In Israel, Netanyahu Expects Extension to Form Coalition

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expects Israel’s president to give him a two-week extension this weekend to form a governing coalition, but mathematics and chemistry complicate his task to solve a complicated political puzzle. Mr. Netanyahu, Israeli analysts say, finds himself in a bind: his coalition options have been curtailed by an unexpected alliance between two rising stars...

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With Cuts Just Hours Away, Lawmakers Go to White House

WASHINGTON — President Obama and the four top lawmakers in Congress were meeting Friday morning even as across-the-board spending cuts were poised to go into effect by the end of the day. Mr. Obama summoned the Congressional leadership to the Oval Office in an effort to discuss how to move forward in the wake of the failure to avoid the cuts, known as sequestration, White House aides said....

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U.S. Economy Barely Grew in Fourth Quarter, Revision Shows

Breathe a tiny sigh of relief, if not exactly contentment: the American economy grew just barely in the last quarter of 2012. Output expanded at an annual rate of just 0.1 percent, which is basically indistinguishable from having no growth at all and is far below the growth needed to get unemployment back to normal. But at least the economy did not shrink, as the Commerce Department had...

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17 Afghan Police Officers Drugged and Killed

KABUL, Afghanistan — Suspected Taliban infiltrators killed 20 Afghan policemen in two attacks on Wednesday, including a mass poisoning, in southeastern Afghanistan. In Ghazni Province, a group of 17 Afghan policemen who had just been trained by the Americans were drugged into comatose stupors by comrades while on duty and then shot to death in what appeared to be the single worst incident...

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Fed Chairman Defends Stimulus Efforts

WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, on Tuesday downplayed objections raised by some Fed officials about the central bank’s efforts to stimulate the economy, saying the policies are both necessary and effective. Mr. Bernanke, in written testimony submitted to the Senate Banking Committee, also urged Congress and the Obama administration to replace the sequestration...

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DealBook: Barnes & Noble Chairman Leonard Riggio to Bid for Bookstore's Retail Business

Correction AppendedThe chairman of Barnes & Noble plans to bid for the retail business of the bookstore chain he started 40 years ago, as the company struggles with a changing competitive landscape.On Monday, Leonard Riggio told the company’s board that he would make an offer for Barnes & Noble Booksellers, barnesandnoble.com and other retail assets. The proposal would not include the e-book...

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Palestinians Demand Inquiry Into Detainee’s Death in Israel

JERUSALEM — Palestinian officials on Sunday called for an international investigation into the death of a 30-year-old prisoner in an Israeli jail, saying the man was tortured during interrogation, as thousands of Palestinian prisoners went on a one-day hunger strike in protest. “Israel is responsible for what happened,” Issa Qaraqa, the Palestinian minister for prisoner affairs, said at a...

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Red Carpet Project

Of all the fashionable events that take place during awards season, the red carpet at the Academy Awardsremains the main attraction. Below, explore an archive of Oscar red carpet looks that spans 15 years. Editors' Picks See all editors' picks ▾ Explore Favorites 1997 ...

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Magistrate Grants Bail for Pistorius

Mike Hutchings/ReutersOscar Pistorius in court on Friday. PRETORIA, South Africa — After four days of combative hearings, a South African magistrate on Friday granted bail for Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee track star accused of murdering his girlfriend in a case that has horrified and fascinated the nation and much of the world. Magistrate Desmond Nair announced the decision after hearing...

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Police Replace Pistorius Detective in Embarrassing Setback

PRETORIA, South Africa — The South Africa police replaced the lead investigator in the Oscar Pistorius homicide case on Thursday after embarrassing revelations that he was under investigation himself for seven criminal charges of attempted murder. The decision by the national police commissioner to remove the investigator, Hilton Botha, was the latest in a series of abrupt twists and setbacks...

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In Montana’s Kalispell, Guns Are a Matter of Life

Making Guns in Montana: Kalispell, Mont., has become the center of a growing firearms industry, particularly for high-end rifles and industrial rifle parts.BIGFORK, Mont. — Jerry Fisher’s big and careful arms cradled a polished cutout of English walnut, which was aging in his workroom like a fine wine. The slight tapering along one edge gave a ghostly hint of its future as the stock of a handmade...

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DealBook: Prosecutors, Shifting Strategy, Build New Wall Street Cases

Criticized for letting Wall Street off the hook after the financial crisis, the Justice Department is building a new model for prosecuting big banks.In a recent round of actions that shook the financial industry, the government pushed for guilty pleas, rather than just the usual fines and reforms. Prosecutors now aim to apply the approach broadly to financial fraud cases, according to officials involved...

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Anti-Apartheid Leader Forms New Party in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG — Mamphela Ramphele, a respected veteran of the struggle against apartheid, announced on Monday that she had formed a new political party to compete against the governing African National Congress, calling on South Africans to “join me on a journey to build the country of our dreams.” The party is called Agang, a Sotho word meaning “build,” said Dr. Ramphele, 65, a medical doctor...

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White House Continues Work on Its Own Immigration Bill

WASHINGTON — President Obama’s chief of staff said Sunday morning that the administration has privately drafted an immigration bill so they can “be ready” with a proposal if lawmakers ultimately fail to agree on their own version of an overhaul of existing laws. But Denis McDonough, the president’s top White House official, said Mr. Obama’s aides are continuing to work with a bipartisan group...

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DealBook: Confidence on Upswing, Mergers Make Comeback

The mega-merger is back.For the corporate takeover business, the last half-decade was a fallow period. Wall Street deal makers and chief executives, brought low by the global financial crisis, lacked the confidence to strike the audacious multibillion-dollar acquisitions that had defined previous market booms.Cycles, however, turn, and in the opening weeks of 2013, merger activity has suddenly roared...

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DealBook: Berkshire and 3G Capital to Buy Heinz for $23 Billion

10:12 a.m. | Updated Warren E. Buffett has found another American icon worth buying: H. J. Heinz.Berkshire Hathaway, the giant conglomerate that Mr. Buffett runs, said on Thursday that it would buy the food giant for about $23 billion, adding Heinz ketchup to its stable of prominent brands.The proposed acquisition, coming fast on the heels of a planned $24 billion buyout of the computer maker Dell...

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DealBook: Big Banks Are Told to Review Their Own Foreclosures

Washington is seeking help from an unlikely group in its effort to distribute billions of dollars to struggling homeowners in foreclosure: the same banks accused of abusing homeowners with shoddy foreclosure practices.In doing so, the regulators are trying to speed the process after a flawed, independent foreclosure review delayed relief for millions of borrowers, according to people briefed on the...

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Obama to Announce Troops’ Return

WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to announce in his State of Union address on Tuesday night that half of the 66,000 American troops in Afghanistan will be home by this time next year, according to an administration official familiar with the speech. The decision by Mr. Obama represents a careful balancing of political interests and military requirements. The announcement enables him...

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