World Briefing | Asia: North Korea: Google Leader on Way

Room for Debate asks whether John O. Brennan’s connections to harsh interrogations and drone strikes make him a sound choice to head the agency, or a troubling symbol.

I have a compulsion: I am addicted to looking things up.

World Briefing | Europe: Britain: Police Say They Won’t Charge Hacker

With the nation appalled by the Connecticut shootings, Room for Debate asks: Will lawmakers be open to some restrictions?

Finding out what makes cities smart, through books, conferences and hitting the pavement.

National Briefing | South: South Carolina: State Computer System Is Hacked

The Republican budget plan would kill research that leads to new jobs.

Room for Debate asks: Does the prevalence of racy Halloween costumes mask our fears of death and dying?

Business Briefing | Company Earnings: Disappointing Results at a Business Software Maker

Along with the United States government, businesses will have important roles to play to encourage reform.

A Russian tradition flatters writers in a culture where literature has special prestige. But the surprise also promotes the cult of the unpredictable czar.

National Briefing | West: Ipad Stolen From Home of Steve Jobs Is Found in Clown’s Hands

Cheating isn’t just a potential dream-buster in major-league baseball. It can derail teenage Scrabble players, too.

Two environmental organizations discuss carbon credits and fees.

Business Briefing | Technology: Electronic Arts Accuses Zynga of Copying Game Traits

I stubbornly continue to believe that as a human being, I am something more than other animals, and more than any computer.

Fifty years after independence, Jamaica should revise its fictive national motto, rejecting the myth of multicultural assimilation.

In the first of a new series on private languages, we offer a selection of secret codes used in some of New York’s finest restaurants.

Business Briefing | Technology: Electronic Arts Accuses Zynga of Copying Game Traits

This summer’s extreme weather offers an opportunity to change the way our country deals with the environment.

BitTorrent sites are always one step ahead of the media companies.