Tag: developing economies

Israel-Iran Tensions Rise as Israeli Forces Trade Fire With Militias in Syria, Lebanon
World

Israel-Iran Tensions Rise as Israeli Forces Trade Fire With Militias in Syria, Lebanon

By Jared Malsin and Carrie Keller-LynnDec. 30, 2023 5:59 am ETListen to article(2 minutes)The Israeli military said it returned fire following a strike from Syria overnight and also launched an airstrike against the militant Hezbollah movement in Lebanon amid a rise in hostilities with Iranian-backed militia groups across the region.An increase in tensions between Israel, Iran and its militant allies throughout the Middle East is raising concerns about the opening of a second front in the nearly three-month-old war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Putin and Migrants Ring Out 2023
Health

Putin and Migrants Ring Out 2023

The last week of the year of world disorder known as 2023 offered a clear reminder of the challenge facing President Biden and Congress when they return to work in January. To wit, the problems at the southern border and Ukraine aren’t about to vanish.Russia resumed its bombing of Ukrainian cities with a vengeance on Friday. The drone and missile barrage was the worst in months with Kyiv counting a total of 158 fired at a range of targets across the country. As usual with Russia, civilians weren’t spared. At least 30 people were killed and 160 wounded, according to the Ukrainian government. Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Why Every Western Automaker Is Visiting This Remote Part of South Africa
World

Why Every Western Automaker Is Visiting This Remote Part of South Africa

Updated Dec. 30, 2023 12:11 am ETListen to article(2 minutes)MBOMBELA, South Africa—A half-century-old company on the outskirts of South Africa’s Kruger National Park has found itself in a fortuitous spot as Western automakers push to move their electric-vehicle supply chains away from China.Manganese Metal Co., based in the sleepy town of Mbombela, is the largest of just a handful of refiners of battery-grade manganese located outside China. Used mostly for making steel, manganese is increasingly replacing more expensive and harder-to-source minerals such as cobalt and nickel in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric cars, smartphones and laptops.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
JD.com Wins Antimonopoly Suit Against Alibaba
World

JD.com Wins Antimonopoly Suit Against Alibaba

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com said it won a lawsuit against rival Alibaba Group Holding, which was fined 1 billion yuan ($140.7 million) over monopolistic practices.Zhejiang Tmall Network, Zhejiang Tmall Technology and Alibaba Group were found to have abused market dominance and engaged in monopolistic practices, causing severe damages to JD.com, it said in a statement Friday, citing a Beijing court ruling.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Russian Strike on Ukraine Sent Warhead Through Polish Airspace, Warsaw Says
World

Russian Strike on Ukraine Sent Warhead Through Polish Airspace, Warsaw Says

KYIV, Ukraine—Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on cities across Ukraine, killing at least 30 people and allegedly sending a warhead through Polish airspace in one of the biggest barrages of the war.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched around 110 missiles on Friday morning. The majority were shot down, according to Ukrainian officials, but damage was nonetheless widespread. Schools, apartment buildings and a maternity hospital were all hit. Casualties were reported in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Lviv—the six largest Ukrainian cities not under Russian occupation.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Francis Collins Has Regrets, but Too Few
Health

Francis Collins Has Regrets, but Too Few

Hard to believe it’s been four years since the first reports of a mysterious virus spreading in Wuhan, China. Now comes a Covid lockdown mea culpa—if you can call it that—from former National Institutes of Health chief Francis Collins.“If you’re a public-health person and you’re trying to make a decision, you have this very narrow view of what the right decision is, and that is something that will save a life,” Dr. Collins explained in a Covid discussion this summer for Braver Angels, an outfit that aims to bridge political divides. A video of the discussion surfaced this week on X.com.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
How China Manages Its Currency—and Why That Matters
World

How China Manages Its Currency—and Why That Matters

Updated Dec. 29, 2023 8:31 am ETChina’s approach to its currency is a mix of bold ambition and fear of dollar strength.The yuan has lost 3% of its value against the greenback in 2023 and was doing even worse before the dollar slipped against most global currencies in November. The yuan traded around 16-year lows against the dollar in September. A dollar now buys around 7.11 yuan.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Israel Expands Operations in Southern Gaza Amid Worsening Humanitarian Crisis
World

Israel Expands Operations in Southern Gaza Amid Worsening Humanitarian Crisis

Israeli forces expanded their military operations in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, intensifying efforts to kill Hamas’s top leadership, as aid agencies said the areas to which Israel has directed Palestinians to evacuate were increasingly overcrowded and short on resources.A Hamas political delegation was headed to Cairo on Friday to discuss a deal proposed by Egypt to end the war, a plan which neither side has agreed to so far, Egyptian officials said. Israel said negotiations on the deal, which would free hostages held by Hamas, were under way.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
JD.com Wins Antimonopoly Suit Against Alibaba
World

JD.com Wins Antimonopoly Suit Against Alibaba

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com said it won a lawsuit against rival Alibaba Group Holding, which was fined 1 billion yuan ($140.7 million) over monopolistic practices.Zhejiang Tmall Network, Zhejiang Tmall Technology and Alibaba Group were found to have abused market dominance and engaged in monopolistic practices, causing severe damages to JD.com, it said in a statement Friday, citing a Beijing court ruling.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8