January 17, 2006

The line outside the R. G. Ortiz Funeral Home on the Lower East Side of Manhattan snaked a half-block north along First Avenue yesterday before veering east on Second Street, stretching as far as the eye could see. The first people arrived at noon, carrying flowers and balloons, toys and sympathy cards. They waited for hours in the bitter cold for a chance to see the girl who lay inside in a gold-rimmed coffin, her gloved hands clasped over her stomach, the bruises on her face masked by makeup.

Germany, after four years of stagnation, is showing signs of reclaiming its role as the economic engine of Europe. And much of the credit goes to old-line German companies like the printing press manufacturer named for this ancient university town. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, the world's largest maker of printing presses, was flat on its back two years ago, the victim of a downturn in the media industry and of Japanese rivals that undercut its prices. Now, after painful therapy that included 3,500 layoffs, the company is humming again.

New ABC reality series Miracle Workers will chronicle lives of seriously ill people who lack contacts or money for treatment; ABC will pay for team of doctors and nurses who will implement latest medical breakthroughs; photo (M)

Harvey Araton Sports of The Times column discusses Minnesota Timberwolves player Kevin Garnett, who has remained loyal to Minnesota since drafted out of high school in 1995; photo (M)

A campaign ad, broadcast repeatedly on television here, shows a man basking in the adulation of flag-waving crowds reminiscent of the protests that overturned the fraudulent election for president in 2004. But he is not Viktor A. Yushchenko, who rode those protests to the presidency, vowing to turn Ukraine into a free and prosperous democracy. He is the man Mr. Yushchenko defeated, Viktor F. Yanukovich, the chosen heir of a discredited and unpopular government, who would have been president but for those huge street demonstrations and international diplomatic pressure.