5+JANV

  **** __Behind Afghan Bombing, an Agent With Many Loyalties__ **** By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr., MARK MAZZETTI and SOUAD MEKHENNET The suicide bomber who killed eight last week in Afghanistan had been brought there by Jordanian intelligence to infiltrate the Qaeda organization.

**** __Divergent Views on Signs of Life in the Economy__ **** By PETER S. GOODMAN This period might be called the Great Ambiguity — a time of debate over the clarity of economic indicators and the staying power of apparent gains.

**** __C.I.A. Is Sharing Data With Climate Scientists__ **** By WILLIAM J. BROAD The C.I.A. is releasing intelligence data to top scientists for the study of environmental change. **** __Standoff Builds Over Afghan Cabinet__ **** By ALISSA J. RUBIN President Hamid Karzai asked lawmakers to delay their holiday after they rejected many of his nominees.

**** __In Yemen, U.S. Faces Leader Who Puts Family First__ **** By STEVEN ERLANGER President Ali Abdullah Saleh is amenable to U.S. support, but the reach of his bureaucracy is limited and his willingness to battle Al Qaeda is questionable.

**** __New Air Security Checks From 14 Nations to U.S. Draw Criticism__ **** By ERIC LIPTON The decision to mandate extra scrutiny for people from 14 mostly Muslim nations provoked criticism from foreign officials and skepticism from some security experts. **** __For Cape Cod Wind Farm, New Hurdle Is Spiritual__ **** By ABBY GOODNOUGH Two Indian tribes successfully argued that a wind-power project would impede their ritual greeting of the sunrise.

**** __Two Killed in Las Vegas Courthouse__ **** By STEVE FRIESS The gunman and a court security officer were killed, and a deputy United States marshal was wounded.

****SIDEBAR**** **** __Group Gives Up Death Penalty Work__ **** By ADAM LIPTAK An institute that created the intellectual framework for the capital justice system pronounced its project a failure.  ****THE CARD GAME**** **** __How Visa, Using Card Fees, Dominates a Market__ **** By ANDREW MARTIN When you sign for a debit card at a retailer, the store pays your bank more than twice as much as when you enter a PIN — a strategy Visa hatched decades ago.

**** __Google Moves to Keep Its Lead as Web Goes Mobile__ **** By MIGUEL HELFT Google expects the Nexus One, its rival to the iPhone, to help it retain its leadership as computing shifts.

**** __Cold and Signs of Stronger Economy Drive Oil Above $81__ **** By CLIFFORD KRAUSS Optimism about a recovery in the United States, the cold weather and a softer dollar helped push the price higher.