December 10, 2004

Federal regulators plan to begin considering rules that woujld end official ban on cellphone use on commercial flights; technical challenges and safety questions remain; if ban is lifted, one of last cocoons of relative social silence would disappear, forcing strangers to work out rough etiquette of involuntary eavesdropping in confined space; diagram; photos (M)

Neelie Kroes, talking tough in her first public appearance since becoming Europe's competition commissioner, blocks merger in Portugal's energy industry and sets fines on three chemical companies for colluding on prices; Kroes, expressing 'zero tolerance' for cartels and speaking out in defense of energy consumers, tries to lay to rest suspicions that her close ties to business before taking office would not compromise her ability to police that world; Kroes recommends blocking acquisition of Gas de Portugal by Energias de Portugal and Italian energy company ENI; recommendation is accepted by her fellow commissioners; commission imposes fine of $88.4 million on Akzo Nobel, BASF and UCB for running cartel in market for vitamin B4, or choline chloride, animal growth stimulant given many to poultry and pigs (M)

OPEC ministers are considering curbing output and taking some oil off market to prevent price slump; light sweet crude for delivery in January rises 59 cents, to $42.53 per barrel, in New York trading as oil traders react to possibility of production cut; OPEC is producing at its highest rate in 25 years to meet record demand; OPEC will seek to prevent oversupply of oil in market as well as anticipate seasonal decline in second quarter as consumption growth is expected to slow in 2005; over last four years, it has been OPEC's policy to act pre-emptively to keep its benchmark price around $25 per barrel; analysts say OPEC now wants to defend higher prices, around $35 per barrel (M)

Article on backcountry guided ski excursions, which are being offered by more ski resorts in Wyoming, California, Utah and Colorado as skiers seek more excitement beyond boundaries of ski lifts; list; photos (M)

Former Helix High School (Calif) teammates Alex Smith, who is now quarterback at undefeated Utah University, and Southern California University running back Reggie Bush are first pair of high school teammates ever nominated as Heisman Trophy finalists; photos (M)

Analysis of flurry of end-of-session activity at New York State Legislature, which would otherwise have gone down as one of least productive in memory; Gov George E Pataki, senate majority leader Joseph L Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver all give up something they wanted to get some big things done and to dispel mounting criticism that state government is paralyzed (M)

RUSTY HATHAWAY is paid for teaching golf in Hawaii, and he married the girl of his dreams. What was left? A Corvette. After decades of waiting, he made that wish come true. Now, if only his island had a no-speed-limit highway. Page 9.

Daniel A Biederman, executive director of Bryant Park Restoration Corp, proposes placing Olympic-size portable ice skating rink in Bryant Park that would be free to anyone with skates; says rink would not endanger extension of New York Public Library's stacks under park because it would not weigh as much as trucks assembled there for Fashion Week and lawn already has drainage to protect stacks in case of leak; rink would close for season at end of January 2006 to make way for Fashion Week; most other rink operators in city welcome proposal, but Rockefeller Center rink could be hurt by competition; city is looking for corporate sponsor for rink, which would cost estimated $400,000; photos (M)

Manohla Dargis reviews movie Ocean's Twelve, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon; photos (M)

Brazil's biggest companies are thriving by using their knowledge of nation's huge domestic market to fend off competition from abroad; are also increasingly flexing their muscles on international stage; many of them are buying assets and building factories in foreign countries that just decade ago seemed out of reach to many in Brazil's traditionally inward-looking corporate sector; growing number of Brazilian businesses are setting up shop in Canada and US; photo (M)

Fiat to Pursue Merger Pact It Made With G.M. in 2000 Sergio Marchionne, the chief executive of Fiat, left, said that his company would vigorously defend its right to sell its auto business to General Motors, a move G.M. has said it will contest in court if need be.

New York Knicks president Isiah Thomas is pursuing Los Angeles Lakers player Karl Malone, along with other big-market players; photos (M)