The “swamp” just got bigger. You will recall that the swamp was one of candidate Donald Trump’s favourite metaphors in 2016. It disparaged the influence-peddling and lobbying practiced by “special interests” in their quest for government favours and subsidies. Trump pledged to drain the swamp, but in practice he’s doing the opposite — expanding the swamp. The latest and perhaps ...

The resignation of Luigi Di Maio as leader of Italy’s Five Star Movement is a move that smacks of desperation. The populist party that gatecrashed Italian politics faces crumbling support in the polls and deep internal divisions. It’s hard to see how it can bounce back even with a change at the top. The decision adds to the sense of ...

It was once a great blessing for an emperor to have a son. But if he has more than one, succession could threaten to unravel the empire – especially if his grip was weak. Over six decades, Shin Kyuk-ho built a chewing-gum business into South Korea’s fifth-largest conglomerate, spanning hotels, shopping malls, movie chains and cafes. It’s no secret that ...

Back in 1999, one of the most talked-about scenes in one of the most talked-about movies involved a dancing plastic bag. It was surely a more innocent time. Still, two decades on from American Beauty and its bag-shaped pretensions, this is an opportune moment to reiterate that it’s just trash. China has unveiled plans to curb the use of non-degradable ...

Beneath the sleek surface of this sparkling Mediterranean metropolis boil passions generated by Spain’s version of identity politics. The passions are aroused by demagogues who hope to shatter a nation. The turmoil in Catalonia — the northeastern of Spain’s 17 regions, which exercise considerable autonomy (over police, health care, education, etc.) — is the toll taken by lies used to ...

It’s rare for an anonymous quote in a management consultant’s report to make much of an impression. But the admission by the chief financial officer of an unnamed global bank on the mystery that surrounds his own company’s technology spending is striking. It’s especially troubling for investors in the finance sector. “I know 50% of my digital transformation spend is ...

India’s great telecom melee was bad enough as a brawl between service providers and the state, with operators complaining about the government’s outlandish claims on their past revenue. Now, consumers have jumped into the fray. A confusing three-cornered fight could lead to ugly outcomes: The country’s broken financial system would take a fresh hit; new 5G networks could be delayed; ...

Bloomberg Intensifying concern about the economic and human impact of the coronavirus sent stocks, oil and China’s yuan tumbling on Monday while spurring haven assets. Treasuries gained and Italian bonds jumped after regional elections. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index headed for its worst decline since October, with miners dropping by more than 4%. Contracts on the main US equity benchmarks ...

Bloomberg Thailand’s stock market tumbled on the prospect of economic turbulence after China banned outbound group tours to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus that’s sickened thousands of people. The SET index slid 2.9% on Monday, the most since 2016, with tourism shares among those bearing the brunt of the drop. The baht weakened in line with emerging-market currencies ...

Bloomberg Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s upcoming choice of candidate to join the Bank of Japan (BOJ) board could shed light on the leader’s current thinking on the importance of achieving a stubbornly difficult inflation goal. Abe’s nomination to replace Yutaka Harada is scheduled to take place on Tuesday morning, according to a document seen by Bloomberg. The choice will ...