January 5, 2005

Article on Italian-born architect Renzo Piano, who is working on his first four projects in New York City; Piano is overseeing work on expansion of Pierpont Morgan Library, working on design for expanded Whitney Museum of American Art and designing satellite campus for Columbia University as well as new headquarters of New York Times Co; photos; drawings (M)

Article on sales strategy used by Michael T Duke, president of stores unit of Wal-Mart, as early as day after Thanksgiving, when he realized sales would be down for holiday shopping season; Duke, sensing trouble, visited competition, including Best Buy, Target, Kohl's, Sears and other nearby discount merchants to compare how Wal-Mart was doing; Wal-Mart is expected to announce on Jan 6 that December sales achieved 3 percent gain over sales for December 2003; photos (M)

Bush administration officials say White House counsel Alberto R Gonzales intervened directly with Justice Department lawyers in 2002 to obtain legal ruling on extent of president's authority to permit extreme interrogation practices in name of national security; his role in defining torture as applied to terorrist suspects will be key issue as Senate Judiciary Committee considers nomination as attorney general; photo; Gonzales has spoken of much-debated Justice Department memo as response to questions without mentioning that most of questions were his; memo concluded that interrogators had great leeway to question detainees, and critics say it created atmosphere that led to serious abuses at Abu Ghraib in Iraq and elsewhere; Atty Gen John Ashcroft was reportedly not aware of memo until it was about to be submitted to White House; memo was signed by Jay S Bybee and written mostly by John Yoo, who says Gonzales did not pressure him to tailor opinion to suit White House; Sen Patrick Leahy repeats demand for White House documents (M)

David Banach of Parsippany, New Jersey, is accused of shining laser pen into cockpits of small passenger jet and lying to federal agents; photo; US Atty Christoher J Christie says charging fiber optics technician under antiterrorism law sends message that no threat to aviation will be tolerated; Banach attorney says he uses gadget at work and to look at stars (M)

About 130,000 people are expected at annual Consumer Electronics Show at Las Vegas Convention Center; various new electronic gadgets that will be on display discussed; photo (M)

United's Creditors Oppose Deal on Pilots' Pensions United Airlines' creditors have joined the federal government in opposing a deal in which United would close its pilots' pension plan and give the pilots equity in the airline and other sweeteners in exchange. The showdown will come in a federal bankruptcy court in Chicago Thursday, as the pilots are set to finish voting on the deal, which United reached with the union leadership last month. [Page C5.] Former Federated Chief Is Indicted James M. Zimmerman, left, the retired chairman and chief executive of Federated Department Stores, was indicted for perjury over statements he made last year to investigators from the New York State attorney general's office. The company owns Macy's and Bloomingdale's. Investigators were looking into anticompetitive behavior by the company and other businesses. [C2.] Japanese Automakers Make Gains American sales by Toyota, Honda and Nissan continued to surge in December, as the companies made further inroads against the Big Three domestic manufacturers. [C2.] Fed Minutes Show Inflation Worries Federal Reserve officials became markedly more worried about inflation last month, according to minutes from their policy meeting in December. [C2.] Rate Concerns Hurt Stock Market New concerns about inflation drove stocks sharply lower. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 98.65 points, to 10,630.78. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index lost 14.03 points, to 1,188.05, and the Nasdaq composite index tumbled 44.29 points, to 2,107.86. [C7.] Deadline for Microsoft Claims With only a few days remaining before a deadline, only a small percentage of California residents eligible to receive part of a $1.1 billion antitrust settlement with Microsoft have claimed their share. [C4.] An Important Choice for Viacom Viacom has a lot riding on the executive who comes in to run its stagnant Paramount film studio, which could contribute more profit under a new leader. Market Place. [C7.] TV Azteca Chairman Is Charged Securities regulators charged one of the richest men in Mexico, Ricardo B. Salinas Pliego, with fraud. The Securities and Exchange Commission also wants Mr. Salinas Pliego, the chairman of TV Azteca, the Spanish-language broadcaster, to give up more than $110 million he made from trading in the company's stock and debt. [C3.] Publisher of Essence Is Sold Time Inc. agreed to buy the 51 percent of Essence Communications Partners, the publisher of the magazines Essence and Suede, that it did not already own. [C4.] Apex Responds to China Charges Apex Digital, the American electronic goods company that has been accused by one of China's biggest television makers of bringing it huge financial losses, is fighting back against the charges. [C4.] Self-Improvement vs. Selflessness The new year's resolution-related commercial pitches are colliding with news of the tsunami in Asia. Stuart Elliott: Advertising. [C4.]

Sri Lankans in fishing village of Hambantota are now traumatized and fearful of sea that sustained them and anchored their lives until tsunami brought overwhelming death and destruction; photo; map; psychological strain intensifies for survivors still surrounded by, and still dependent on, force that proved so merciless; dazed and grieving relatives tell of losses (M)

William C Rhoden Sports of The Times column discusses Bowl Championship Series, which many in college football community say is fatally flawed and must be revamped immediately; Auburn University, Utah University and Southern California University all finished undefeated this season, but only USC was allowed to compete for national championship; photo (M)

Fresh infusions of aid push global relief effort for Asia as it confronts monsoon rains, logistical breakdowns and urgent need to reach tsunami survivors in remotest regions; photos; map; UN coordinator Jan Egeland says 'phenomenal' global pledges may exceed $2 billion even before meeting of donor nations; Sec Colin Powell, touring region with Gov Jeb Bush, acknowledges hope that American military airlifts and supply drops, seen on television worldwide, will improve US image among Muslims, although he emphasizes that aid is given regardless of religion; Indonesian Min Hassan Wirajuda praises how US helicopters are reaching isolated areas; crews from aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln are crucial to effort; Germany reportedly will pledge $680 million; efforts are race against time to help tens of thousands of survivors in places like Meulaboh, Sumatra coastal town completely cut off; seasonal rains slow efforts in Sri Lanka; Powell says Myanmar does not appear to be severely damaged; he and Jeb Bush tour ruined Thai resort of Phuket and offer help identifying bodies; Thailand records 5,187 dead, more than half of them foreigners (M)

Bristol-Myers Squibb is in talks with several suitors to sell its Excedrin line of pain relievers and other over-the-counter drugs for as much as $1 billion; sale of consumer medicines unit is latest move by company to dispose of noncore product lines as it tries to focus on its drugs to prevent and treat diseases, field it hopes will offer higher return; unit for sale also includes Bufferin, Comtrex, cold and flu medicine, and Keri lotions; GlaxoSmithKline and possibly some private equity firms are said to be interested in unit (M)

Severely disabled nine-year-old boy dies after being found wedged inside laundry chute at Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center in East Harlem; chute is normally locked; Frashawn Jones is described as having had severe mental and physical disabilities; photo (S)

Article in series 10 Years Later, examining Gov George Pataki's administration, discusses gridlock that continues in New York government despite Pataki's early promises of reform; photos; former proponent of term limits is now considering run for fourth term and same three men who controlled fate of legislation ten years ago, Pataki, Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate leader Joseph Bruno, still have same grip; some of biggest changes Pataki ushered into law in 1995 are coming undone, with spending rising sharply and even some of his tax cuts whittled down; Pataki, in interview, says he is proud of crime reductions, tax cuts and welfare overhaul; gerrymandering has kept Legislature divided for three decades, institutionalizing partisan divisions (M)