Edition: U.S. / Global

Tuesday, February 12, 2013 Last Update: 2:50 PM ET

34,000 U.S. Troops to Exit Afghanistan Within a Year

President Obama’s decision, which he plans to announce in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, appears to be a careful balancing of political interests and military requirements.

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Slower Growth of Health Costs Eases the Budget Deficit

The slowdown, which experts attributed to both a weak economy and structural changes, could help alleviate the country’s long-term fiscal problems.

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Washington Memo

Watching Obama for Signs of Change

As the president readies his State of the Union address, many associates say he is exhibiting an assertiveness in contrast to the caution he showed in his first term.

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    N. Korea Confirms It Conducted 3rd Nuclear Test

    The test, widely condemned, seemed to show that the nation was producing devices with big explosive power.

    News Analysis
    A Big Challenge to China’s New Leader

    Whether Xi Jinping gets tough on North Korea could tell the United States what kind of leader he will be.

    Olympics Moves to Drop Wrestling in 2020

    Wrestling, one of the oldest Olympic sports, was removed from the Summer Games in a stunning and widely criticized decision.

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    News Analysis
    A Turbulent Tenure for a Quiet Scholar

    When it came to the major challenges facing the Roman Catholic Church in the real world, Pope Benedict XVI often seemed to carom from one crisis to the next.

    Airline Industry at Its Safest Since Dawn of Jet Age

    Four years without a fatal crash is an American record unmatched since propeller planes gave way to the jet.

    Op-Ed Contributor
    North Korea’s Lesson

    The dangerous message North Korea sent with its third nuclear weapon test is: nukes are for sale.

    Draft | ALEXANDER STILLE
    The Body Under the Rug

    The characters in a memoir inevitably feed on the blood of the living.

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    One Prism on the Undoing of Pinochet

    “No” is the Chilean entry in this year’s foreign-film Oscar race.

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    Vote for, share and keep track of your Oscar favorites with The Times’s interactive ballot.

     

    Facing His Own Mirage

    The Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami challenges himself, filming in another country using actors with whom he can’t communicate directly.

    Collecting
    French Ingenuity on Four Wheels

    The French have a rich car history, which they show off at Retromobile, the vast classic car exhibition in Paris.

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    To Tear Down Walls, Move Out of Your Office

    Robert LoCascio, founder and C.E.O. of LivePerson, says a set of core values helps his staff avoid infighting and a bureaucratic focus on “getting offices and titles.”

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