Amid much protest, Japan’s lawmakers are considering a bill this week that would open their doors to opulent gambling houses. Analysts have dubbed it “manna from heaven” and the “holy grail.” Yet as any gambler will tell you, appeals to the divine are a sure sign of a weak hand. Japan’s casino project, like Asia’s gambling binge in general, …

Oil surged after a landmark deal by Russia and other non-OPEC producers to join the cartel in capping output. They agreed to reduce their production by more than half a million barrels per day. This is a much desired step to stem the global glut that has hammered prices. The agreements, if implemented, would hasten the market’s return to balance …

  Nobody likes corruption, but when fighting it becomes the focus of politics and policy, voters can quickly tire of this. The Romanian Social Democrats proved it on Sunday by winning a landslide election victory a year after its leaders were seemingly disgraced in a string of corruption scandals. The Social Democratic Party, led by Liviu Dragnea, won some 45 …