PARIS—French supermarkets are still selling pajamas for children under four years old. Clothes aisles for older kids are cordoned off. You can buy pots and pans, but silverware—classified as table decoration—is restricted. Computers remain on store shelves. Gaming consoles don’t. Newspapers? Yes. The books section? Off limits. An effort by the government to spread the … Read more
WASHINGTON—Federal prosecutors unsealed charges against six Russian intelligence officers accused of engaging in some of the most destructive cyberattacks of recent years, including operations that knocked out Ukraine’s energy grid, exposed emails from the French president’s party and damaged global systems in the costly 2017 NotPetya attack. The prolific hacking unit within Russia’s military intelligence … Read more
Output at Libya’s Sharara oil field, seen here in 2014, has been shut almost continuously since early January. Photo: ismail zetouni/Reuters Oct. 11, 2020 10:50 am ET Production at Libya’s largest oil field restarted Sunday afternoon, Libyan officials said, a move that could quickly increase the country’s overall output after an extended shutdown and add … Read more
Iran reported its highest daily Covid-19 death toll and its largest single-day rise in infections on Monday, as the country imposed a second lockdown of its capital to contain a resurgent outbreak. The government over the weekend ordered a shutdown of schools, movie theaters, beauty salons, coffee shops, mosques and other businesses and institutions in … Read more
Gaining a vaccine to help contain the novel coronavirus would provide a big boost to the global economy in 2021, but the initial geographic distribution of that benefit will likely depend on which vaccine candidate works first. Public health officials around the world increasingly believe at least one of the vaccines now in the later … Read more
The Trump administration is launching an investigation into the trade practices of Vietnam, faulting the country for currency practices and invoking the same trade law the U.S. used in imposing sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Friday evening said it would pursue an investigation into Vietnam’s “acts, policies, and practices that … Read more
Turkey’s role in the growing clash between Armenia and Azerbaijan—two countries Moscow regards as within its sphere of influence—is adding a new element to a string of proxy fights pitting Turkey and Russia against each other and challenging Russia’s longstanding policy of neutrality over the simmering conflict. Roughly the size of Delaware, the province of … Read more
YIWU, China—Chinese makers of goods for export are seeking to turn inwards and sell domestically, a pivot considered key to making the world’s second-largest economy more self-sufficient. In recent weeks, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the country to embrace what he calls domestic circulation—a policy designed to bolster local supply chains and encourage … Read more
PARIS—Two people were seriously wounded in a knife attack near the former office of Charlie Hebdo that prosecutors are investigating as a possible terrorist act, more than five years after gunmen opened fire in the satirical magazine’s newsroom. The assault began late Friday morning when a man wielding what appeared to be a butcher’s knife … Read more
OTTAWA—Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau laid out his plans to rebuild the country’s economy, in an effort to address damage done by the coronavirus pandemic and turn the page on a scandal over the awarding of a contract. His Liberal government outlined the broad strokes of its near-term agenda in a ceremonial speech to Parliament. … Read more