Tuesday, February 25, 2003

Technology Briefing: Hardware. REPORT ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CONTRACTS; SUN REPLACING INTEL SERVERS AT ARCHIPELAGO;. 1:16:24 AM

Technology Briefing: Deals. CREO INCREASES BID FOR PRINTCAFE TO $3 A SHARE;. 1:16:24 AM

World Business Briefing: Americas. BRAZIL: Brewer'S Profit Rises;. 1:16:23 AM

World Business Briefing: Europe. BRITAIN: Supermarket Bidder Drops Out; BRITAIN: Advertiser'S Profit Falls; IRELAND: Bank Merges Units;. 1:16:23 AM

World Business Briefing: Australia. AUSTRALIA: Profit Slips At Bhp Billiton; AUSTRALIA: Retailer'S Profit Rises;. 1:16:22 AM

Carnival in Rio Is Dancing to More Commercial Beat. The annual bacchanalia, which begins this weekend, is becoming less a people's festival than a tightly controlled industry. By Larry Rohter. 1:16:20 AM

Graft Aggravates Woes Plaguing Central America. Corruption has taken on new life under Central America's fledgling democracies and is more pervasive and corrosive than at any time. By David Gonzalez. 1:16:18 AM

Banking Center Tries to Overcome Its Company-Town Image. Zurich is decidedly more hip these days with new ethnic restaurants, innovative performing arts and diverse night life. By Elizabeth Olson. 1:16:17 AM

Roche AIDS Drug Priced. Roche said that it was setting a European price of 52 euros a day, or more than $20,000 a year, for a new AIDS drug. By Alison Langley with Melody Petersen. 1:16:14 AM

Accounting Firms in Britain Putting Disclaimers on Audits. British accounting firms have begun saying that no one but the shareholders of the audited company may hold the auditors responsible for the accuracy of the figures. By Jonathan D. Glater. 1:16:13 AM

Japan Picks Old-School Central Banker. Despite calls for an independent reformer to lead Japan's central bank, Toshihiko Fukui, a career bureaucrat, was selected. By Ken Belson. 1:16:11 AM

Signs of Economic Life in Argentina. Argentina's financial sector is finally showing tentative signs of recovery. By Larry Rohter. 1:16:10 AM

Defiant Hussein Grants Interview and a Challenge. Saddam Hussein said on Monday that he will resist demands by the chief U.N. weapons inspector to destroy Iraq's Al Samoud missiles. By Bill Carter. 1:16:08 AM

When It Comes to Comedy, Awards Are No Joke. At the Comedy Film Honors, some of the nation's funniest filmmakers will put on their own award show for their own movies. By Jesse Mckinley. 1:16:07 AM

Two Agencies Shut Their Doors. Two Agencies Shut Their Doors. By The New York Times. 1:16:06 AM

Arby's Tries a Talking Mitt. Arby's, the sandwich chain, is turning to a cartoonish kitchen implement to help rescue its sagging brand recognition. By Sean Mehegan. 1:16:05 AM

Alumni Pressure Harvard to Shed Spendthrift Ways. Harvard is wasting millions of dollars each year because it rarely looks for the best deals on the $1 billion in goods and services it buys annually. By Greg Winter with Sara Rimer. 1:16:05 AM

Remedy Raises Questions on What's Being Cured. The Royal Ahold accounting scandal may reflect the new vigor of auditors in the post-Enron environment. By Floyd Norris. 1:16:04 AM

Reliance on Cash Allowances Can Lead to Shortfalls for Retailers. The payments that caused problems at the U.S. Foodservice division of Royal Ahold are among the most common, and the most perilous, in an industry known for a variety of cash transactions. By Constance L. Hays. 1:16:03 AM

Thomas Joseph Leonard, Teacher of Business Coaching, Dies at 47. Thomas Joseph Leonard, a former financial planner who founded virtual boot camps for personal and business coaches worldwide, died on Feb. 11 at his home in Phoenix. By Wolfgang Saxon. 1:16:03 AM

