Israeli Official Weighs an Imposed Palestinian Border

News Analysis

For the White House, a Wary Wait as Syria Boils

By PETER BAKER

President Obama is loath to engage in new military actions, but with each passing incident, the scale of the crisis in Syria grows.

U.S. Envoy Sees Grim Outcome for Syria

By RICK GLADSTONE

With hopes for Kofi Annan’s peace plan fading, and outrage over massacres building, Ambassador Susan E. Rice suggested Syria’s conflict appeared likely to develop into a regional war.

Ex-Liberian Leader Gets 50 Years for War Crimes

By MARLISE SIMONS and J. DAVID GOODMAN

Charles G. Taylor, the former president of Liberia, is the first former head of state convicted by an international tribunal since the Nuremberg trials.

Detainees Are Handed Over to Afghans, but Not Out of Americans’ Reach

By ROD NORDLAND

Operations at the Parwan Detention Facility point out a gap between nominal Afghan control and the reality of lasting American authority.

Drop Is Seen in Casualties for Afghans

By ROD NORDLAND and ALISSA J. RUBIN

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan were reported to have dropped sharply in early 2012 as a smaller proportion was attributed to coalition and Afghan forces.

China Begins New Round of Stimulus, With Caution

By MICHAEL WINES

Spooked by a slowing economy, leaders have begun opening the financial spigots, but they are signaling that the spending will fall short of levels during the global downturn.

Brazil’s Political Class Jolted by Claim That Ex-Leader Pressed a High Court Judge

By SIMON ROMERO

Judge Gilmar Mendes asserted that the former president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, put pressure on him to delay a trial over a vote-buying scandal involving the governing Workers Party.

Body Parts Found in Canada Came From One Man, Police Say

By IAN AUSTEN

The Montreal police said that a foot, torso and hand, all discovered separately, came from a man who apparently had been killed and dismembered in an apartment in the city.

New Details Emerge on Conviction of Pakistani Who Aided Bin Laden Search

By DECLAN WALSH and ISMAIL KHAN 7:52 PM ET

Dr. Shakil Afridi, whose vaccination program helped the United States track Osama bin Laden, was convicted not for treason, but for colluding with a local Islamist warlord.

In Thailand, Burmese Workers Call Out to ‘Mother Suu’

By THOMAS FULLER 10:06 PM ET

Wednesday was Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s first full day outside of Myanmar in 24 years, and it seemed fitting that she began the day among the underprivileged and downtrodden in Thailand.

Ex-Aide to Cameron Charged in Scottish Perjury Case

By SARAH LYALL

Andy Coulson, the former editor of The News of the World, was arrested and charged with lying under oath about phone hacking during testimony in a 2010 case involving a Scottish politician.

WikiLeaks Founder Loses Another Bid to Halt His Extradition to Sweden

By JOHN F. BURNS and RAVI SOMAIYA

Britain’s highest court ruled on Wednesday that Julian Assange should be deported to Sweden to face allegations of sexual abuse there, but his lawyers won a stay of at least two weeks.

• Video: Assange Faces Extradition
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Irish Voters Are Expected to Approve Fiscal Pact

By DOUGLAS DALBY

A European Union treaty on the ballot is designed to stabilize the euro by punishing member states who fail to adhere to strict budgetary constraints.

Europe Fears Bailout of Spain Would Strain Its Resources

By LANDON THOMAS Jr.

With a bailout of Spain becoming a more distinct possibility, European policy makers are questioning who will provide the money that Madrid needs to stay in business.

• Worries About Spain Weigh on Euro Zone

Amid Uproar, Graphic Painting of South African President Is Removed From Gallery

By LYDIA POLGREEN

Controversy erupted after a painting depicting South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, with his genitals exposed was exhibited at a Johannesburg gallery.

Polish Premier Denounces Obama for Referring to a ‘Polish Death Camp’

By MARK LANDLER

Prime Minister Donald Tusk denounced President Obama for using the term instead of “Nazi death camps” while conferring a Presidential Medal of Freedom on a Polish resistance hero.

Quakes’ Fallout in Italy Is Also Economic

By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO

Beyond the human cost of two earthquakes this month, concerns are turning to the looming economic uncertainties for an area that is a center for production of medical devices.

Bolivian Politician Takes Refuge at Brazilian Embassy

By WILLIAM NEUMAN 10:59 PM ET

Roger Pinto, an opposition senator, claims he is being persecuted by the administration of President Evo Morales over accusations against government officials.

Researchers Find Clues in Malware

By NICOLE PERLROTH

Researchers said they believe the Flame computer virus came from different programmers but the same, state-sponsored campaign that damaged Iran’s nuclear program in 2010.