Milestones

RAISED. Interest rates, by the Bank of Japan (BOJ), for the first time in six years, from 0% to 0.25%, marking an end to a decade of economic stagnation; in Tokyo. The decision brings Japan's monetary policy in line with those of the U.S. and Europe, where central bankers are trying to contain inflation by raising rates. BOJ governor Toshihiko Fukui called the rate increase a "delightful moment for the future of the Japanese economy."

RETIRED. Joaquín Navarro-Valls, 69, as the Pope's chief spokesman, after more than 20 years as the unflappable public face of the Vatican; in...