4 Democrats Compete for Union Support. Presidential candidates competed for support from the A.F.L.-C.I.O. amid indications that Representative Richard A. Gephardt may have difficulty winning the union's backing. By Adam Nagourney. 1:16:02 AM

Priceline Says Sales Are Up. Priceline.com, the Internet travel service, said that first-quarter hotel sales to date rose more than a third. By Bloomberg News. 1:16:01 AM

Report on Lots Sold by City Says Many Stay Vacant. Hundreds of vacant lots that the city has sold at auction since 1996 blight neighborhoods in desperate need of more housing. By Michael Cooper. 1:16:01 AM

S.E.C. Approves New Credit Rater. inion Bond Rating Service won recognition today from the Securities and Exchange Commission as a credit rating company. By Bloomberg News. 1:16:00 AM

A Fare Increase That Is Sticking. A Fare Increase That Is Sticking. By Joe Sharkey. 1:15:59 AM

Words of Advice for Airlines in a Time of High Anxiety. Rolfe Shellenberger, who helped create the frequent flier program, said that rather than continue its nervous breakdown, the travel industry needs to start planning for the future. By Joe Sharkey. 1:15:59 AM

Fidelity's Parent Posts Drop in Net. Fidelity Investments, the mutual fund company, said earnings fell 39 percent in 2002, the second straight year of decline. By Bloomberg News. 1:15:58 AM

FAO to Sell Toys in Saks Stores. FAO Inc., the speciality toy retailer, has signed a letter of intent to sell its toys in 245 stores owned by the Saks Department Store Group. By Sherri Day. 1:15:58 AM

Shares of AIDS Vaccine Maker Plummet. VaxGen has little chance of getting an AIDS vaccine approved for use in early 2005, as it had been hoping. By Andrew Pollack. 1:15:57 AM

Skipping a Night Out on the Town. A growing number of business travelers are skipping a night out on the town in favor of spending their evenings alone in their hotel room to work or relax. By Jane L. Levere. 1:15:56 AM

IDT Submits Bid for Global Crossing. IDT said that it was submitting a bid to buy Global Crossing out of bankruptcy, contending its proposal should be favored by government officials. By Simon Romero. 1:15:54 AM

3 Large Retail Chains Report Snow Significantly Hurt Sales. Three major retailers said that February sales slowed after a snowstorm kept many people at home on Washington's Birthday. By Bloomberg News. 1:15:53 AM

The President's Tax Cut and Its Unspoken Numbers. The statistics that President Bush and his allies use to promote his tax-cut plan are accurate, but many of them present only part of the picture. By David E. Rosenbaum. 1:15:52 AM

Proposed Cigna Settlement Transferred to Miami Judge. In a setback for Cigna, a federal judiciary panel has ordered that a proposed settlement of a class-action suit be transferred to a federal judge who has sharply criticized the insurer's tactics. By Milt Freudenheim. 1:15:51 AM

Labor Leaders Gather Amid Worries. As union leaders gather for their annual winter meeting, their members are trying to deal with new rounds of layoffs. By Steven Greenhouse. 1:15:49 AM

A Radio Chip in Every Consumer Product. Retailers are pioneering radio-frequency identification, in which electronic sensors monitor signals sent by radio chips embedded in products. By Claudia H. Deutsch and Barnaby J. Feder. 1:15:47 AM

2 Bidders Said to Be Interested in Buying AOL's Publishing Unit. AOL Time Warner's efforts to sell its book publishing division have elicited interest from Random House and HarperCollins. By David D. Kirkpatrick. 1:15:45 AM

GQ Editor to Step Down. Art Cooper, editor in chief of GQ, is retiring after almost 20 years on the job. By David Carr. 1:15:44 AM

