NEWS Hewlett-Packard, one of the world’s largest makers of computers and other electronics, is imposing new limits on the employment of students and temporary agency workers at factories across China. The move, following recent efforts by Apple to increase scrutiny of student workers, reflects a significant shift in how electronics companies view problematic labor practices in China. Keith Bradsher reports from Hong Kong and David Barboza from Shanghai.
Engaging a high-ranking Obama administration official for the first time in an extensive public discussion of the use of drones for targeted killing, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday pressed John O. Brennan, President Obama’s nominee for director of the Central Intelligence Agency, about the secrecy of th strikes, their legal basis and the reported backlash they have produced in Pakistan and Yemen. Mark Mazzetti and Scott Shane report from Washington.
E.U. leaders have begun a two-day summit meeting, warning of obstacles to reaching agreement on a nearly €1 trillion budget to support farming, transportation and other infrastructure, as well as big research projects for the 27-nation bloc. James Kanter reports from Brussels.
The 2014 Olympic Games have been a pet project for President Vladimir V. Putin, but critics see Russia’s role as inviting international scrutiny on issues like human rights and civil liberties. David M. Herszenhorn reports from Sochi, Russia.
Recent photographs from Mali suggest that weapons from Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s looted stockpiles may have found their way to militants in sub-Saharan Africa. C.J. Chivers reports.
The Irish government, trying to lighten the staggering debt burden of bailing out some of its biggest banks four years ago, reached a deal on Thursday with the European Central Bank to give the country more time to repay some of those loans. Mark Scott reports from London.
Humankind’s common ancestor with other mammals may have been a roughly rat-size animal that weighed no more than a half a pound, had a long furry tail and lived on insects, according to a report in the journal Science. John Noble Wilford reports.
A group of small-factory owners in the ailing Ota district of Tokyo has built a bobsled in an effort to show others that a better future lies in a shift to producing precision products. Martin Fackler reports from Tokyo.
How a porcelain company founded in 1735 went bankrupt is the subject of considerable debate in Italy. The answers say a! s much ab! out the demise of the Richard Ginori factory as they do about the larger forces buffeting nearly all of the country’s small- and medium-size manufacturers at a time of increased global competition and domestic economic crisis. Elisabetta Povoledo reports from Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
Burberry, the British fashion brand, on Thursday named the former chief executive of BBC Worldwide as its chief operating officer, part of its plan to increase the use of digital media to win customers. Julia Werdigier reports from London.
ARTS A new exhibition of Mozart portraits in Austria aims to focus attention onwhat he really looked like. Daniel J. Wakin reports.
SPORTS Carlin Isles, who was ranked in the top 40 in the United States in the 100 meters, has become the talk of his new sport, rugby sevens, for his ability to outrun opponents. Emma Stoney reports from Wellington.
The British introduced Brazilians to soccer more than a century ago and since then have spent an awful lot of time trying to get their ball back. On Wednesday, albeit in a friendly game that counted for no points, England beat Brazil, 2-1, at the rebuilt 90,000-seat Wembley Stadium. Rob Hughes reports from London.
