CAN THO, Vietnam — Dao Bao Tran and her brother Do Hoang Trung, 11-year-old twins growing up on a rickety houseboat in the Mekong Delta, have dreams. Tran loves K-pop, watches videos at night to learn Korean and would love to visit Seoul. Trung wants to be a singer. But their hopes are “unrealistic,” said … Read more
FRANKFURT, Germany — The European Central Bank left its key interest rate at a record high as it waits for more confirmation that toxic inflation is under control for good — even as high borrowing costs drag on the stalled economy. The decision Thursday comes as central banks around the world, including the U.S. Federal … Read more
BEIJING — It’s clear that China’s efforts to build confidence in its slowing economy will top the agenda of this week’s meeting of its ceremonial national legislature. What remains unclear is how the ruling Communist Party can navigate toward stronger, sustained growth as China’s workforce is aging, relations with Washington are fraught, and housing construction … Read more
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea on Wednesday officially ordered thousands of striking doctors to return to work immediately, a step that could lead to legal punishments if the doctors don’t end their walkouts, which have caused numerous cancellations of surgeries and other treatments at hospitals. About 7,800 medical interns and residents in South Korea … Read more
NILIN, West Bank — Count the rings of the gnarled olive trees dotting Mohammed Mousa’s land in the West Bank village of Nilin: They’ve been here centuries, far before the Palestinian family’s livelihood came to depend on the whims of Israeli occupation. When Israel established a checkpoint near the Mousas’ land a decade ago, the … Read more
ISTANBUL — Turkey has seen its fifth central bank leader depart in as many years as Hafize Gaye Erkan, the first woman in the top role, stepped down after just eight months in the job. She announced her resignation late Friday after recent claims of nepotism emerged in local media, allegations that Erkan, a former … Read more
BANGKOK, Thailand — Myanmar was a rising star in Southeast Asia before its military seized power three years ago in a takeover that has brought civil strife and a tightening vise of international sanctions, undoing years of progress and leaving the economy 10% smaller than it was in 2019. Economists say the generals who toppled … Read more
STOCKHOLM — Claudia Goldin, a Harvard University professor, was awarded the Nobel economics prize on Monday for research that helps explain why women around the world are less likely than men to work and to earn less money when they do. Fittingly, the announcement marked a small step toward closing a gender gap among Nobel … Read more
LONDON — Multinational corporations together with Amazon, Marriott and Hilton pledged Monday to rent greater than 13,000 refugees, together with Ukrainian ladies who’ve fled the battle with Russia, over the subsequent three years in Europe. Simply forward of World Refugee Day on Tuesday, greater than 40 firms say they may rent, hook up with work … Read more