Dutch Grocer Overstated Earnings. Royal Ahold, the Dutch-based grocer and food distributor, overstated its earnings by at least $500 million over the past two years. By Gregory Crouch with Suzanne Kapner. 1:15:43 AM

Telekom Malaysia Pushes for the Fast Lane. Telekom Malaysia hopes to use the acquisition of Celcom to help transform itself from a lumbering former monopoly into a cellular juggernaut. By Wayne Arnold. 1:15:37 AM

High-Speed Service May Cost More. Some executives say that a ruling by the Federal Communications Commission will eliminatie price competition and lead to increased overall prices for broadband service. By Saul Hansell. 1:15:36 AM

Policy Defeat Puts F.C.C. Chief in Awkward Spot. Policy makers and lobbyists are wondering if Michael K. Powell will now be vulnerable to further compromise on his strongly held views on deregulation. By Stephen Labaton. 1:15:36 AM

Chinese Computer Maker Plans a Push Overseas. The Legend Group, China's largest manufacturer of personal computers, plans a push into foreign markets, probably including forays into the United States and Europe. By Keith Bradsher. 1:15:35 AM

Illinois Joins Suits to Collect Taxes on Internet Sales. The lawsuit accuses Wal-Mart Stores, Target, Office Depot and three smaller retailers of failing to collect taxes on Internet and catalog sales. By Norm Alster. 1:15:35 AM

No Divorce of Hardware and Software Is Planned at Sun. For Sun Microsystems to survive, it must win one of Silicon Valley's fiercest technology wars. By John Markoff. 1:15:35 AM

The Internet Widens the Butcher's Reach. DIARY The Internet Widens The Butcher's Reach The Internet has not yet proved very popular for general grocery shopping, but many consumers are using the Web for specialized food purchases including restaurant-quality meats. 1:15:34 AM

How the Protesters Mobilized. The Internet has changed protests by allowing mobilization to emerge from free-wheeling amorphous groups. By Jennifer 8. Lee. 1:15:33 AM

A Meteor of a Magazine. James Ledbetter's new book on The Industry Standard doesn't deliver the insider's story on how the magazine fell so quickly. By Andrew Ross Sorkin. 1:15:33 AM

Twilight of the CD? Not if It Can Be Reinvented. With the online swapping of songs growing at a crippling rate, the CD is being rethought, repackaged and, in some cases, repriced. By Laura M. Holson. 1:15:33 AM

A Technology Company Is Solid, Profitable and Risky. The track of QLogic seems to illustrate that sanity has returned to the technology sector after three long years. By Alex Berenson. 1:15:32 AM

Sun, Again, Bets Against the Odds. Sun Microsystems faces a challenge in the trend toward commodity-like computer hardware. But at company headquarters it is believers not pessimists who walk the halls. By Steve Lohr. 1:15:32 AM

Some New Incarnations of Snow. It may seem odd that inventors keep trying to perfect the manufacture of artificial snow. But they do, and not just the stuff used at ski resorts. By Sabra Chartrand. 1:15:31 AM

To Cash This Paycheck, Find the Nearest A.T.M.. The Coca-Cola Company is expected to announce that it will market payroll cards to restaurants, hotels and entertainment sites nationwide. By Jennifer Bayot. 1:15:31 AM

An Appeal to Honor in Fight Against Internet Piracy. Jack Valenti, the president of the Motion Picture Association of America, has decided to take the battle against Internet piracy to a higher moral ground. By Amy Harmon. 1:15:30 AM

Note: Apply Moisturizer Only After Gaining Access. No biometric system, used to limit access to a restricted area or equipment, is perfect when it comes to identifying everyone. By Barnaby Feder. 1:15:29 AM

Broadband Companies Cheer Ruling. Broadband equipment makers look forward to a new wave of buying after a ruling last week by the Federal Communications Commission. By Simon Romero and Matt Richtel. 1:15:28 AM

