Japan Airlines Co and Japan Air System Co agree on stock allocation ratio in merged holding company they plan to form next year (S)

World Business Briefing | Asia: Japan: Airlines Set Share Ratio

Various holiday gifts for computer enthusiasts reviewed; photos (M)

Year of Living Geekily: Even the Dogs Evolved

Thousands of rental apartments in Manhattan have been marked down in last three months, and good deals are emerging in some unexpected areas; photos (M)

For Renters, the Map Is Redrawn

Reconstruction phase of dot.com world discussed in light of iWon's acquisition of Excite.com, popular Web site portal that was valued at $6.7 billion just three years ago and was acquired by iWon for only $10 million; vulture capitalists are primarily interested in designs of sites and loyalty and traffic they developed before their demise; photo (M)

In Rewritten Internet Fables, The Late Bird Gets the Worm

William C Rhoden Sports of The Times column urges New York Mets to acquire first baseman Mo Vaughn from Anaheim Angels; photo (M)

Sports of The Times; Go With Mo, For Attitude And Presence

Aracruz Celulose, Brazilian pulp and paper exporter, warns fourth-quarter profit will probably fall 79 percent, to 26 million reais ($11.3 million); graph (S)

World Business Briefing | Americas: Brazil: Paper Exporter Expects Lower Profit

Al Qaeda is said to control at least twenty ships that ply Mideast waters and could be used by Osama bin Laden to escape from Afghanistan; money trail linking Red Sea freighter Seastar, which sank off Oman 18 months ago, to terrorist network reviewed; its purchase in July 1993 is linked to bin Laden operatives Wadih El-Hage and Mamoun Darkazanli; photos (M)

A Tramp Freighter's Money Trail to bin Laden

Al Jazeera television broadcasts new videotaped statement from Osama bin Laden that purports to have been made in late Nov or early Dec; he seems tired and gaunt; United States officials say tape offers nothing new; say they do not know where he is hiding, if he is alive; tape shows he still has means of getting his taped messages delivered; photo (M)

A Gaunt bin Laden on New Tape

Pres Bush's State of the Union speech in January will propose spending billions of dollars to strengthen nation's security against terrorism; first separate section on domestic security will include funds for local police and fire departments, public health system and technology upgrades; budget director Mitchell Daniels previews proposals for 'dramatic' increases for national security; Democrats are expected to call for even more spending, as Tom Ridge's homeland security office maps plans (M)

Security Issues Called a Focus Of Next Budget

Article discusses status of trade negotiations between New York Mets and Anaheim Angels regarding Mo Vaughn; photo (M)

Deferred Money Creates Snag in Deal for Vaughn

Passenger traffic at Japan's main gateway, Narita Airport, fell to 10-year low of 1.5 million in Nov, down 32 percent from Nov 2000, in wake of terrorist attacks in United States (S)

World Business Briefing | Asia: Japan: Airline Traffic Off

Toyota Motor, Nissan Motor, Mitsubishi Motors and Mazda cut auto output in November as sales in Japan and in many export markets dry up; Honda Motor increases output (S)

World Business Briefing | Asia: Japan: Auto Output Down

Anne Raver comments on feeding birds in winter; photo (M)

Rolling Out a Seeded Carpet for Fly-By Visitors

Air travel in Russia, where there are no desireable travel alternatives, has been relatively untouched by Sept 11 terrorist attacks on United States that spurred global collapse in air traffic; Russian air travel rose 12 percent from Sept through Nov from 2000 period; photo (M)

Air Travel in Russia Remains Strong

Computer-security professionals worldwide express dismay at casual attitude about computer passwords displayed by many users; say people become sentimentally attached to their passwords, or leave them taped underneath their keyboards or on their monitors; say even those who are vigilant about guarding passwords may be giving away more than they think (M)

And the Password Is . . . Waterloo

Food pantries that provide food for poor say they are in danger of collapsing because donations are sinking in wake of terrorist attacks and need for food is increasing; photo (M)

Hungry, Cold and Stuck in Line; Food Pantries Find Charity Dwindling as Need Grows

A Belgian court surprised investors today by rejecting a crucial component of a government-backed plan to create a successor airline to Sabena, Belgium's bankrupt flag carrier. Sabena collapsed last month as the economic fallout from Sept. 11 amplified the financial strains on Europe's ailing second-tier airlines.    The crux of the plan is a no-frills Sabena subsidiary, Delta Air Transport, which was not included in the parent company's bankruptcy filing on Nov. 7. The unit, known as D.A.T., is unrelated to Delta Air Lines, the American carrier.  

Belgian Court Rejects Plan to Create Sabena Successor

First article in series Missed Signals, on how authorities failed to heed clues that could have helped foil Sept 11 terrorist attacks; focuses on how Saudi Arabia let thousands of young men leave in last decade to wage Islamic holy war abroad, aware that they might pose threat to United States but more concerned about danger they would pose at home; notes Saudis trained or recruited in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Kosovo or Bosnia have been involved in bombing of American targets at least four times in last six years; Saudi royal family, in miscalculation of global proportions, shied away from crackdown on militant clerics or their followers; Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda was able to use US as vulnerable target, Europe as forward base and Saudi Arabia as source of recruits; those nations that made rare effort to crackdown on terrorism treated it as local problem rather than interlocking global network; photo (M)

Holy War Lured Saudis As Rulers Looked Away

 More on Pages B4-5:    * A Sheik's Influence  * Bin Laden's Rise  * Sharing Intelligence  * Undetected Danger

Missed Signals

 Late Surge in Holiday Sales May Have Lifted Retailers  A surge of last-minute shopping may have given the nation's retailers and the economy a small boost, according to several reports on holiday sales.    The late sales gains will not add much to retailers' profits because most of the increases came after deep price cuts. Still, analysts said the discounts that moved merchandise out of the stores should be good for the overall economy. [Page A1.]

BUSINESS DIGEST

 New Diet Guide for Diabetes  The American Diabetes Association issued new dietary guidelines saying that people with the disease could eat sweets occasionally as long as they kept their blood sugar levels under control.   PAGE A14

INSIDE

France reports manufacturers cut prices by 0.6 percent in Nov (S)

World Business Briefing | Europe: France: Producer Prices Fall

Article discusses outlook for New York Giants-Philadelphia Eagles football game; photo (M)

Eagles-Giants Is the Key, As Expected From Start

Dan Issel resigns as head coach and president of Denver Nuggets, two weeks after he started national furor by using ethnic insult toward fan (M)

Issel Resigns Amid Uproar Over Remark

Overview of developments in war against terrorism and conflicts in Afghanistan

New Video, New Tactic for the Caves, Rumbles of Power Struggles

Ander Barrenetxea Muguruza, commonly known mononymously as Barrene, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Real Sociedad as a forward or left winger.

December 27, 2001

Headlines from December 27, 2001

World Business Briefing | Asia: Japan: Airlines Set Share Ratio

Year of Living Geekily: Even the Dogs Evolved

For Renters, the Map Is Redrawn

In Rewritten Internet Fables, The Late Bird Gets the Worm

Sports of The Times; Go With Mo, For Attitude And Presence

Billboard 200

Weathered

Now 8

Britney

Scarecrow

Christmas Extraordinaire

Notable Births

Historical Context for December 27, 2001