November 27, 2004

Fresh surge of violence is engulfing Darfur just two weeks after Sudanese authorities and their guerrilla enemies signed preliminary peace agreement, with rebels sharply ratcheting up attacks, government offering heavy-handed retaliation and large patches of land becoming closed to relief efforts; 1,000 African Union troops in Darfur are authorized to do little more than monitor cease-fire violations; map; photos (M)

Sam Sanclemente, 10, and his sister, Elena, 2, are killed and their mother, Selena, is critically injured in Bronx row house fire; nine firefighters are injured; photos (M)

Millions of Americans start their holiday shopping, making retailers optimistic about sales; National Retail Federation projects sales gain of 4.5 percent in 2004, which is not as robust as in 2003; emphasis on Black Friday, as day is called because retailers traditionally expect to become profitable for year, is on electronics because toy manufacturers have failed to come up with any must-have new toys; photos (M)

Clashes between donors and beneficiaries are rare in genial world of university fund-raising, but in recent years few disputes at major universities have had powerful effect on fund-raising game; donors have become more vigilant and universities are unusually careful about accepting gifts at time when they are particularly hungry for them; Paul F Glenn sued University of Southern California for fraud four years ago, accusing it of misusing his $1.6 million gift and then lying about it; his case againt USC was settled in 2004; Bill Robertson is involved in lawsuit accusing Princeton University of mismanaging large donation by his family; his photo (M)

Rivals in Ukraine Agree To Talks on Vote Dispute The two candidates claiming to be president-elect of Ukraine met in the presence of international mediators and agreed to begin immediate negotiations to try to end their bitter stalemate, the first sign of an easing of the political tensions that have risked leading the nation toward civil war. While no specific agenda or timetable for a solution was set, both sides pledged to avoid violence in settling their dispute. PAGE A9 Iran Nuclear Curbs in Doubt Iran and European nations struggled to salvage an agreement committing Tehran to freezing an important part of its nuclear program, but the two sides are far apart, and further talks were put off to Monday. Despite the pact, Iran has announced plans to run 20 centrifuges. PAGE A3 A Palestinian Endorsement Marwan Barghouti, a popular politician now in an Israeli prison, agreed not to run for the presidency of the Palestinian Authority, calling for Palestinians to support Mahmoud Abbas, the candidate of the dominant political faction Fatah, in elections on Jan. 9. PAGE A8 St. John's Punishes Team St. Johns University said it was imposing two years of sanctions on its men's basketball program because a former player received cash from an athletic department employee. SPORTSSATURDAY, PAGE D1 Debate on Soccer Headgear Thousands of American players are using protective headgear, but some soccer officials question whether it reduces the risk of head injuries. SPORTSSATURDAY, PAGE D1