China’s economy softens in August as Beijing grapples with lagging demand
BEIJING — China’s economy softened in August, extending a slowdown in industrial activity and real estate prices as Beijing faces pressure to ramp up spending to stimulate demand. Data published by the National Bureau of Statistics Saturday showed weakening activity…
Ukraine: N. Korea’s military aid to Russia presents battlefield problem
kyiv, ukraine — Ukraine’s spy chief said Saturday that Russia’s increased production of guided bombs as well as artillery ammunition deliveries from North Korea present major problems for Ukrainian forces on the battlefield. The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency…
US historian leads Kyiv charity run highlighting plight of Ukrainian POWs
KYIV, Ukraine — U.S. historian and author Timothy Snyder led a charity run in Kyiv Saturday to raise awareness of the conditions under which Ukrainian prisoners of war are held in Russia as the conflict approaches a third winter. The…
Russia, Ukraine exchange 206 prisoners in second swap in two days
KYIV, UKRAINE — Russia and Ukraine conducted a major exchange of prisoners Saturday, 206 in all, in their second such swap in two days, following negotiations mediated by the United Arab Emirates, officials said. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that all…
Brazil’s Lula pledges to finish paving road experts say could worsen Amazon deforestation
brasilia — In a visit to see the damage caused by drought and fire in the Amazon, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pledged to pave a road that environmentalists and some in his own government say threatens to vastly…
Biden meets UK’s Starmer to discuss Ukraine, Israel
US President Joe Biden met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House on Friday to discuss support for Ukraine amid a push by Kyiv for Western partners to lift restrictions on using their long-range missiles to attack…
‘Slave to fear’: Ghosts of the gulag haunt modern Russia
Moscow — When Russians started being arrested for opposing the Ukraine offensive, Maria felt the same kind of fear she guessed her ancestors, victims of repression under Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, must have lived through. Now 2½ years into its…
Pentagon: $5.9B in Ukraine aid is left to be spent before October 1
pentagon — The Pentagon says it has nearly $6 billion in funding for Ukraine left that could expire at the end of this month unless Congress or the State Department acts to extend the military’s authority to draw weapons from…
Zelenskyy says he will present his peace plan to Biden
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that he has a plan for victory in Russia’s war against his country, and that he intends to present the proposal to U.S. President Joe Biden later this month. In a speech at the…
WHO clears Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine for mpox, sets up access plan
The World Health Organization and partners on Friday set up a plan to help bring mpox vaccines, tests and treatments to the most vulnerable people in the world’s poorest countries, similar to efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, after earlier approving…