Deal May Freshen Up Google's Links. People who follow Weblogs are curious about what Google, the leading search engine, expects to gain from its recent purchase of a Blogger service. By David F. Gallagher. 1:15:27 AM

Ratings Agency Says It Erred in Measuring Web Site Use. One of the leading companies that measure Web site audiences has discovered flaws in its method. By Saul Hansell. 1:15:27 AM

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. 1:15:27 AM

An Inventor of the Transistor Has His Moment. A new book reassesses Herbert F. Matar/'s contribution to the early development of computing and information technology. By John Markoff. 1:15:25 AM

Priceline Says Sales Are Up. Priceline.com, the Internet travel service, said that first-quarter hotel sales to date rose more than a third. By Bloomberg News. 1:15:24 AM

Teacher in Space Is Still in NASA's Plans. Seventeen years after the Challenger disaster, NASA has resumed their recruitment of teachers, this time as permanent members of the astronaut corps. By William J. Broad. 1:15:21 AM

Synthetic Turf to Replace Grass at Giants Stadium. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority announced that FieldTurf would become the new surface for the Giants, Jets and MetroStars at Giants Stadium. By Frank Litsky. 1:15:20 AM

IDT Submits Bid for Global Crossing. IDT said that it was submitting a bid to buy Global Crossing out of bankruptcy, contending its proposal should be favored by government officials. By Simon Romero. 1:15:19 AM

A Radio Chip in Every Consumer Product. Retailers are pioneering radio-frequency identification, in which electronic sensors monitor signals sent by radio chips embedded in products. By Claudia H. Deutsch and Barnaby J. Feder. 1:15:18 AM

NATO: The Inside Story. The NATO's chief was ready to authorize the dispatch of Patriot antimissile batteries to help protect Turkey even if Belgium failed to drop its objections. By Michael R. Gordon. 1:15:17 AM

The President's Tax Cut and Its Unspoken Numbers. The statistics that President Bush and his allies use to promote his tax-cut plan are accurate, but many of them present only part of the picture. By David E. Rosenbaum. 1:15:16 AM

U.S. Crackdown Sets Off Unusual Rush to Canada. An exodus of Pakistani asylum seekers going from the United States into Canada has overwhelmed both sides of the border. By Susan Sachs. 1:15:15 AM

Jury Rules Out Death Penalty for Failed Spy. A federal worker who was convicted last week of trying to sell secrets to Iraq and China will not face the death penalty, a jury decided Monday. By Christopher Marquis. 1:15:15 AM

4 Democrats Compete for Union Support. Presidential candidates competed for support from the A.F.L.-C.I.O. amid indications that Representative Richard A. Gephardt may have difficulty winning the union's backing. By Adam Nagourney. 1:15:15 AM

Shuttle Panel Names Experts to Aid Inquiry. The independent board investigating the Columbia crash released the names of 21 safety experts drawn from the military, the F.A.A. and other government agencies. By Matthew L. Wald. 1:15:14 AM

Raids Put Drug-Paraphernalia Traffickers Out of Business. Charges were brought against 55 people who had trafficked in everything from lipstick-shaped marijuana pipes to gas masks that can double as bongs. By Eric Lichtblau. 1:15:14 AM

Supreme Court Is to Review Rehiring of Drug Abusers. The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether companies can refuse to rehire rehabilitated drug users whose substance abuse had brought about their dismissals. By Linda Greenhouse. 1:15:13 AM

Governors Get Sympathy From Bush but No More Money. President Bush said that he would not support proposals to provide new fiscal assistance to states struggling with financial problems. By Robert Pear. 1:15:11 AM

Powell, in Asia, Is Dealt a Setback on North Korea. China, Australia and South Korea urged the U.S. to begin direct talks with North Korea, a strategy Washington has repeatedly rejected. By James Dao. 1:15:09 AM

U.S. and Allies Ask U.N. to Affirm Iraq Won't Disarm. France, Russia and Germany countered with a proposal for tougher inspections. The showdown will determine if a war will receive final U.N. approval. By Felicity Barringer with David E. Sanger. 1:15:05 AM

