Looks to Disarmament Talks. Northern Ireland's largest Protestant paramilitary group said on Saturday that it would cease all attacks for 12 months. By Brian Lavery. 8:24:15 PM

U.S. Approach on North Korea Is Straining Alliances in Asia. The showdown between the United States and North Korea over that country's nuclear weapons program is severely testing Washington's oldest Asian alliances. By Howard W. French. 8:24:14 PM

Israeli Raid on a Gaza Town and Other Clashes Kill 9. Israeli troops battled Palestinian militants on Sunday and flattened homes in a town that has been the source of repeated rocket fire. By Greg Myre. 8:24:13 PM

Firing Leaflets and Electrons, U.S. Wages Information War. The U.S. military is using an arsenal of electronic and psychological weapons to break the Iraqi military's will to fight and sway Iraqi public opinion. By Thom Shanker and Eric Schmitt. 8:24:11 PM

Iraq Seeks Talks to Save Its Stock of Barred Missiles. Iraq's ambiguous reaction to a demand to destroy missiles came as diplomacy intensified ahead of a new Security Council resolution. By Neil Macfarquhar. 8:24:10 PM

At a Gathering of Democrats, Many Seek to Take on Bush. The Democratic National Committee's 2003 winter meeting drew so many candidates that their speeches attacking the president had to be spread over two mornings. By Adam Nagourney. 8:24:10 PM

Mistakes Even at Elite Hospitals. Medical errors have often resulted, as in the case of J/sica Santill[omega]n, not from a failure of cutting-edge medicine but from lapses in the most basic safety procedures. By Lawrence K. Altman. 8:24:09 PM

New York Club Crowd Dances On, but With Eye on Exits. The weekend music crowd still danced, drank and elbowed toward the bar on Friday night, but some people kept only one eye focused on the band and the other on the door. By Alan Feuer. 8:24:09 PM

Nightclubs Are Notorious in Annals of Tragedy. Blazes, stampedes and other disasters have often visited establishments where crowds, drinking and sometimes drugs seemed to set the stage for catastrophe. By Michael Moss. 8:24:08 PM

Fortress America. Creating genuine homeland security would cost trillions of dollars and completely change the way we go about our lives. Is this where you want to live? By Matthew Brzezinski. 8:24:08 PM

Doctors, Soldiers and Others Weigh In on Campus Diversity. More than 300 organizations submitted briefs to the Supreme Court in support for affirmative action in higher education. By Diana Jean Schemo. 8:24:07 PM

Policy Shapers, Well Known and Little Known. WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 The cast of officials who help to shape President Bush's environmental policies spans a wide range, from a former New Jersey governor whom environmentalists see as their closest ally to a former Colorado attorney general who was a prot/g/ of James Watt, the Reagan-era interior secretary. By Douglas Jehl. 8:24:06 PM

On Rules for Environment, Bush Sees a Balance, Critics a Threat. Where the White House sees progress on environmental issues, critics see examples of significant retreat. By Douglas Jehl. 8:24:06 PM

French Center Creates a Controversy. A French cultural center in San Francisco censored a piece of art rather than risk stirring up more anti-French sentiment. By Dean E. Murphy. 8:24:05 PM

Congress and the President: One Party, but Divided. Two months into their new supremacy, Republicans are fast discovering that control of Congress and the White House is no guarantee of legislative harmony. By Carl Hulse. 8:24:05 PM

Behind Duct Tape and Sheeting, an Unlikely Proponent. The man behind duct tape and plastic sheeting is not Tom Ridge, the homeland security secretary, nor some anonymous policy maven at a Washington research group. By Stephanie Strom. 8:24:04 PM

Bush's Focus on Antidrug Ministry Irks Some. In his State of the Union address, the president seemed to some to be promoting a drug recovery program that is religiously sectarian, unlicensed and untested. By Laurie Goodstein. 8:24:03 PM

Governors, Hurting Financially, Ask Washington for Assistance. Leaders of the National Governors Association, experiencing fiscal problems unmatched since World War II, pleaded for help from the federal government. By Robert Pear. 8:24:01 PM

Fire Inspections Are Increased After Disasters. The fire department in Chicago stepped up inspections of nightclubs this weekend. By Jodi Wilgoren. 8:24:00 PM

Rain-Soaked Roofs Collapse in D.C. Area. The roof of a Toys 'R' Us store collapsed Saturday morning under the weight of snow and heavy rain, injuring eight people, apparently none seriously. By Elizabeth Olson. 8:24:00 PM

Shock Over Calamity Turns to Grief as First Victims Are Identified. The List. Throughout Friday and into Saturday, that was what people wanted to hear. By Dan Barry and Paul von Zielbauer. 8:23:59 PM

Quake Jolts Residents Awake in Town Near Los Angeles. There were no immediate reports of serious damage from an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 that was centered near a resort town east of Los Angeles. By Floyd Norris. 8:23:59 PM

3 See College Suit as a Way to Show They Belonged. The three white plaintiffs challenging the University of Michigan's admissions policies are ultimately pursuing a more personal goal. By Jacques Steinberg. 8:23:58 PM

Agencies Warn of Lone Terrorists. The F.B.I. has warned authorities to be on the alert for terrorists who are not directed by groups like Al Qaeda. By David Johnston and James Risen. 8:23:58 PM

