Hands-On Bavarian Count Presides Over a Pencil-Making Empire

Hands-On Bavarian Count Presides Over a Pencil-Making Empire
Biden Arrives in China Seeking Restraint Over New Air Zone
Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man Behind Android
U.N. Measure Would Send Forces to Aid Central African Republic
Jihadist Groups Gain in Turmoil Across Middle East
Detroit Ruling on Bankruptcy Lifts Pension Protections
North Korea’s Leader Is Said to Oust Uncle in Power Play
Tests on Arafat Find No Proof of Radiation Poisoning
Editor Describes Pressure After Leaks by Snowden
Panel Says Global Warming Carries Risk of Deep Changes
Square Feet: Optimism Over Vietnam Property, With Caveats
Bryant and Messi Try to Repeat a Hit Airline Ad
Metro-North Investigation Turns to Engineer’s Inattention
Books of The Times: ‘Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven,’ by John Eliot Gardiner
Economic Scene: Americanized Labor Policy Is Spreading in Europe
News Analysis: International Criminal Court Wrestles With Applying Law, or Bending
Ukraine Protests Persist as Bid to Oust Government Fails
For World Cup Draw: 32 Divided by 4
Hoping to Tame the Snow in Sochi
T Magazine: By Design | In Salzburg, an Astonishing Contemporary Art Collection in a 17th-Century Austrian Manor
Lens Blog: Magnum: Social Concerns, Visual Pleasure
Global Soccer: Barcelona’s Best Plan B Might Be in Everton
Kerry to Skip Ukraine and Visit Moldova

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 10:53 PM PST

At a picturesque century-old factory, Count Anton-Wolfgang von Faber-Castell is the eighth in a long line carrying on the family name in the pencil business.

Biden Arrives in China Seeking Restraint Over New Air Zone

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 10:26 PM PST

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. finds himself in the midst of an increasingly tense standoff between Japan and China over territorial claims.

Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man Behind Android

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 09:37 PM PST

The company has acquired seven companies in hopes of automating electronics assembly and maybe even taking on Amazon in retail delivery.

U.N. Measure Would Send Forces to Aid Central African Republic

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 07:24 PM PST

France was circulating a resolution to help restore order in the African country, which has plunged into deadly anarchy.

Jihadist Groups Gain in Turmoil Across Middle East

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:07 PM PST

American intelligence and counterterrorism officials are concerned that militants aligned with Al Qaeda could establish a base in Syria capable of threatening Israel and Europe.

Detroit Ruling on Bankruptcy Lifts Pension Protections

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 05:59 PM PST

Detroit is eligible to enter bankruptcy and shed billions in debt, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, while also finding that public pensions could be reduced despite a provision in Michigan's Constitution.

North Korea’s Leader Is Said to Oust Uncle in Power Play

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 05:12 PM PST

South Korea's intelligence service reported that Jang Song-thaek, considered to be No. 2 in the government and a mentor to Kim Jong-un, has been stripped of his powers.

Tests on Arafat Find No Proof of Radiation Poisoning

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 05:01 PM PST

French investigators' conclusion partly contradicted and partly confirmed those of Swiss scientists who found abnormal polonium-210 levels in the remains of Yasir Arafat.

Editor Describes Pressure After Leaks by Snowden

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 04:40 PM PST

Testimony to Parliament from the top editor of The Guardian illustrated the aggressive investigative and spying tactics increasingly faced by news organizations.

Panel Says Global Warming Carries Risk of Deep Changes

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 04:38 PM PST

A scientific panel's report rules out some doomsday notions but says dire climatic surprises seem inevitable.

Square Feet: Optimism Over Vietnam Property, With Caveats

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 03:39 PM PST

Vietnam's property market is bottoming out, and the government is pledging to reform the banking sector, but doubts remain over whether it can hit pre-2008 peaks.

Bryant and Messi Try to Repeat a Hit Airline Ad

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 03:29 PM PST

Turkish Airlines hopes again to fascinate the global public by pairing two sports heroes, Kobe Bryant and Lionel Messi.

Metro-North Investigation Turns to Engineer’s Inattention

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 02:52 PM PST

A law enforcement official said that the engineer, William Rockefeller, did not appear to have been fully focused shortly before his train sped into a sharp curve.

Books of The Times: ‘Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven,’ by John Eliot Gardiner

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 02:31 PM PST

John Eliot Gardiner's book is not intended as a straight biography so much as a thematic examination of Bach the composer as man and musician.

Economic Scene: Americanized Labor Policy Is Spreading in Europe

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 01:48 PM PST

Desperate to restore competitiveness, European nations are dismantling workplace protections that once supported labor and helped minimize income inequality.

News Analysis: International Criminal Court Wrestles With Applying Law, or Bending

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 01:09 PM PST

The nations that adhere to the International Criminal Court have agreed to special rules for national leaders, but human rights groups warned that a category of privileged defendant had been created.

Ukraine Protests Persist as Bid to Oust Government Fails

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 11:43 AM PST

Opponents of President Viktor F. Yanukovich on Tuesday unsuccessfully demanded his resignation as protesters continued a siege of government buildings.

For World Cup Draw: 32 Divided by 4

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 11:29 AM PST

FIFA on Tuesday announced which teams will be in each of the four pots ahead of Friday's World Cup draw in Brazil.

Hoping to Tame the Snow in Sochi

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 08:26 AM PST

Using backhoes, explosive charges and a network of dams and piping, a team of experts is working to protect the new Russian resort that will host the Sochi Games.

T Magazine: By Design | In Salzburg, an Astonishing Contemporary Art Collection in a 17th-Century Austrian Manor

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 08:21 AM PST

At Villa Emslieb, the estate of Thaddaeus Ropac, one of the world's most prominent art dealers, you'll find work by heavyweights like Tom Sachs, Anselm Kiefer and Tony Cragg — and you might bump into the artists themselves.

Lens Blog: Magnum: Social Concerns, Visual Pleasure

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:18 AM PST

A new book and exhibition explore the photo agency's efforts since its 1947 founding to remain true to its original mission while nurturing and empowering photographers to do meaningful work.

Global Soccer: Barcelona’s Best Plan B Might Be in Everton

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 03:38 AM PST

With the club on a two-game losing streak and a number of key players injured, its best young hope might be Gerard Deulofeu, who is playing at Everton on a transfer this season.

Kerry to Skip Ukraine and Visit Moldova

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 02:23 AM PST

After Kiev's refusal to sign an accord with the European Union, Secretary of State John Kerry will go to Moldova, a small country that has resisted pressure from Moscow.