Dutch Grocer Overstated Earnings. Royal Ahold, the Dutch-based grocer and food distributor, overstated its earnings by at least $500 million over the past two years. By Gregory Crouch with Suzanne Kapner. 1:15:04 AM

Japan Picks Old-School Central Banker. Despite calls for an independent reformer to lead Japan's central bank, Toshihiko Fukui, a career bureaucrat, was selected. By Ken Belson. 1:15:03 AM

Banking Center Tries to Overcome Its Company-Town Image. Zurich is decidedly more hip these days with new ethnic restaurants, innovative performing arts and diverse night life. By Elizabeth Olson. 1:15:02 AM

Accounting Firms in Britain Putting Disclaimers on Audits. British accounting firms have begun saying that no one but the shareholders of the audited company may hold the auditors responsible for the accuracy of the figures. By Jonathan D. Glater. 1:15:01 AM

Roche AIDS Drug Priced. Roche said that it was setting a European price of 52 euros a day, or more than $20,000 a year, for a new AIDS drug. By Alison Langley with Melody Petersen. 1:14:59 AM

Signs of Economic Life in Argentina. Argentina's financial sector is finally showing tentative signs of recovery. By Larry Rohter. 1:14:57 AM

Bernard Loiseau, French Restaurateur, 52, Dies. Bernard Loiseau, a well-known French chef and restaurateur, was found shot dead at his home in eastern France on Monday with his hunting rifle at his side. By Agence France-presse. 1:14:56 AM

War in Iraq Would Halt All Digs In Region. A war in Iraq would stop archaeology across the region and could result in some of the earliest cities of Mesopotamia being bombed or looted. By John Noble Wilford. 1:14:56 AM

Oldest Human History Is at Risk. Among the hundreds of thousands of archaeological sites in Iraq, those most at risk include the immense ramped ziggurat at Ur and monumental remains at Babylon. By Holland Cotter. 1:14:55 AM

More Than Gas Masks Needed for Police, Mrs. Clinton Says. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said that city police needed several hundred million dollars more to help prepare for and respond to a possible terrorist attack. By William K. Rashbaum. 1:14:55 AM

Jury Rules Out Death Penalty for Failed Spy. A federal worker who was convicted last week of trying to sell secrets to Iraq and China will not face the death penalty, a jury decided Monday. By Christopher Marquis. 1:14:54 AM

U.S. Crackdown Sets Off Unusual Rush to Canada. An exodus of Pakistani asylum seekers going from the United States into Canada has overwhelmed both sides of the border. By Susan Sachs. 1:14:53 AM

World Briefing: Middle East. IRAN: Ailing Dissident Blocked From Hospital; SAUDI ARABIA: Journalists Allowed To Organize;. 1:14:53 AM

World Briefing: Europe. RUSSIA: U.S. Official Holds Talks On Iran Reactor; THE HAGUE: Serb Surrenders To Tribunal; AUSTRIA: Far-Right Party In Coalition Talks; CYPRUS: Doubts On Peace Plan;. 1:14:53 AM

World Briefing: Asia. INDIA: Police Thwart Hindu March; HONG KONG: Flu Fears Ease;. 1:14:52 AM

World Briefing: Americas. CHILE: Powell Comment On Coup Welcomed;. 1:14:51 AM

World Briefing: Africa. TANZANIA: Rwandan Refugees Told To Leave;. 1:14:51 AM

NATO: The Inside Story. The NATO's chief was ready to authorize the dispatch of Patriot antimissile batteries to help protect Turkey even if Belgium failed to drop its objections. By Michael R. Gordon. 1:14:51 AM

Regional Squabbling Scuttles an Iraqi Opposition Meeting. An effort to showcase cooperation between Turkey and the Kurdish parties in northern Iraq ended in chaos and recriminations. By Judith Miller and David Rohde. 1:14:50 AM