Girl in Transplant Mix-Up Dies After Two Weeks. A teenage girl died after two long weeks in which she received the wrong heart and lungs in one operation and then suffered brain damage after a rare second transplant. By Randal C. Archibold. 8:23:57 PM

In Club Fire, Finger-Pointing and Task of Naming the Dead. While investigators weighed whether the fire would result in criminal charges, the Rhode Island town was identifying the dead. By Sarah Kershaw and Lydia Polgreen. 8:23:56 PM

Policy Shapers, Well Known and Little Known. WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 The cast of officials who help to shape President Bush's environmental policies spans a wide range, from a former New Jersey governor whom environmentalists see as their closest ally to a former Colorado attorney general who was a prot/g/ of James Watt, the Reagan-era interior secretary. By Douglas Jehl. 8:23:55 PM

Are the Poor Suffering From Hunger Anymore?. The Bush administration and Congress are giving two programs unexpected scrutiny: food stamps and subsidized school lunches. By Leslie Kaufman. 8:23:54 PM

Fortress America. Creating genuine homeland security would cost trillions of dollars and completely change the way we go about our lives. Is this where you want to live? By Matthew Brzezinski. 8:23:54 PM

Versus Verses. Billy Collins, the poet laureate of the United States, talks about the White House, literacy and whether President Bush reads poetry. By Interview by Regan Good. 8:23:53 PM

Bush's Focus on Antidrug Ministry Irks Some. In his State of the Union address, the president seemed to some to be promoting a drug recovery program that is religiously sectarian, unlicensed and untested. By Laurie Goodstein. 8:23:52 PM

To Bush, the Crowd Was a Blur. Most politicians around the world were impressed by the scale and intensity of last weekend's global protests against a war with Iraq. Not President Bush. By Todd S. Purdum. 8:23:52 PM

Doctors, Soldiers and Others Weigh In on Campus Diversity. In a road show of support for affirmative action in higher education, more than 300 organizations submitted briefs to the Supreme Court. Here are some excerpts. By Diana Jean Schemo. 8:23:51 PM

Foreign Policy's Big Moment Looks for a Big Idea. At moments of historical crisis, a thinker will come forward with an idea so provocative that it makes waves in the world. The classic example is George F. Kennan. By Sam Tanenhaus. 8:23:51 PM

Behind Duct Tape and Sheeting, an Unlikely Proponent. The man behind duct tape and plastic sheeting is not Tom Ridge, the homeland security secretary, nor some anonymous policy maven at a Washington research group. By Stephanie Strom. 8:23:50 PM

At a Gathering of Democrats, Many Seek to Take on Bush. The Democratic National Committee's 2003 winter meeting drew so many candidates that their speeches attacking the president had to be spread over two mornings. By Adam Nagourney. 8:23:50 PM

Congress and the President: One Party, but Divided. Two months into their new supremacy, Republicans are fast discovering that control of Congress and the White House is no guarantee of legislative harmony. By Carl Hulse. 8:23:49 PM

Governors Tell Washington States Need Financial Help. Leaders of the National Governors Association, experiencing fiscal problems unmatched since World War II, pleaded for help from the federal government. By Robert Pear. 8:23:49 PM

On Environmental Rules, Bush Sees a Balance, Critics a Threat. Where the White House sees progress on environmental issues, critics see examples of significant retreat. By Douglas Jehl. 8:23:48 PM

Agencies Warn of Lone Terrorists. The F.B.I. has warned authorities to be on the alert for terrorists who are not directed by groups like Al Qaeda. By David Johnston and James Risen. 8:23:48 PM

Prohibited Missile Is 'Tip of Iceberg' in Iraq, Bush Says. President Bush called the next U.N. talks "final deliberations," signaling Iraq may have only weeks before a U.S. attack. By Elisabeth Bumiller. 8:23:47 PM

Development of Biotech Crops Is Booming in Asia. Worried about falling behind its global competition, much of Asia is rushing forward with the cultivation of genetically modified crops. By David Barboza. 8:23:43 PM

More Than One Piece of Debris Hit Shuttle at Liftoff. According to a document released by NASA, not one but three chunks of debris hit the orbiter's left wing during liftoff. By William J. Broad and Kenneth Chang. 8:23:42 PM

Luke Yuan, 90, Senior Physicist at Brookhaven, Is Dead. Dr. Luke C.L. Yuan was a science educator and a benefactor of a Chinese museum honoring his wife, Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu, a noted physicist. By Eric Pace. 8:23:41 PM

'Looking for Spinoza': The Source of Emotion. Antonio Damasio sets out to explain what precisely an emotion is, and what parts of the brain give rise to emotions of different kinds. By Colin Mcginn. 8:23:41 PM

'The Emperor of Scent': The Odor of Scientific Jealousy. Chandler Burr, pictured, tries to understand the opposition to Luca Turin's theory, that scent is transmitted by vibration. By Liesl Schillinger. 8:23:40 PM

On Rules for Environment, Bush Sees a Balance, Critics a Threat. Where the White House sees progress on environmental issues, critics see examples of significant retreat. By Douglas Jehl. 8:23:40 PM