Just last month, Google  showed off an “Interpreter mode” that would let Google Home devices act as an on-the-fly translator. One person speaks one language, the other person speaks another, and Google Assistant tries to be the middleman between the two. They were only testing it...

In the religious capital of Iran, the Islamic revolution still holds a powerful sway even as once-unthinkable signs of modernity creep into the city of Qom to challenge the faithful. Qom, a couple of hours drive south of Tehran, is one of Shiite Islam's holiest sites, home to dozens of...

Russia has become a world-class saver. So much gold has piled up in its central bank that Russia surpassed China last year to become the world’s fifth-largest holder of gold. The International Monetary Fund often has to badger developing nations to bulk up foreign currency reserves. Russia...

 Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp announced a $5.5 billion share buyback on Wednesday as it reported a 60 percent rise in quarterly operating profit buoyed by rising valuations for its technology investments.  SoftBank Group said it would repurchase 112 million shares worth 600 billion...