Text: U.S.-British Draft Resolution Stating Position on Iraq. UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 24 Following is the text of a draft United Nations Security Council resolution on Iraq presented to the Council today. It was proposed by the United States and Britain and co-sponsored by Spain. 1:14:50 AM

Text: Memorandum Opposing U.S. Iraq Policy. Text of a memorandum provided to The New York Times by French officials expressing the position of France, Germany and Russia about a possible war against Iraq. 1:14:49 AM

France and Germany Call for Long Inspections. France, Germany and Russia issued an informal "memorandum" calling for at least four more months of weapons inspections in Iraq. By Elaine Sciolino. 1:14:49 AM

A Gamble for a Friend. President Bush decided to seek a second Security Council resolution primarily to help Prime Minister Tony Blair. By Patrick E. Tyler. 1:14:48 AM

Defiant Hussein Grants Interview and a Challenge. Saddam Hussein said on Monday that he will resist demands by the chief U.N. weapons inspector to destroy Iraq's Al Samoud missiles. By Bill Carter. 1:14:47 AM

Powell, in Asia, Is Dealt a Setback on North Korea. China, Australia and South Korea urged the U.S. to begin direct talks with North Korea, a strategy Washington has repeatedly rejected. By James Dao. 1:14:46 AM

30 Arrested in Rio Attacks. The attacks were believed to have been carried out by powerful drug-trafficking gangs based in the city's squatter slums. By The New York Times. 1:14:45 AM

Spain's Leader Says He and Bush Debated Urgency of Israeli Strife. Prime Minister Jos/ Mar[base ']a Aznar of Spain and President Bush agreed on the urgent need to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. By Emma Daly. 1:14:45 AM

Report Tells How Austrians Helped Nazis Rob Jews During War. Austrians widely took part in the plundering of Jewish property between 1938 and 1945, and the country long resisted giving restitution to victims of Nazi crimes. By Agence France-presse. 1:14:44 AM

Afghans Make New Lives Among the Old Ruins. In a testament to the extraordinary resilience of the Afghans, the old, ruined town of Zor Orgun is coming back to life. By Carlotta Gall. 1:14:43 AM

Carnival in Rio Is Dancing to More Commercial Beat. The annual bacchanalia, which begins this weekend, is becoming less a people's festival than a tightly controlled industry. By Larry Rohter. 1:14:43 AM

At Least 257 Die in Earthquake in Remote Western China. A severe earthquake rocked a remote area along China's far western border, and Chinese officials said it killed at least 257 people. By Joseph Kahn. 1:14:42 AM

Ex-Zambian Leader Accused of Theft From Government. Former President Frederick Chiluba of Zambiawas arrested on Monday and charged with looting the state treasury during his two terms in office. By Rachel L. Swarns. 1:14:42 AM

Blair Outlines Plans to Slash Emissions Over 50 Years. Prime Minister Tony Blair laid out ambitious plans to fight global warming by cutting carbon dioxide emissions in Britain by 60 percent. By Lizette Alvarez. 1:14:41 AM

Graft Aggravates Woes Plaguing Central America. Corruption has taken on new life under Central America's fledgling democracies and is more pervasive and corrosive than at any time. By David Gonzalez. 1:14:41 AM

Colombian Rebels Call 3 Americans 'Prisoners of War'. Rebels in Colombia declared that three captured U.S. government workers were "prisoners of war" in the rebels' campaign against the Colombian government. By Christopher Marquis. 1:14:40 AM

Turkey's Cabinet Approves Plan, With Details Lacking, for U.S. Troops. A Turkish official said the cabinet took up and approved the incomplete agreement under pressure from Washington. By Dexter Filkins. 1:14:39 AM

Combat Role for the G.I.'s in Philippines Left Unclear. The Philippine foreign secretary, Blas Ople, denied on Monday that American troops would take part in combat operations in his country. By Seth Mydans. 1:14:37 AM

