At the end of a terrible 2020, Pedro Sanchez has something to celebrate. Spain’s prime minister has succeeded in passing the country’s first full-year budget since 2016 even though he presides over a minority government. A string of regional parties suddenly warmed to his left-wing coalition of the Socialists and Podemos — and especially to the nearly 140 billion euros ...

China has all but met President Xi Jinping’s pledge to eradicate extreme poverty by 2020. More than 800 counties considered severely impoverished just under a decade ago have now cleared a government-defined line of 4,000 yuan, or roughly $600, in annual per-capita income. The last nine, in the province of Guizhou in China’s southwest, were removed from the list this ...

Ivan Glasenberg, the pugnacious boss of commodities giant Glencore Plc, says he will retire next year. His influence will linger beyond that. After years of brushing off succession questions with the reassurance that he wouldn’t outstay his welcome, Glasenberg slipped the word into a mundane investor presentation. He’ll be replaced by a lieutenant, Gary Nagle, who takes the helm as ...