Into the deadly morass of the Syrian war, Russian President Vladimir Putin has dropped a new peace proposal that calls for establishing safe zones in several parts of the country, grounding the Syria air force and possibly creating buffer zones between combatants to be monitored by international peacekeeping troops. Putin outlined his plan in a telephone call on Tuesday …

  Being a Chinese airline can seem pretty sweet. The country’s major carriers have what’s soon to be the world’s biggest aviation market to themselves. Operating costs are often on a par with budget carriers elsewhere. Thanks to their lack of fuel hedges, Chinese airlines have even pocketed an outsized benefit from the slump in oil prices. Sooner or later …

  The candidates in this Sunday’s French presidential election, Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron, are alike in one way: Both stand outside the mainstream parties, promising an end to politics as usual. That’s something France’s voters appear to want. Beyond that, however, the differences are stark, and you could sum them up like this: Macron is a safe choice, …