Sharon Close to Forming 3-Party Government in Israel. The new government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon took shape as a three-party coalition that is expected to take a tough line on the Palestinian uprising. By Greg Myre. 1:14:36 AM

North Korea Tests Missile. North Korea was reported to have conducted its first missile launching test in three years, a reminder of the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula. By Howard W. French. 1:14:36 AM

U.S. and Allies Ask U.N. to Affirm Iraq Won't Disarm. France, Russia and Germany countered with a proposal for tougher inspections. The showdown will determine if a war will receive final U.N. approval. By Felicity Barringer with David E. Sanger. 1:14:35 AM

More Victims Are Identified as Inquiry Into Fire Widens. Experts said they had identified just slightly more than half of the 97 people killed in a Rhode Island nightclub fire. By Sarah Kershaw and Lydia Polgreen. 1:14:34 AM

Alumni Pressure Harvard to Shed Spendthrift Ways. Harvard is wasting millions of dollars each year because it rarely looks for the best deals on the $1 billion in goods and services it buys annually. By Greg Winter with Sara Rimer. 1:14:34 AM

Daley Walks, Not Runs, Toward Chicago Election. Tuesday is Election Day in Chicago. Mayor Richard M. Daley has booked a ballroom at the Hilton for his victory party. The only thing missing is the campaign. By Jodi Wilgoren. 1:14:33 AM

National Briefing: Southwest. ARIZONA: Bicyclist'S Day In Court;. By The New York Times. 1:14:33 AM

National Briefing: West. CALIFORNIA: Guilty Plea In Transgender Case;. By The New York Times. 1:14:32 AM

Labor Leaders Gather Amid Worries. As union leaders gather for their annual winter meeting, their members are trying to deal with new rounds of layoffs. By Steven Greenhouse. 1:14:32 AM

Governors Get Sympathy From Bush but No More Money. President Bush said that he would not support proposals to provide new fiscal assistance to states struggling with financial problems. By Robert Pear. 1:14:31 AM

Jury Rules Out Death Penalty for Failed Spy. A federal worker who was convicted last week of trying to sell secrets to Iraq and China will not face the death penalty, a jury decided Monday. By Christopher Marquis. 1:14:31 AM

Official Hopes to Explain AIDS Vaccine Disparities. A researcher expressed hope that the tests would explain why the first large-scale trial of an AIDS vaccine had been more effective among non-Hispanic minorities than others. By Lawrence K. Altman. 1:14:31 AM

Shuttle Panel Names Experts to Aid Inquiry. The independent board investigating the Columbia crash released the names of 21 safety experts drawn from the military, the F.A.A. and other government agencies. By Matthew L. Wald. 1:14:30 AM

Raids Put Drug-Paraphernalia Traffickers Out of Business. Charges were brought against 55 people who had trafficked in everything from lipstick-shaped marijuana pipes to gas masks that can double as bongs. By Eric Lichtblau. 1:14:29 AM

Safe Therapy Is Found for High Blood-Clot Risk. Low doses of a cheap blood-thinning drug called warfarin can safely prevent dangerous blood clots in people who are prone to them, doctors reported Monday. By Denise Grady. 1:14:29 AM

Teacher in Space Is Still in NASA's Plans. Seventeen years after the Challenger disaster, NASA has resumed recruiting teachers, this time as permanent members of the astronaut corps. By William J. Broad. 1:14:27 AM

U.S. Crackdown Sets Off Unusual Rush to Canada. An exodus of Pakistani asylum seekers going from the United States into Canada has overwhelmed both sides of the border. By Susan Sachs. 1:14:26 AM

Scrutiny Is on Club's Owners. Investigators of the Rhode Island nightclub fire are trying to determine if the owners, two brothers, approved pyrotechnics. By Dan Barry and Paul von Zielbauer. 1:14:25 AM

