The New York Times-20080129-news summary

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INTERNATIONALA3-12

5 American Soldiers Die In Attack in Northern Iraq

Sunni Arab guerrillas ambushed an American convoy in Mosul with a roadside bomb and sprayed survivors with machine-gun fire, killing five soldiers. It was the second devastating attack on United States forces in northern Iraq this month. A10

Rebuilding failures by one of the most heavily criticized companies working in Iraq, the American construction giant Parsons, were much more widespread than previously revealed, according to a federal agency. A10

Snowstorms Cripple China

Severe snowstorms over broad swaths of eastern and central China have wreaked havoc on traffic throughout the country, spawning accidents and leaving at least 24 people dead, according to state news reports. A6

Turkey to Lift a Head Scarf Ban

Turkey's governing political party reached an agreement to lift a ban on the wearing of head scarves by women attending universities, a move likely to enrage the country's staunchly secular old guard. A3

Hostages Freed in Pakistan

A group of armed men in Pakistan released more than 200 schoolchildren after holding them for several hours. The gunmen were allowed to flee, local officials said. A5

Counterattacks in Kenya

Kenya's third largest city erupted again as thousands of rioters tore through streets, burned down stores and looted schools after a series of ethnically driven killings over the weekend. A8

NATIONALA14-23

President Outlines Agenda For Final Year in Office

Facing an unstable economy and an unfinished war, President Bush used his final State of the Union address to call for quick passage of his tax rebate package, patience in Iraq and a modest last-year agenda that includes $300 million in scholarship money for low-income children in struggling schools. A1

Democrats Stirring Interest

The race for the Democratic presidential nomination is generating intense interest and enthusiasm -- significantly greater, by several measures, than the Republican contest, experts say. A1

G.O.P. Animosity in Florida

In the final hours before Tuesday's Republican primary in Florida, the two leading candidates, Mitt Romney and Senator John McCain, traded attacks and aggressively courted voters. A1

California Health Plan Fails

In a blow to universal health care coverage in California and possibly to its prospects nationwide, a State Senate committee rejected a plan that would have offered insurance to millions of uninsured residents. A14

SCIENCE TIMESD1-8

Backlogs at the F.D.A.

According to a series of reports by the Government Accountability Office, the Food and Drug Administration is so overwhelmed by a flood of imports that it is incapable of protecting the public from unsafe drugs, medical devices and food. A15

NEW YORK/REGIONC13-14

Harlem Residents Rise To Bill Clinton's Defense

Bill Clinton seems to be as popular now among blacks in Harlem as he was when he first opened an office there in 2001, despite his criticism of Barack Obama over the weekend. Many shrugged their shoulders and said they understood his remarks, even if they didn't quite agree.C13

Costs May Doom Station

Construction costs could force the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to scrap plans for an architecturally ambitious glass-domed subway station in Lower Manhattan, officials said.C14

SPORTSTUESDAYC15-19

Player to Talk About Steroids

The House oversight committee withdrew a subpoena of the former second baseman Chuck Knoblauch and said he had voluntarily agreed to speak to committee staff members about performance-enhancing drugs.C18

BUSINESS DAYC1-12

Sears' Chairman Steps Back

With Sears Holdings' sales, profit and stock price plunging, its billionaire chairman, Edward S. Lampert, removed himself from day-to-day oversight of the ailing retailer and pushed out the company's chief executive.C1

Business DigestC2

OBITUARIESA24-25

Archbishop Christodoulos

The charismatic head of the Greek Orthodox Church, he was 69. A25

EDITORIALA26-27

Editorials: The State of the Union; Florida's phantom Democrats; Lawrence Downes on there being no more room for little boxes on Long Island, unless you stack 'em.

Columns: David Brooks and Bob Herbert.