News from Around the World

Trade Talks With China Open in Washington, as Obstacles Abound

Top officials from the United States and China will sit down in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Wednesday for two days of face-to-face trade talks that could prove critical to the trajectory of the world economy.

Negotiations to end a monthslong trade war between the world’s two largest economies will be led by Robert Lighthizer, the United States trade representative, and Liu He, China’s vice premier. President Trump plans to meet with Mr. Liu at the conclusion of the talks on Thursday.

Trade Flows Set to Stay Weak, Says WTO

Global flows of goods across borders are on course to grow at the weakest pace since the financial crisis, according to the World Trade Organization, as trade tensions and rising tariffs continue to weigh on exports and imports.

The Geneva-body that mediates trade disputes Monday said its leading indicator of trade flows points to continued weakness as 2019 draws to a close, making it more likely that international trade will end the year having risen at a slower pace than in any since 2009, when trade collapsed in the wake of the global financial crisis.

Theresa May Takes Her Brexit Deal to the People

Theresa May has one over-riding goal in the next two and a half weeks. She needs to get more than half of the MPs in the House of Commons to back her Brexit deal in the key vote on December 12.

But as she makes the case for the pact, the PM is not just focused on parliament. She is also taking her argument to a much wider constituency: the British people.

Theresa May loses control of Brexit

LONDON — No one has a clue what happens now.

The world is fixated on the past

Politicians have always exploited the past. But just now, rich countries and emerging economies are experiencing an outbreak of nostalgia. Right and left, democracies and autocracies, all are harking back to the glories of yesteryear. Even as President Donald Trump vows to “Make America great again”, President Xi Jinping is using his “Chinese dream” to banish a century of humiliation and return China to its golden age. Mexico’s new president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has a mission to withstand global capitalism and restore his country’s economic sovereignty.

The World Bank’s latest tool for fighting famine: Artificial intelligence

The group is partnering with Silicon Valley to tackle a problem affecting millions around the world.

Despite being a slow-moving disaster, famine is notoriously difficult to predict.

The US and China may be nearing a trade deal. That won't stop the global economic slowdown

The U.S. and China appear to be close to ending a tariff fight that hurt financial markets and dented economic activity worldwide, but that's not going to stop the slowdown already seen in the global economy, experts said on Monday.

The IMF is worried that big tech could make the financial system less stable

The International Monetary Fund thinks big technology companies are going to dig deeper into the financial sector—a shift that could modernize things like payments and loans for millions of people. But it also raises concerns about data privacy and the concentration of power among a small number of mega-corporations.

The Green New Deal That the Market Loves

While the Green New Deal is drawing both devotees and detractors on Capitol Hill, green energy is seeing nothing but love in the market.

The Fed Just Cut Interest Rates. Here’s What That Means for You.

Americans juggle a lot of interest rates in their daily lives. They pay interest on car loans, credit card balances and mortgages. They earn interest, at least a little, on the money they save with banks.