U.S. and Allies Ask U.N. to Affirm Iraq Won't Disarm. France, Russia and Germany countered with a proposal for tougher inspections. The showdown will determine if a war will receive final U.N. approval. By Felicity Barringer with David E. Sanger. 1:14:24 AM

Deciding When Science Has Gone Astray. Since the double helix discovery, people have been haunted by fears of what scientists might do with their growing genetic knowledge. By Robin Marantz Henig. 1:14:21 AM

With Sheet Metal Cutouts, the Tree of Life Emerged. The way Watson and Crick deduced the molecule's beautifully intertwined structure is one of the great stories of science. By George Johnson. 1:14:21 AM

Not Just Genes: Moving Beyond Nature vs. Nurture. In the view of some biologists, DNA often has been accorded far greater powers than it possesses. By Natalie Angier. 1:14:20 AM

Here's an X-Ray. Spot the Double Helix.. X-rays are used to identify DNA because they are tiny enough to bounce off atoms, leaving a symmetrical design on a piece of photographic film. By George Johnson. 1:14:19 AM

How the Arms of the Helixes Are Poised to Serve. In the last 50 years, DNA-based technology has become part of the treatment and diagnosis of disease, the food we eat and the search for criminals and deadbeat dads. By Andrew Pollack. 1:14:18 AM

DNA Twists to the Right. What if It Didn't?. Dr. Alexander Rich has given much thought to the directional twist, or handedness, of DNA. By Nicholas Wade. 1:14:17 AM

Twist and Shout! The Double Helix Replicates Itself in Popular Culture. With its extraordinary symmetry and blend of form and function, the double helix has supplanted the bomb-tainted atom as the standard symbol of science. By Amy Harmon. 1:14:17 AM

For the History of Science, the First Draft Is Often Late. Just exactly when the readers of this newspaper first heard about the double helix is a mystery, and there is a lesson in that. By Dennis Overbye. 1:14:16 AM

Oldest Human History Is at Risk. Among the hundreds of thousands of archaeological sites in Iraq, those most at risk include the immense ramped ziggurat at Ur and monumental remains at Babylon. By Holland Cotter. 1:14:15 AM

At Least 257 Die in Earthquake in Remote Western China. A severe earthquake rocked a remote area along China's far western border, and Chinese officials said it killed at least 257 people. By Joseph Kahn. 1:14:14 AM

50 Years Later, Rosalind Franklin's X-Ray Fuels Debate. For some, over the years, Dr. Rosalind Franklin has come to symbolize the plight of women in science, as men close ranks against them. By Denise Grady. 1:14:13 AM

Watson and Crick, Both Aligned and Apart, Reinvented Biology. The relationship between Francis Crick and James D. Watson is an enduring one, but it has not been seamless. By Nicholas Wade. 1:14:12 AM

Blair Outlines Plans to Slash Emissions Over 50 Years. Prime Minister Tony Blair laid out ambitious plans to fight global warming by cutting carbon dioxide emissions in Britain by 60 percent. By Lizette Alvarez. 1:14:11 AM

Shuttle Panel Names Experts to Aid Inquiry. The independent board investigating the Columbia crash released the names of 21 safety experts drawn from the military, the F.A.A. and other government agencies. By Matthew L. Wald. 1:14:11 AM

Terror's Dual Threats of Bombs and Biology. Two unsettling hours of TV documentaries about the airborne evils that Americans have been told to await offer fodder for fear. By Ned Martel. 1:14:10 AM

War in Iraq Would Halt All Digs In Region. Experts say that a war in Iraq would stop archaeology across the Middle East and could result in some of the earliest cities of Mesopotamia being bombed or looted. By John Noble Wilford. 1:14:09 AM

DNA, the Keeper of Life's Secrets, Starts to Talk. Fifty years ago, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 1953, two young scientists announced to the lunchtime crowd that they had discovered the secret of life. By Nicholas Wade. 1:14:07 AM