NEWS In Spain, an intensifying investigation aimed at Iñaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma and the king’s son-in-law, has placed the palace under siege. Doreen Carvajal reports from Madrid.
At least three car bombs exploded in Damascus on Thursday, including a powerful blast near the downtown headquarters of President Bashar al-Assad’s governing party and the Russian Embassy that witnesses said shook the neighborhood like an earthquake. Anne Barnard and Rick Gladstone report from Tripoli, Lebanon.
The White House is refusing to share fully with Congress the legal opinions that justify targeted killings, wile maneuvering to make sure its stance does not do anything to endanger the confirmation of John O. Brennan as C.I.A. director. Scott Shane and Mark Mazzetti report from Washington.
In less than two weeks, Kenyans will line up by the millions to pick their leaders for the first time since a disastrous vote in 2007, which set off clashes that killed more than 1,000 people. Jeffrey Gettleman reports from Malindi, Kenya.
In the latest in a series of abrupt twists in the Oscar Pistorius homicide case, the South African police replaced the lead investigator on Thursday after revelations tha! t he was facing seven charges of attempted murder stemming from an episode in which police officers fired at a minivan. Lydia Polgreen reports from Pretoria, South Africa, and Alan Cowell from London.
In the United States, the fresh round of federal spending cuts scheduled to begin next week would slow economic growth in the next year, though not nearly as much as going over the so-called fiscal cliff might have, economists said. Binyamin Appelbaum and Annie Lowrey report from Washington.
Urban residents in Japan, one of the world’s fastest-aging countries, are increasingly adding rental units to their homes as a way of earning money for retirement. Miki Tanikawa reports from Tokyo.
FASHION In Milan, Karl Lagerfeld sent out the most vital and vibrant Fendi collection for many years. Suzy Menkes reviews from Milan.
ARTS Sergei Polunin and Tamara Rojo both left the Royal Ballet company last year, setting the ballet world reeling. The chance to see them together once more is leaving Covent Garden audiences breathless. Roslyn Sulcas reports from London.
SPORTS The police in Singapore said Thursday that the Asian man thought to be at the cent! er of a g! lobal soccer match-fixing network was now cooperating with them, even as the Italian police said they had made an important breakthrough, detaining a key suspect. Gaia Pianigiani reports from Rome, and David Jolly from Paris.
Fumiaki Tanaka and Shota Horie are likely to become the first Japanese players to participate in the Southern Hemisphere competition known as Super Rugby. Emma Stoney reports from Wellington.
