January 27, 2005

Prosecution makes opening arguments in second fraud trial of former Tyco executives L Dennis Kozlowski and Mark H Swartz; drop most striking accusations of lavish spending that they concentrated on during first trial and focus instead on laying out core theme of their case: that two men illegally awarded themselves millions of dollars in bonuses and concealed them from company's board and shareholders; among people in gallery is Ruth Jordan, who received threatening letter while deliberating as juror in first trial, prompting judge to declare mistrial; photo (M)

January has been bearish month for investors despite two-day rally; investors are withdrawing money from domestic stock funds and pouring money into international funds; Dow Jones industrial average rises 37.03 points, or 0.4 percent, to 10,498.59, while Standard & Poor's 500-stock index climbs 5.66 points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,174.07; Nasdaq composite index gains 26.14 points, or 1.3 percent, to 2,046.09; graphs; charts (Market Place column) (M)

Jury selection in case of Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayad, Yemeni sheik accused of financing terrorism, took over two weeks and is completed on Jan 26; pool of 270 potential jurors filled out questionnaires on Jan 10 that asked if they could render impartial verdict notwithstanding events of Sept 11; one-third said they would not be able to judge case fairly (M)

When American troops overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein nearly two years ago, Raad al-Naqib finally felt free. But Dr. Naqib, 46, a dentist, will not vote on Sunday, when Iraqis have their first opportunity in a generation to take part in an election with no predetermined outcome. It is far too dangerous, he said. Some American commanders say that Baghdad is not safe even for their troops.

Six firefighters on Jan 23 were forced to jump from fifth floor of Bronx apartment building when fire burned out of control; Lt Curtis W Meyran and Firefighter John G Bellew were killed; four others, including Firefighters Jeffrey Cool and Joseph DiBernardo--who used rope to lower themselves part of way--suffered serious injuries; officials have opened several inquiries into fire; photo (M)