March 2, 2005

Iraqi judge and lawyer with special tribunal that will try Saddam Hussein and former members of his government are shot to death outside their home in Baghdad; Parwiz Muhammad Mahmoud al-Merani and son, who worked at tribunal, are killed day after first charges are announced; senior Iraqi official says Hussein's half brother was captured by Iraqi and allied forces, not by Syria; some 400 tribunal members have security guards and names are kept secret; seven Iraqi police officers are killed in four incidents, day after bombing in Hilla that killed at least 122 people and wounded 170 more; photo; Abu Musab al-Zarqawi terrorists claim responsibility; Muslim Scholars Assn, influential Sunni group, denounces Hilla attack; French reporter Florence Aubenas, kidnapped Jan 5, appeals for help on videotape (M)

New York police say feud between rappers 50 Cent and Game, onetime friends with 16 gunshot wounds behind them, appears to be behind gunfire outside radio station Hot 97 and further uptown two hours later; incidents follow back-and-forth accusations and radio-show sparring between 50 Cent, who has created cottage industry out of fighting with other rappers, and his former protege; photos (M)

Carleton S Fiorina, former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, has emerged as strong candidate to become president of World Bank; Paul D Wolfowitz, deputy secretary of defense, is also under serious considertation; Defense Department insists Wolfowitz will remain in place as deputy secretary of defense; Robert B Zoellick, until last week US trade representative, had been Bush administration's candidate to succeed current bank president James D Wolfensohn, who completes his second five-year term, in May; search was reopened when Zoellick was selected to be deputy secretary of state; photo (M)

News analysis on troubles for Pres Bush's Social Security overhaul plan, which faces obstacles on all sides; Republican Congressional leaders return from week of listening to constituents and begin playing for time, while Democrats remain remarkably united against Bush's call for private investment accounts to be carved out of payroll taxes; USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll shows low marks for Bush on issue, indicating little support for painful choices that lawmakers would have to make; Republicans themselves are sharply divided on how big private accounts should be, whether nation can affort to borrow trillions of dollars to establish them and whether tax increase should be part of solution; photo (M)

Ex-WorldCom Chief Denies Knowing of Wrongdoing Prosecutors tried to show that Bernard J. Ebbers, the former WorldCom chief executive accused of securities fraud, had to have known about the company's doctored books. Mr. Ebbers, however, said during his nearly six hours on the stand that he was unaware of any wrongdoing and that he trusted Scott D. Sullivan, WorldCom's former chief fiscal officer, to handle the financial matters. [Page C2.] Martha Stewart's Publisher Quits Suzanne Sobel, left, the longtime publisher of magazines at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, has resigned. The company said Lauren Podlach Stanich, the president of publishing, would take over for Ms. Sobel during the search for a successor. The timing struck some investors and analysts as odd, given the recent rise in the company's fortunes and Ms. Stewart's release from prison in a few days. Ms. Sobel, who oversaw advertising sales, helped guide the company through the difficulties it encountered as a result of Ms. Stewart's legal troubles. [C2.] Take 2 Aspirin and E-Mail the Doctor Doctors are being paid by health plans and medical groups to answer e-mail messages, providing them with more time to spend with patients who need to be seen. [A1.] Marsh Rescue Plan Unveiled Marsh & McLennan, which reported a loss of $676 million for the fourth quarter, is laying off 2,500 employees, cutting its dividend, increasing the commissions it charges, and dropping unprofitable clients. Market Place. [C9.] F.D.A. Official Admits Lapses After months of the Food and Drug Administration insisting that it did nothing wrong in its oversight of the withdrawn pain pill Vioxx, an agency official acknowledged before a Senate panel ''lapses'' in the agency's actions. [A15.] The Los Angeles Times Scales Back The Los Angeles Times has scaled back its national edition, which circulates in Washington and New York, into a 24-page format without paid advertising. [C5.] Qwest Questions Verizon's MCI Bid The chief executive of Qwest Communications, Richard C. Notebaert, told investors that Verizon Communications would and should face serious regulatory hurdles in its bid to acquire MCI. Mr. Notebaert made his remarks as part of an effort to persuade Wall Street investors and analysts that MCI would be better off rejecting Verizon as a suitor and accepting Qwest as a merger partner. [C4.] Official Criticizes Pension Rules The assistant Treasury secretary for economic policy told a Senate panel that current pension funding rules are inaccurate. [C8.] Telecom Battle Waged in Poland A dispute between French and German companies over the ownership of a Polish mobile telephone company has led to new managers being barred from the building. [C8.] Strong Growth in Brazil in 2004 The Brazilian economy expanded in 2004 at its fastest pace in a decade, with booming exports and a sharp increase in consumer spending helping it rebound. [C8.] Stocks Move Up as Oil Price Falls Stocks were higher. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 63.77 points, to 10,830.00; the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index was up 6.81 points, to 1,210.41, and the Nasdaq composite index gained 19.53 points, to 2,071.25. [C9.] COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE ENCLOSED MALLS are trying to find a way to survive now that department store chains continue to merge and open-air shopping centers proliferate. [C7.] A NEW JERSEY DEVELOPER has moved away from residential rentals. [C6.]