Islamist Rebels Kill 10 Somali Soldiers in Attack on Base

Islamist Rebels Kill 10 Somali Soldiers in Attack on Base
Hostages Flee Standoff at Cafe in Sydney
Three Months of Protests End Quietly in Hong Kong
Black Flag Is Hoisted as an Armed Person Takes Hostages in a Sydney Cafe
Brennan Draws on Bond With Obama in Backing C.I.A.
South Sudan Faces Famine and Apathy Amid Clashes
Sony’s International Incident: Making Kim Jong-un’s Head Explode
Backing C.I.A., Cheney Revisits Torture Debate From Bush Era
The Rise of a New Smartphone Giant: China’s Xiaomi
Sony Pictures Demands That News Agencies Delete ‘Stolen’ Data
Borja Journal: A Town, if Not a Painting, Is Restored
As Archie Nears 75, Riverdale Gets a Youthful Infusion
Stockholm’s Housing Shortage Threatens to Stifle Fast-Growing Start-Ups
Human Rights Group’s Office Destroyed in Arson Attack
ArtsBeat: Nobel Gives French Novelist U.S. Boost
Revamping the Louvre to Lose That Lost Feeling
Kerry Piles on Miles, Pressing for a Middle East Compromise
Elections in Kashmir Draw Long Lines of Voters
Arson Ruled Out in Fire at West Bank Mosque, Israeli Police Say

Posted: 15 Dec 2014 12:40 AM PST

Rebels from the Islamist al Shabaab group attacked a military base in southern Somalia early on Monday, killing at least 10 soldiers and burning three military vehicles, officials said.

Hostages Flee Standoff at Cafe in Sydney

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 11:21 PM PST

Five people fled a cafe in central Sydney where an armed individual was holding an unknown number of hostages and a black flag with Arabic script was displayed in a window.

Three Months of Protests End Quietly in Hong Kong

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 07:47 PM PST

Pro-democracy protests that swept onto the streets of Hong Kong 11 weeks ago faced a muted ending on Monday, when the police prepared to dismantle the last remaining road occupation.

Black Flag Is Hoisted as an Armed Person Takes Hostages in a Sydney Cafe

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 07:01 PM PST

Police officers surrounded the cafe in the central business district where hostages held a flag with writing that appeared to be the shahada, the Muslim declaration of faith.

Brennan Draws on Bond With Obama in Backing C.I.A.

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 06:43 PM PST

The close relationship between John O. Brennan, the C.I.A.'s director, and President Obama helped shape Brennan's assertive response to a scathing Senate report on agency torture.

South Sudan Faces Famine and Apathy Amid Clashes

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 06:11 PM PST

One year after mass violence broke out in South Sudan, battles between government forces and rebels continued, and aid officials said that international assistance was needed to help residents stave off mass hunger.

Sony’s International Incident: Making Kim Jong-un’s Head Explode

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 06:05 PM PST

Sony's executives now say they knew that basing a film on the assassination of Kim Jong-un of North Korea had inherent risks.

Backing C.I.A., Cheney Revisits Torture Debate From Bush Era

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 06:04 PM PST

Former Vice President Dick Cheney mounted a spirited rebuttal to the Senate committee's torture report, saying there was no comparison between the C.I.A.'s tactics and terrorists' actions.

The Rise of a New Smartphone Giant: China’s Xiaomi

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 05:58 PM PST

Founded in 2010 to sell cheap phones online, the company has become the No. 3 producer worldwide behind Apple and Samsung and is looking toward Brazil and India.

Sony Pictures Demands That News Agencies Delete ‘Stolen’ Data

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 05:42 PM PST

A letter sent to news media outlets warned against using the information revealed by hackers who attacked the studio's computer systems.

Borja Journal: A Town, if Not a Painting, Is Restored

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 05:18 PM PST

Grief at a botched retouching of a church fresco has turned to gratitude for divine intervention — the blessing of free publicity — that has made Borja, Spain, a magnet for thousands of curious tourists.

As Archie Nears 75, Riverdale Gets a Youthful Infusion

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 05:05 PM PST

A new creative team at Archie Comics plans to reinvigorate the teenage redhead with a more contemporary attitude, a Fox TV series and a Marc Ecko clothing line.

Stockholm’s Housing Shortage Threatens to Stifle Fast-Growing Start-Ups

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 04:44 PM PST

The Swedish capital serves as a cautionary tale about the troubles that arise when a booming technology sector runs into city planning rules unchanged for decades.

Human Rights Group’s Office Destroyed in Arson Attack

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 03:34 PM PST

The office of the Committee Against Torture, which has been investigating the practice of punitive house burning in Chechnya, was itself destroyed.

ArtsBeat: Nobel Gives French Novelist U.S. Boost

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 03:02 PM PST

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has acquired Patrick Modiano's latest novel, "So You Don't Get Lost in the Neighborhood," to be published in late 2015.

Revamping the Louvre to Lose That Lost Feeling

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 02:28 PM PST

Jean-Luc Martinez, the president of the Louvre, is overseeing a nearly $67 million makeover to help newcomers crack the code of the labyrinthine museum and make their experiences more meaningful.

Kerry Piles on Miles, Pressing for a Middle East Compromise

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 11:17 AM PST

Secretary of State John F. Kerry traveled to Rome on Sunday to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders, the new European foreign policy chief and the foreign ministers of Russia, France, Britain and Germany.