The Islamic State has been showing renewed vigor in Syria, attracting new fighters and increasing the number of its attacks last year, according to the United Nations and U.S. officials, further raising the threat of instability in a country that is already volatile after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad. The group is still nowhere … Read more
Nicolas Puech is an heir to the Hermès fortune whose riches are shrouded in mystery. He either is or is not a billionaire, and may or may not have a sizable stake in his family’s luxury brand, depending on when and where these matters come up. A new lawsuit filed in federal court late last … Read more
Dana Mroueh, a small-business owner in Ivory Coast, was negotiating to introduce her organic chocolate bars into stores in New York and Washington when President Trump announced new tariffs on all U.S. imports last week. Ivory Coast is the world’s biggest cocoa producer, and the United States is the world’s largest consumer of chocolate, though … Read more
Chinese censors appeared to be carefully curating public discussion about the U.S. tariffs that took effect on Wednesday. They promoted criticism of the United States, while seemingly playing down the specifics of how President Trump’s move would effectively increase import taxes on Chinese goods to 104 percent. On Weibo, a popular social media platform, several … Read more
As its trade negotiators rushed to Washington to seek a reprieve from President Donald J. Trump’s blanket tariffs, South Korea on Wednesday announced new measures to soften the blow of levies on the country’s carmakers. The two efforts underlined the delicate balance that South Korea needs to strike after the country, one of the most … Read more
Devastating Floods Hit Congo’s Capital, Leaving Dozens Dead
A mere month ago, luxury businesses were looking forward to a new era of deregulation, lower taxes and a booming stock market — and dreaming of well-heeled buyers splurging on opulent ball gowns and statement watches. Instead, as the Trump administration imposes 20 percent tariffs on products from the European Union, they are bracing for … Read more
Their lives intersected around a playground on a sunny Friday evening in Kryvyi Rih, a city in central Ukraine. Kostiantyn Novik, 16, had come with his cousin to hang out with friends. Serhii Smotolok, a 57-year-old welder, was nursing a beer nearby on the terrace of a restaurant, unwinding after his workday. Radislav Yatsko, 7, … Read more
U.S. commanders planning for a possible conflict with China are increasingly concerned that the Pentagon will soon need to move long-range precision weapons from stockpiles in the Asia-Pacific region to the Middle East, congressional officials say. That is because of the large amount of munitions that the United States is using in a bombing campaign … Read more
