Chart discusses New York Yankees postseason history when team has led two games to none; photos (M)

THE 2-0 EDGE

Researchers say vaccine against malaria has shown for first time that it can save children from infection or death; vaccine, tested on thousands of children in Mozambique, is hardly perfect: it protected them from catching disease only about 30 percent of time and prevented it from becoming life-threatening only about 58 percent of time; but because malaria kills more than million people a year, 700,000 of them children, even partial protection would be public health victory; disease, caused by parasite carried by mosquitoes, is found in 90 countries, and drug-resistant strains are spreading; director of Malaria Vaccine Initiative, which is underwriting tests on 15 experimental vaccines with money from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, says that GlaxoSmithKline product tried in Mozambique is now its leading candidate and had proved that concept works; photo of mosquito (L)

Malaria Vaccine Proves Effective

Floyd Norris comment on recently passed tax bill that offers tax breaks for multinational companies and nonresident foreigners who gamble in US; graph (M)

Multinational Companies Get a Tax Break, as Do Foreign Gamblers

Article on Old Chatham Sheepherding Co, complex consisting of creamery and sheep farm in Old Chatham, NY, owned by Tom and Nancy Clark; photos (M)

Leaders of the Flock: Home Is Where the Sheep Are

Article on road trip through ancient Anasazi ruins in Four Corners area where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet; photos; map (M)

On the Road to Ruins

New York Immigration Coalition says about 60,000 of 126,000 immigrants in New York State who have applied for citizenship will not be able to vote in 2004 presidential election because their naturalization will not be completed until after voter registration deadline; says state has worst record in nation for processing delays; says number of backlogs in closely contested states could have affect on outcome of election; attributes delays to number of factors, including shortage of staff to handle multiple security checks required for every applicant (M)

Backlog Blocks Immigrants Hoping to Vote

Japanese wholesale prices rose 1.8 percent in September from year earlier, largest gain in more than 13 years (S)0

World Business Briefing | Asia: Japan: Wholesale Prices Rise

 Sharon Agrees to Reduce Offensive in North Gaza  Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has agreed to scale back a military offensive in the northern Gaza Strip begun two weeks ago to try to end rocket attacks, primarily against the Israeli town of Sederot, according to reports in the Israeli news media. Mr. Sharon also made known his intention to withdraw settlers from Gaza by summer, news reports said.   PAGE A10    Cards Slug Way to a 2-0 Lead  Consecutive home runs by Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen in the eighth inning carried St. Louis to a 6-4 victory over Houston and a 2-0 edge in the National League Championship Series.   SPORTSFRIDAY, PAGE D1    Romare Bearden Show Opens  A Bearden retrospective, which includes the 1983 collage ''Piano Lesson'' (detail below), comes to the Whitney from the National Gallery in a homecoming of sorts for the Harlem- reared artist.   WEEKEND/ARTS, PAGE E29    Veils and Politics in Italy  Sabrina Varroni, an Italian mother of four and Muslim convert, has been fined $100 for wearing a veil that covers her face in Drezzo, Italy, a small town on the Swiss border. The case has created a dispute involving politicians, civil rights groups and a fashion designer.   PAGE A3  

INSIDE

Ben Brantley reviews Manhattan Theater Club revival of Craig Lucas play Reckless, directed by Mark Brokaw and starring Mary-Louise Parker; photo (M)

She's All Smiles (Until She's Not)

Canada's trade surplus reached 7.5 billion Canadian dollars ($6 billion) in August, increase of 1.3 billion Canadian dollars over previous month; exports fell 0.4 percent, to 37.8 billion Canadian dollars, and imports fell 4.4 percent, to 30.3 billion Canadian dollars (S)

World Business Briefing | Americas: Canada: Trade Surplus Rises

Federal Communications Commission adopts rules that would enable utility companies to offer alternative to broadband communications services now provided by cable and phone companies; also rules that regional Bell companies do not have to give competitors access to fiber optic lines that reach into consumers' homes; move prompts SBC Communications and BellSouth to announce they will move quickly to build new fiber optic networks in residential neighborhoods; ruling is criticized by rivals of Bell companies and consumer groups, which call it anticompetitive and say it will lead to higher prices; FCC's ruling on broadband Internet service is expected to increase significantly level of investment and interest by utilities; service is more than year away from becoming widely available (M)

F.C.C. Clears Internet Access by Power Lines

General Motors Corp will eliminate up to 12,000 jobs in Europe, mostly in Germany, as it tries to breathe life into its business; cuts are intended to save GM 500 million euros ($620 million) per year by 2006; announcement sets off wave of angst in Germany, home of GM's Opel division; auto workers are already in tense contract talks with Volkswagen; photo (M)/

G.M., Struggling in Europe, Sets Big Job Cuts

General Motors reports third-quarter earnings were well below Wall Street expectations, including loss in its North American automotive business for only second time in last decade; company lays out restructuring plan that includes elimination of 12,000 jobs, or about fifth of its European work force; reports net profit of $440 million compared with $425 million year earlier; revenue rose to $44.9 billion from $43.5 billion year ago; chief executive John M Devine comments (M)

G.M., Missing Forecasts, Is Hurt by Loss on U.S. Autos

World Business Briefing | Europe: Britain: Soccer Talks Stall

BRINY, succulent oysters still signal fall on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, in spite of a declining catch. And they are savored and celebrated at festivals in towns all along Chesapeake Bay with shucking contests, cook-offs and skipjack races, contests among the light, agile boats built in the late 1890's and early 20th century to navigate the shallow waters of the bay. Page 7.  

