Category: Politics and Government

A Crisis of Confidence Is Gripping China’s Economy

China’s economy, which once seemed unstoppable, is plagued by a series of problems, and a growing lack of faith in the future is verging on despair.
Turkey’s Central Bank Raises Rates to Near Two-Decade High

The bigger-than-expected rate increase, to 25 percent, is aimed at curbing stubbornly high inflation that exceeded 80 percent last year.
How China Made Its Housing Crisis Worse

Years of inattention to building an adequate safety net for seniors, the jobless and others in financial stress have left Chinese consumers afraid to spend.
Can Shrinking Be Good for Japan? A Marxist Best Seller Makes the Case.

Kohei Saito says the country should seize this moment of demographic and economic challenge to reinvent itself through “degrowth communism.”
China’s Property Crisis: Why It’s So Hard for Beijing to Fix

Beijing has often addressed economic troubles by boosting spending on infrastructure and real estate, but now heavy debt loads make that a hard playbook to follow.
What to Know About China’s Real Estate Crisis

China’s economy was long dependent on a booming real estate sector, which has recently fallen on harder times.
Could U.S. Toughness on Chinese Business Have Unintended Consequences?

Businesses fear that efforts to look tough on Beijing, which have the potential to be more expansive than moves by the federal government, could have unintended consequences.
Iran Sentences Director Saeed Roustaee to 6 Months Over Film

The Islamic Revolutionary Court said the director of “Leila’s Brothers,” Saeed Roustaee, and the film’s other producer had been “participating in the opposition’s propaganda.”
I.R.S. Says Cash Influx Has Made Agency Bigger and More Digital

An $80 billion infusion has helped improve customer service, but the tax agency continues to face uncertainty over future funding.
Russia’s Interest Rate Hike Highlights Economic Struggle Amid Ukraine War

With the third-largest interest rate increase in a decade to shore up the ruble, Moscow’s policymakers are pursuing the conflicting goals of paying for the war against Ukraine and taming inflation.
Far-Right Libertarian Wins Argentina’s Presidential Primary

Javier Milei, who wants to abolish the central bank and adopt the U.S. dollar as Argentina’s currency, is now the front-runner in the fall general election.
When Tragedy Strikes in China, the Government Cracks Down on Grief

The Chinese government represses public grief, withholding information and stanching displays of mourning to tell history the way it wants it told.