Xi Jinping’s new right-hand man, Li Qiang, has shown two sides to his personality over his career. Mr. Li, whom Mr. Xi appointed last month as China’s new No. 2, is known inside the country as a pro-business pragmatist unafraid to push the boundaries of Communist Party rule. Party insiders say he’s also a loyalist … Read more
Xi Jinping’s new right-hand man, Li Qiang, has shown two sides to his personality over his career. Mr. Li, whom Mr. Xi appointed last month as China’s new No. 2, is known inside the country as a pro-business pragmatist unafraid to push the boundaries of Communist Party rule. Party insiders say he’s also a loyalist … Read more
Elected Brazilian President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva speaks in Sao Paulo, Oct. 30. Photo: nelson almeida/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Brazilians elected Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva to the presidency again on Sunday, ousting incumbent Jair Bolsonaro by less than 2% of the vote. Latin America’s largest country is gambling again on left-wing populism that has … Read more
The modern world is constantly subjected to crackpot movements that eventually fail, but not before causing serious damage. Karl Marx was a crackpot. So was the John Birch Society in its mission to fight communism “behind every tree.” The latest is Modern Monetary Theory and unlimited dollar creation for government spending, which caused today’s runaway … Read more
Cargo ships carrying Ukraine grain are anchored as they wait in line for the inspection on the Marmara sea, Istanbul, on Oct. 22. Photo: erdem sahin/Shutterstock Vladimir Putin is back using food as a political weapon, as this weekend he withdrew his cooperation with the United Nations’ Black Sea Grain Initiative. This is the agreement … Read more
A poll worker handles ballots for the midterm election at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Elections Center (MCTEC) in Phoenix on October 25. Photo: olivier touron/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Democrats have failed to pass restrictions on political speech in Congress, so they’re taking the fight to state ballots. The latest salvo is a little-noticed measure in … Read more
Monday The European Union’s statistics agency releases third-quarter gross-domestic product information and the October consumer-price index. The 19-nation eurozone faces an uncertain outlook from the war in Ukraine and is struggling with high inflation. Tuesday The Labor Department releases September figures on job openings, hires, quits and layoffs. Job openings fell 10% in August to … Read more
Law enforcement officers stand guard as protesters march in front of the house of Chief Justice John Roberts in Chevy Chase, Md., June 29. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Justice Samuel Alito stated last week that the leak of his draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization endangered the justices’ lives: “It gave people … Read more
TAMRA, Israel—Looming over a main square in this Arab city in northern Israel hangs a massive sign in Arabic that implores: “Either we vote or we’ll regret it.” Such messaging comes as many Arab Israelis in places like Tamra say they are planning to stay home on Israel’s election day on Tuesday. Arab political parties … Read more
OTTAWA—Bank of Canada Gov. Tiff Macklem says the central bank is moving toward a meeting-by-meeting approach on further interest rate increases, based on how the economy responds to its rapid-fire tightening of financial conditions. “We do expect that interest rates will need to go higher, to get inflation all the way back to the inflation … Read more