On the Chesapeake Bay, A Waning Tradition

Army, Navy and Air Force academies use prep schools to develop their athletes and compete with major college football programs; Naval Academy Preparatory School, for example, has 35 football players recruited for Naval Academy; photos (M)

Formations Begin in Prep Schools for 3 Academy Teams

New York Yankees have never lost best-of-seven series under manager Joe Torre after winning first two games, as team has against Boston Red Sox in American League Championship Series; photos (M)

Yankees Now Have History on Their Side

World Business Briefing | Europe: Russia: Natural Gas Sale

Article in series Death on the Tracks, on ways freight railroads have sidestepped blame in fatal accidents, explains how CSX and other railroads use taxpayer-subsidized Amtrak to shield themselves from tens of millions of dollars in liability; Amtrak paid out millions of dollars in claims from recent accidents in Florida and Maryland, caused by CSX's poor track maintenance; has for three decades paid out claims regardless of fault as condition for using freight lines' tracks, shifting burden from profitable corporations to taxpayers and removing incentive for railroads to keep their tracks safe; even Amtrak officials cannot say how much indemnification has cost railroad, which needed $1.2 billion in subsidies this year; analysis of records obtained through Freedom of Information Act shows that Amtrak has paid more than $186 million since 1984 for accidents that killed 53 people and injured nearly 1,300, and for which freight lines were mostly or partly responsible; photos; chart; most cases were not covered by Amtrak's insurance; Angelica Palank, whose police officer husband was killed in South Carolina crash in 1991 that was caused by faulty CSX switch, says she hoped her $68.3-million settlement would chasten CSX, and was stunned to learn that money came from Amtrak; other accidents involving egregious CSX conduct recounted, as well as industry's expensive lobbying of Congress; federal Judge Oliver Gasch's 1997 ruling questioning legality of blanket immunity for railroads led to pro-industry law that reaffirmed Amtark's legal right to indemnify freight lines (M)

Amtrak Pays Millions for Others' Fatal Errors

Insurgents penetrate heavily guarded governmental compound in Baghdad, setting off bombs within minutes of each other in Green Zone and killing 5 people, including at least 3 Americans and wounding 20 others; witnesses say at least one of explosions was set off by suicide bomber, and a senior Iraqi official says that 'initial information' indicates that both were suicide attacks; attack, which strikes cafeteria called Green Zone Cafe and shopping bazaar called Vendors' Alley, appears to mark first time that insurgents have smuggled and detonated bombs into area, which houses senior officials in Iraqi government as well as American Embassy; photos; map (L)

2 Bombers Kill 5 in Guarded Area in Baghdad

Ben Ratliff Critic's Notebook column on Jazz at Lincoln Center, whose inaugural season in its new home at Time Warner Center in Manhattan will open with concert titled One Family of Jazz; center's artistic director Wynton Marsalis comments, in interview, on his philosophy that has shaped inaugural season's program and opening concert, which will include performances by members of his family and musically inclined parents of members of Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra; schedule; photos (M)

A Home That Jazz Can Call Its Own

World Business Briefing | Asia: Thailand: Consumer Confidence Down Again

New Mexico City, Mex, magazines Chilango and DF are competing for urban readership, with feature articles and lists of where to go and what to do; magazines use city's crime, pollution, traffic and general decay as jumping-off point to explore capital's subcultures, its popular history and its local politics; photo (M)

Mexico's Capital Gets Taste of U.S.-Style City Magazines

 Suit Charges Marsh Unit With Rigging Prices  Eliot Spitzer, the New York state attorney general, has accused the Marsh unit of Marsh & McLennan of cheating customers by rigging prices and steering business to insurers in exchange for millions of dollars in kickbacks.  

BUSINESS DIGEST

A O Scott reviews movie Team America, written and directed by Trey Parker and Matt Stone; photos (M)

Moral Guidance From Class Clowns

Per Højholt was a Danish poet. Højholt had his debut in 1948 when he published "De nøgne", a series of poems which appeared in the magazine Heretica. His first collection was Hesten og solen, featuring religiously inspired poems. A major work came with Poetens hoved which appeared in 1963. This collection took a Modernist stance and meant a break with late Symbolism. Although a highly experimental and unorthodox writer, he became a popular poet. This is not least due to Gittes monologer. He toured the country with his recitals of these monologues which received considerable attention.

October 15, 2004

Headlines from October 15, 2004

THE 2-0 EDGE

Malaria Vaccine Proves Effective

Multinational Companies Get a Tax Break, as Do Foreign Gamblers

Leaders of the Flock: Home Is Where the Sheep Are

On the Road to Ruins

Billboard 200

Feels Like Today

Hilary Duff

Goodies

American Idiot

Suit

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for October 15, 2004