February 18, 2004

Brooklyn grand jury's refusal to indict police officer Richard S Neri Jr in fatal shooting of young black man on housing project roof noted

Shiite leaders are pushing new plan for transfer of power in Iraq that calls for partial elections, with balloting in relatively secure Shiite and Kurdish areas but not in violence-wracked 'Sunni triangle'; proposal, growing out of emerging Shiite-Kurdish political alliance, comes as UN prepares announcement on feasibility of elections; US fears partial voting would further alienate Sunnis; Shiite political leader Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Kurdish party leader Jalal Talabani and others comment; photo; Adnan Pachachi, Sunni member of Governing Council, asks how Iraq could be sovereign without voting in center of country (M)

European Union takes its objections about way US calculates antidumping duties to World Trade Organization; US moves quickly to block ruling, but its action can only delay issue by month, when European Union will probably raise its objection again; European Commission says US overcharged when it set antidumping duties on 31 different products imported from European Union; asks WTO to set up panel to examine legality of US policy, which it says affects hundreds of millions of dollars in imports from Europe; European trade commissioner Pascal Lamy criticizes fees; photo (M)

William Grimes Critic's Notebook describes Whole Foods Market in new Time Warner Center with its wide aisles and fancy add-ons not generally found in New York City supermarkets; market specializes in organic and natural foods, free of additives and preservatives; chart offers price comparisons with area markets; photos (M)

Industry analysts say merger of Cingular Wireless and AT&T Wireless, and consolidation of wireless industry to five major competitors from six, may not lead to higher consumer prices for mobile phone service anytime soon; say merger could spur better quality of service; consumer groups plan to challenge merger on grounds that it could reduce competition in South and Southwest US, where BellSouth and SBC, Cingular's parents, are dominant; Consumers Unions says acquisition of AT&T Wireless and its 22 million customers could give those two telephone giants excessive power in their local markets; group plans to lobby Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department to reject deal as currently constructed; chart; photo (M)