May 14, 2005

Students attending the University of Texas at Austin will find something missing from the undergraduate library this fall. Books.

Pentagon Proposes Closing Nearly 180 Military Bases. The Pentagon recommended closing nearly 180 installations and offices from Hawaii to Maine, in the first major restructuring of the nation's vast military network in a decade. Ranging from tiny Army Reserve centers to giant Air Force bases that have been the economic anchors of their communities, the proposed closings, consolidations or reductions of some 800 military facilities and the loss of 26,000 military and civilian jobs sent shock waves across all 50 states. [Page A1.] Testimony on After-Hours Trading At the trial of a former Bank of America broker, the investor Edward J. Stern testified that he had considered his ability to trade after hours a ''nice insurance'' against losses. [C2.] Heart Study of Taser Finds No Harm An independent academic study of Taser electric stun weapons has found that they do not cause heart rhythm disturbances when used for short periods on healthy adults. The report is the first to monitor directly the effects of Tasers on human heart rhythm. It appears to confirm earlier studies performed on pigs that show that Tasers are unlikely to cause ventricular fibrillation -- a lethal heart disturbance -- when they are used for less than five seconds on healthy adults. [C2.] Product Ties for Microsoft and Sun Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, and his counterpart and onetime archenemy at Sun Microsystems, Scott McNealy, took the stage in California to report on efforts to make their software programs communicate. [C2.] Microsoft and Toshiba have signed an agreement to cross-license their patents on computer software and digital consumer electronics, the two companies said. [C2.] Biotech Drugs Gain Against Cancer New drugs using the tools of biotechnology are helping to prevent relapses among cancer patients and prolonging some lives, cancer specialists said. [A9.] Source of Severed Finger Found The severed finger that a woman claimed to have found in a bowl of Wendy's chili in March belongs to an associate of the woman's husband, the police in California said. [A9.] Another Play for Allied Domecq The Constellation Group, the world's largest wine producer, turned up the heat in the takeover battle for Allied Domecq, making a preliminary offer that executives involved in the talks said was worth about $14.3 billion. [C3.] Italian Utility to Be Acquired Électricité de France and a Milan utility agreed to buy Edison, Italy's second-biggest electricity company. [C3.] Mayors Join on Global Warming In an implicit rejection of White House policy, 132 mayors across the country have joined a bipartisan coalition to carry out the Kyoto Protocol on global warming. [A9.] Blue Chips Fall; Tech Shares Rise The Dow Jones industrial average fell 49.36 points, to close at 10,140.12. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index dipped 5.31 points, to end at 1,154.05. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 12.92 points, to finish at 1,976.80. Only the Nasdaq finished higher for the week. The Dow was down almost 2 percent for the week. [C4.] Inventories Increased in March American businesses increased inventories by 0.4 percent in March. The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index showed a larger-than-expected drop in confidence. [C2.] Delphi Posts a Quarterly Loss Delphi, the auto parts supplier, posted a quarterly loss, citing production cuts at General Motors, a major customer. [C4.]

At Least 10 Die as Rioting Erupts in Uzbekistan Gunmen attacked police posts and stormed a prison in eastern Uzbekistan, unleashing a day of protest, chaos and violence that left at least 10 people dead and dozens more wounded. After less than 18 hours, government soldiers took positions at the central square of the city of Andijon and then opened fire on protesters. PAGE A3 F.B.I. Questioning Reporters Federal agents are asking reporters about any conversations they had with a former Pentagon analyst who has been charged with illegally disclosing secrets. PAGE A10 Showdown on Judges Scheduled for Next Week Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader, said he would seek to change Senate rules to prevent filibusters if Democrats block a vote on two of President Bush's judicial nominations, setting the stage for a showdown. PAGE A9 An Ad Blitz by the Mayor Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will run commercials touting his leadership in guiding the city's recovery after 9/11, according to a person who viewed versions of the ads. PAGE B1 Woods Has a Weekend Off For the first time since 1998, Tiger Woods missed the cut of an event on the PGA Tour. His streak of 142 ended at the Byron Nelson Championship. SPORTSSATURDAY, PAGE D1 THIS WEEKEND The Man in the Mask When Damon Albarn grew sick of pop stardom, he started an unusual new band: all the members are fictional. Above, Russel, the drummer for Gorillaz. ARTS & LEISURE Rescuing Modernism Modern architects dreamed of a radiant future, but their works are fading. A special issue examines what's been lost. MAGAZINE Church Meets State America's founders believed that a guarantee of religious liberty would also guarantee liberal theology, a faith that conformed to scientific knowledge and common sense. In the long run, Mark Lilla argues, they were wrong. Liberal Protestantism now sheds members, while evangelical, Pentecostal, charismatic and ''neo-Orthodox'' movements flourish, censoring textbooks, denouncing biologists and craving miracles. Also, a 12-page special section: Children's Books. BOOK REVIEW T: Travel Perhaps the Grand Canal in Venice is many travelers' idea of paradise. Or Montenegro's Old World splendor. Or the seaside town of Whitstable, England. The New York Times Style Magazine reports on the joys of summer, one destination at a time.

One morning last month, Qasim al-Malakh, one of Iraq's best-known actors, stood near a dusty vacant lot in a dangerous part of southern Baghdad. He was dressed immaculately in a dark suit and tie, and his co-star, Nagham al-Sultani, stood next to him in a white bridal gown. They were there to film the last episode of ''Love and War,'' Iraq's most popular television drama. Their characters, Fawzi and Fatin, had just married after a long and troubled romance.

Volvo has promoted the sturdiness of its cars' roofs since it ran advertisements in the 1970's showing seven Volvo sedans stacked up, asking, ''Are you in the market for a hardtop?'' And Volvo, in introducing its first sport utility vehicle in 2002, the XC90, had a promotional video claiming the strength of the roof ''exceeds the legal requirements in the U.S.A. by more than 100 percent.''