November 19, 2003

Fourteen-year-old soccer player Freddy Adu signs six-year contract with Major League Soccer, becoming youngest player to sign in league's history, and quite possibly youngest American athlete ever to play on professional sports team; will play for DC United; photo (M)

Few Signs of Iraq Infiltration The commander of the Army division on Iraq's eastern borders said his troops had encountered only a handful of foreign fighters trying to sneak into the country. PAGE A10

Producers Roger Berlind and Arielle Tepper confirm that Stephen Sondheim musical Bounce, which received lukewarm reviews in tryouts in Washington and Chicago, will not come to Broadway any time soon (M)

South Korea's trade with North Korea rose 40 percent in first 10 months of year; South Korean companies are building cars, roads, railroads and huge industrial park in North Korea; US, in contrast, is tightening economic screws on North Korea; Western pressure is causing North Korea to miss out on series of billion-dollar infrastructure projects; photo (M)

Vodafone Group reports narrowed loss for first half of its fiscal year, increases its dividend and will repurchase 2.5 billion ($4.2 billion) of its stock; reports 4.25 billion loss for six months ended Sept 30, improvement over loss of 4.34 billion pounds year earlier; profits increased 26 percent, to 5.37 billion pounds ($9.1 billion) from year ago; sales were up 13 percent, to 16.9 billion pounds ($28.7 billion) and free cash flow increased 61 percent to 4.6 billion pounds ($7.8 billion); company executives issue challenge to Vivendi Universal, saying Vodafone plans to take control of SFR, mobile phone company owned by Vivendi; Vodafone chief executive Arun Sarin comments; photo (M)

Administration to Restrict Imports of Chinese Textiles The Bush administration moved to restrict Chinese textile imports and immediately found itself caught between battle cries from the industry for more protectionism and anxiety among global investors who fear it. Invoking special clauses in its trade agreements with China, the Commerce Department said it would begin talks to impose new quotas that could cut back China's burgeoning exports of knit fabrics and a handful of other products. [Page A1.]

Adam Nagourney analysis of how prospect of gay marriage in Massachusetts may affect presidential campaign; says decision by state's highest court that gay couples have right to marry under state's Constitution is clearly more vexing for Democrats, who fear campaign will be fought, at least in part, on kind of cultural issues that have repeatedly put them at disadvantage; notes that most Democratic candidates are going to great lengths to emphasize that they oppose gay marriage, even as they restate their support for some forms of legal rights for same-sex couples and voice strong opposition to any constitutional amendment barring gay marriage; says issue is hardly unambiguous one for Pres Bush, who can rally conservatives to his cause by pressing it hard, but only at risk of undermining his efforts to attract moderate voters (M)

San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds wins record sixth and third consecutive National League Most Valuable Player award; photos (M)

Brooklyn (NYC) District Attorney Charles J Hynes contends that actions of top Democratic officials Assemblyman Clarence Norman Jr and party director Jeffrey C Feldman constitute extortion, which is felony; Norman and Feldman are accused of pressuring Civil Court judicial candidates to support Democratic vendors and consultants (M)

World Business Briefing: Mine Exp7

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules that gay couples have right to marry under state's Constitution and gives state legislature 180 days to make same-sex marriages possible; some legal experts believe ruling might allow room for legislature to embrace parallel system like civil unions allowed by Vermont, but others say ruling leaves little doubt that court intends that full-fledged marriage be extended to gays and lesbians; gay groups and some liberals hail ruling, which is expected to have ramifications across the country, while conservatives denounce it and call for federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriage; Democratic presidential candidates seek middle grond on issue, and Pres Bush, who has opposed same-sex marriage but not embraced constitutional amendment banning it, says he will work with Congress to do what is legally necessary to defend marriage as sacred institution between man and woman; photo of two of seven gay couples who sued for right to wed (M)

Dan Barry About New York column discusses federal government's puzzling formula for determining how much of $675 million should go to cities like New York to counter terrorism (M)