Online Video Purports to Show Japanese Hostages Threatened by ISIS

Online Video Purports to Show Japanese Hostages Threatened by ISIS
News Analysis: In State of the Union Address, Obama to Move Past Hardship and Reset Goals
E.U. Urges Cooperation to Combat Terrorism
Miss Israel’s Selfie Puts Another Miss in a Bind
British Spies Seized Emails to Reporters
DealBook: Debates at Davos Get Around to Gay Rights
Members of Congress, in Cuba, Discuss Trade but Don’t Meet With Castro
As Growth Slows, China Pins Hopes on Consumer Spending
Iran Confirms Israeli Airstrike in Southern Syria Killed One of Its Generals
Super-G Win Gives Lindsey Vonn a World Cup Record
Puzzling Death of a Prosecutor Grips Argentina
Ukraine Accuses Russia of Sending More Troops and Artillery to Aid Rebels
DealBook: Forceful Actions by China to Regulate Markets Send Shares Plunging
ArtsBeat: Finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Awards Are Announced
Roka Journal: Shock and Anger in Cambodian Village Struck With H.I.V.
Tom Brady Laughs at N.F.L. Inquiry Into Deflated Footballs
In Retort to Paris, Chechens Denounce ‘Permissiveness’
State of Union Speechwriter for Obama Draws on Various Inspirations
A Ban Motivates Viktor Troicki to Return Even Stronger
On the Road: Cuba May Be Opening, but Business Travel Remains Limited

Posted: 20 Jan 2015 12:35 AM PST

The video showing two men identified as Kenji Goto Jogo and Haruna Yukawa could not be independently verified, but it resembled earlier footage attributed to the Islamic State.

News Analysis: In State of the Union Address, Obama to Move Past Hardship and Reset Goals

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 10:01 PM PST

President Obama is expected to use the State of the Union address to urge action on issues deferred by the nation's economic struggles in recent years.

E.U. Urges Cooperation to Combat Terrorism

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 08:47 PM PST

European Union countries will assign security attachés at diplomatic missions overseas, and foreign ministers called for the establishment of a European system for exchanging passenger information.

Miss Israel’s Selfie Puts Another Miss in a Bind

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 07:46 PM PST

Miss Lebanon was just minding her business, she says, when Miss Israel came along and took a snapshot — implying that the Lebanese beauty queen had been fraternizing with the enemy.

British Spies Seized Emails to Reporters

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 06:39 PM PST

There is no explanation of why, in 2008, the vast collection of messages was sucked into the global system of electronic surveillance created and maintained by British and American spies.

DealBook: Debates at Davos Get Around to Gay Rights

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 06:38 PM PST

While Davos has long hosted controversial conversations, the issue of gay rights had seemed off limits at the World Economic Forum. This year, it's on the official agenda.

Members of Congress, in Cuba, Discuss Trade but Don’t Meet With Castro

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 06:23 PM PST

An expected session with President Raúl Castro did not materialize after the delegation met with several Cuba dissidents.

As Growth Slows, China Pins Hopes on Consumer Spending

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 06:18 PM PST

Beijing, which reported growth of 7.4 percent for 2014, below its target of 7.5 percent, is trying to reduce its dependence on credit-fueled investment and government spending.

Iran Confirms Israeli Airstrike in Southern Syria Killed One of Its Generals

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 05:53 PM PST

The Israeli airstrike, which also killed several Hezbollah fighters over the weekend, compounded the tension and unpredictability in the region.

Super-G Win Gives Lindsey Vonn a World Cup Record

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 05:46 PM PST

With her 63rd World Cup victory, Vonn broke the 35-year-old mark of Annemarie Moser-Pröll.

Puzzling Death of a Prosecutor Grips Argentina

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 05:33 PM PST

Alberto Nisman, a federal prosecutor who was found dead in his home, had accused top Argentine officials of conspiring with Iran to cover up responsibility for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.

Ukraine Accuses Russia of Sending More Troops and Artillery to Aid Rebels

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 04:38 PM PST

The authorities in Kiev said 700 soldiers, with artillery and antiaircraft systems, crossed Russia's border into the war zone in eastern Ukraine, a claim that was impossible to verify.

DealBook: Forceful Actions by China to Regulate Markets Send Shares Plunging

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 04:29 PM PST

Stocks plunged 7.7 percent, the largest one-day decline since 2008, after regulators cracked down on margin financing to invest in shares.

ArtsBeat: Finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Awards Are Announced

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 04:00 PM PST

Among the writers whose books were nominated: Thomas Piketty, Phil Klay, Chang-rae Lee, Marlon James, and Marilynne Robinson.

Roka Journal: Shock and Anger in Cambodian Village Struck With H.I.V.

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 03:30 PM PST

More than 200 people who tested positive for H.I.V. in Roka appear to have one thing in common: an unlicensed doctor who was believed to reuse syringes.

Tom Brady Laughs at N.F.L. Inquiry Into Deflated Footballs

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 02:23 PM PST

"I think I've heard it all," quarterback Tom Brady said on Monday after learning that the N.F.L. was looking into whether the Patriots deflated footballs on Sunday to gain a competitive edge over the Colts.

In Retort to Paris, Chechens Denounce ‘Permissiveness’

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 01:39 PM PST

Tens of thousands of people marched on Monday through Grozny in a conservative retort to the mass demonstrations in France this month expressing solidarity with the victims of the terror attacks in Paris.

State of Union Speechwriter for Obama Draws on Various Inspirations

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 01:26 PM PST

For Cody Keenan, the White House speechwriter President Obama has christened "Hemingway," the toughest audience can be the man who will deliver the words.

A Ban Motivates Viktor Troicki to Return Even Stronger

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 01:07 PM PST

Viktor Troicki, who is ranked 54th, said his time away from tennis for serving a doping-related suspension had ultimately allowed him to improve his fitness and mental state.

On the Road: Cuba May Be Opening, but Business Travel Remains Limited

Posted: 19 Jan 2015 12:56 PM PST

Consultants say there isn't much business on the island and not enough hotels. And United States airlines hoping to begin service face a long approval process.