Sinosphere Blog: Explosions Near Communist Party Building in China

Sinosphere Blog: Explosions Near Communist Party Building in China
Ex-Israeli Foreign Minister Cleared in Graft Trial
Toyota Projects Near-Record Yearly Profit
De Blasio Is Elected New York City Mayor in Landslide
Critic’s Notebook: In a Rediscovered Trove of Art, a Triumph Over the Nazis’ Will
Paris Journal: Trying to Elevate the Sounds Competing With Subterranean Clatter
Indian Craft Is Lofted Toward Mars, Trailed by Pride and Questions
Afghan Militant Group Faces Unusual Discontent
Samsung to Double Dividend in Bid to Lift Its Stock Price
DealBook: MF Global Customers Will Recover All They Lost
China’s Leaders Confront Economic Fissures
Diplomats Fail to Agree on Details for Syria Peace Talks
After Outside Pressure, Rebels in Congo Lay Down Their Arms
In a Message to Poachers, U.S. Will Destroy Its Ivory
Charlie Trotter Dies at 54; Chef Made Chicago a Must
German Officials Provide Details on Looted Art
Suspect Is Dead in New Jersey Mall Shooting
Hayao Miyazaki’s Last Film, ‘The Wind Rises,’ Gets Complaints
Prince Charles May Have Unfair Tax Edge, Report Says
Chevron and Ukraine Set Shale Gas Deal
Lens Blog: A Congolese Rebellion Routed, a Photographer’s Work Continues
E.U. Predicts Anemic Growth and High Unemployment in 2014
New York Sees Light Turnout After Lopsided Mayoral Polls
Toronto Mayor Admits Smoking Crack, but Won’t Step Down
The Lede: ‘I Have Smoked Crack Cocaine,’ Toronto’s Mayor Admits on Camera

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 12:31 AM PST

A series of explosions outside a Communist Party building in a northern Chinese city comes at a time of heightened security concerns in China.

Ex-Israeli Foreign Minister Cleared in Graft Trial

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 12:08 AM PST

An Israeli court on Wednesday found former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman innocent of all charges in a graft trial, clearing the way for the powerful hard-line politician to return to his post as the nation's top diplomat.

Toyota Projects Near-Record Yearly Profit

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 11:49 PM PST

The company expects to make $16.9 billion in the year ending in March 2014, thanks to cost cuts and a weakening yen, and says quarterly profit rose 70 percent.

De Blasio Is Elected New York City Mayor in Landslide

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 09:05 PM PST

The election of Bill de Blasio, the Democratic candidate, amounted to a forceful rejection of the hard-nosed, business-minded style of governance that reigned at City Hall for the past two decades.

Critic’s Notebook: In a Rediscovered Trove of Art, a Triumph Over the Nazis’ Will

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 09:03 PM PST

A horde of art missing since the Nazi era yields lessons about the vagaries of survival.

Paris Journal: Trying to Elevate the Sounds Competing With Subterranean Clatter

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 08:48 PM PST

In the Paris Métro system, many vie for the 300 permits given each year to entertain commuters.

Indian Craft Is Lofted Toward Mars, Trailed by Pride and Questions

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 07:59 PM PST

The launch was a major step in India's hopes to become the first country in Asia to reach Mars.

Afghan Militant Group Faces Unusual Discontent

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 07:31 PM PST

The militant Haqqani network's war against the Soviets more than two decades ago is still spoken of in reverential tones in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, but support has turned to resentment in some corners.

Samsung to Double Dividend in Bid to Lift Its Stock Price

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 06:07 PM PST

The world's largest maker of smartphones said it would increase its cash returns to shareholders and shift from hardware to software.

DealBook: MF Global Customers Will Recover All They Lost

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 05:59 PM PST

A federal bankruptcy judge cleared the way for the firm's roughly 20,000 customers to collect their full $1.6 billion in vanished money, covering the remaining shortfall.

China’s Leaders Confront Economic Fissures

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 05:49 PM PST

As it prepares for a critical policy meeting, the Communist Party faces a persistent problem: Jobs abound in China, but not the kind young graduates want.

Diplomats Fail to Agree on Details for Syria Peace Talks

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 05:30 PM PST

Senior U.S., Russian and U.N. diplomats could not agree on a date for peace talks, nor were they able to decide on which countries should participate in the talks.

After Outside Pressure, Rebels in Congo Lay Down Their Arms

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 05:17 PM PST

The surrender offered new hope for a region where conflict has gone on for so many years that it has often come to seem almost inevitable.

In a Message to Poachers, U.S. Will Destroy Its Ivory

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 05:16 PM PST

Six tons of illegal elephant ivory that the government has been stockpiling for three decades will be crushed and used in antipoaching memorials, officials announced.

Charlie Trotter Dies at 54; Chef Made Chicago a Must

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 05:03 PM PST

With his flagship restaurant, Mr. Trotter helped establish Chicago as a serious dining city and helped raise the standards of American cooking through books and television.

German Officials Provide Details on Looted Art

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 03:44 PM PST

The first glimpse of the collection brought astonishment but also anger and the initial stirrings of what will likely be a long battle over who owns the works.

Suspect Is Dead in New Jersey Mall Shooting

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 02:24 PM PST

A man who fired a weapon Monday night in the Garden State Plaza, sending thousands running, shot and killed himself early Tuesday morning, authorities said.

Hayao Miyazaki’s Last Film, ‘The Wind Rises,’ Gets Complaints

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 02:22 PM PST

"The Wind Rises," the newest animated film from the Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, has received complaints because of its focus on the creation of a fighter used during World War II.

Prince Charles May Have Unfair Tax Edge, Report Says

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 01:25 PM PST

British lawmakers raised questions about certain exemptions for the Duchy of Cornwall on revenue generated from the land, saying they may create an "unlevel playing field."

Chevron and Ukraine Set Shale Gas Deal

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 12:56 PM PST

The government hopes the project will reduce its dependence on Russian energy imports.

Lens Blog: A Congolese Rebellion Routed, a Photographer’s Work Continues

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 12:36 PM PST

While the M23 rebels of Congo send signals of peace, the photographer Pete Muller, who has been documenting the conflict, will continue his work there exploring notions of masculinity.

E.U. Predicts Anemic Growth and High Unemployment in 2014

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 12:20 PM PST

Economic growth in 2014 should hit 1.1 percent in the euro area and 1.4 percent across the European Union and continue to strengthen in 2015.

New York Sees Light Turnout After Lopsided Mayoral Polls

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 12:05 PM PST

Voters were presented with a stark choice between a politician who bills himself as having a progressive liberal vision for the city and one with a more conservative, bureaucratic approach to governance.

Toronto Mayor Admits Smoking Crack, but Won’t Step Down

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 12:05 PM PST

After months of denials, Mayor Rob Ford told reporters that he had "probably" tried crack cocaine "in one of my drunken stupors." He later apologized to city residents, but refused to resign.

The Lede: ‘I Have Smoked Crack Cocaine,’ Toronto’s Mayor Admits on Camera

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 11:55 AM PST

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford stunned constituents and his own staff on Tuesday by telling a scrum of reporters, "Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine."