Editorials

The Arab League has shed its milquetoast image in recent months, first approving Western intervention in Libya and, this week, suspending Syria from its ranks. The question is whether this latest step against the Bashar al-Assad regime, which has killed more than 3,500 citizens since the spring, will lead to more concrete changes in Syria.

Salmon, once a pricey delicacy, is now an affordable staple at supermarkets and sushi restaurants everywhere. For that, we can thank fish farms. They produce 70 percent of the salmon eaten by consumers, who savor its subtle texture and rich flavor. Medical researchers say the fatty acids in salmon might help prevent cancer and heart disease.

Let’s get the complicated part out of the way: This subject (Occupy Wall Street) for this editorial section (Bloomberg View, part of Bloomberg LP, majority-owned by Michael R. Bloomberg, mayor of New York) has “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” written all over it.

President Barack Obama is being accused of playing political games in delaying the construction of a major new oil pipeline across U.S. soil. He should take this as an opportunity to prove that he cares more about the economy than about appearances.

The Supreme Court said yesterday that it will hear arguments on the constitutionality of the Obama administration’s health-care reform law in the spring. The justices’ eagerly awaited ruling is expected in late June, nicely timed for the presidential election season.

In the past 12 months, four European premiers have lost their jobs because they failed to fix their countries’ mounting debt problems. A fifth could join the list on Nov. 20, when Spain holds a general election.

There have been two very welcome pieces of news on Japan’s economy the past few days.

Call us unduly optimistic, but we keep seeing signs that the congressional supercommittee just might be able to come up with a budget-cutting deal before its Nov. 23 deadline.

Terrible things tend to happen when Syrian security officials catch their quarry. Dissidents are detained, tortured and sometimes killed.

President Barack Obama travels to Honolulu this weekend to meet with the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation bloc. The president hopes to advance a trade deal few know about but that could shape the future of U.S. commercial relations overall, and with fast-growing Asia in particular. It also offers the U.S. a chance to pivot from austerity politics to economic revival.