TOKYO—After nine months of a shrinking economy, Japan has dug itself into a deep hole that it might not emerge from for at least two years. The world’s third-largest economy after the U.S. and China was smaller in real terms in the second quarter of 2020 than it was in the final quarter of 2012, … Read more
WELLINGTON, New Zealand—New Zealand delayed a national election by about a month after a coronavirus outbreak in its largest city of Auckland put a third of voters into lockdown. The election, which was expected to be dominated by debate over the government’s response to the pandemic, will now be held on Oct. 17, Prime Minister … Read more
The Trump administration is readying new rounds of sanctions against Syria, U.S. officials said, planning to expand its blacklist by focusing on financial-support networks outside the war-torn nation in a renewed effort to coerce Damascus into peace talks. As President Bashar al-Assad has secured military and political gains in recent months, the U.S. officials say … Read more