A major Western leader announces an unorthodox economic policy, panicking the financial markets, driving down the country’s currency and fueling a blizzard of warnings about the dire long-term consequences. President Trump did all this with his across-the-board tariffs, announced last week, but before him, there was Liz Truss, Britain’s former prime minister, with her rollout … Read more
There aren’t a lot of countries Israel’s prime minister can visit without risking arrest. Which makes the red-carpet treatment Benjamin Netanyahu received in Hungary — Europe’s only proud “illiberal democracy” — all the more noteworthy. Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister, invited Mr. Netanyahu right after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant last November … Read more
In the six hours between the departure of the night’s last train and the arrival of the morning’s first one, workers in rural Japan built an entirely new train station. It will replace a significantly bigger wooden structure that has served commuters in this remote community for over 75 years. The new station’s components were … Read more
On Tuesday, England’s Court of Appeal will begin two days of hearings on Prince Harry’s legal case over the withdrawal of publicly financed security for his family during their visits to the U.K. After Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, announced they were stepping down from their royal roles and leaving Britain in 2020, an … Read more
South Korea said on Tuesday that it would hold a snap election on June 3 to choose the successor to former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed last week for his attempt to impose martial law. The country’s Constitutional Court formally dismissed Mr. Yoon on Friday when its eight justices unanimously endorsed his impeachment … Read more
China lashed out at the United States on Tuesday after President Trump demanded that Beijing rescind its retaliatory tariffs or face an additional 50 percent U.S. levy, calling his threat “blackmail,” as tensions between the two major powers rose. The Ministry of Commerce, without referring to the American president by name, said that Beijing had … Read more
President Trump said on Monday that the United States would engage in “direct” negotiations with Iran next Saturday in a last-ditch effort to rein in the country’s nuclear program, saying Tehran would be “in great danger” if it failed to reach an accord. If direct talks take place, they would be the first official face-to-face … Read more
Trump threatened China with even bigger tariffs President Trump yesterday told China to rescind its retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. or face additional tariffs of 50 percent starting tomorrow. The threat came as countries around the world were trying to appeal to the president to have steep tariffs rolled back. The added tariffs would bring … Read more
President Trump’s plan to impose sweeping tariffs on most of America’s trading partners has governments across the globe racing to schedule phone calls, send delegations to Washington and offer up proposals to lower their import taxes in order to escape the levies. On Monday, European officials offered to drop tariffs to zero on cars and … Read more
