Producer price inflation falls by 5.9% year on year in December

Giant statue in rural China dismantled after social media outcry

For the EU, 2015 was another year of fundamental challenges, with two key elements of European integration – the euro and border-free travel within the Schengen Area – being placed under serious strain. But one key development has boosted Europe's prospects: the threat of expulsion gained credibility.

It is probably true that we cannot expect history to tell us what to do in any given crisis. But, given that some patterns of human behavior recur, knowledge about the past can help us understand our own times better – a lesson that seems to have been lost on America's Republican presidential candidates.