China’s economy shows signs of improvement, but its property sector is still in the doldrums

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s manufacturing and investment improved in the first two months of the year, while weakness in the property sector weighed on the economy, the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday. The report said industrial output rose 7% from a year earlier in January-February, better than analysts had forecast. Spending on factories … Read more

Israel launches night raid on Gaza al-Shifa hospital

Israeli forces have launched an overnight raid on the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, with reports of tanks and heavy gunfire at the facility. An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said the IDF was carrying out a “high precision operation in limited areas” of the hospital. The IDF said “senior Hamas terrorists have regrouped” inside the hospital … Read more

Colombia suspends ceasefire with faction of ex-FARC rebels following attack on Indigenous community

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Sunday suspended a ceasefire with one of a handful of armed groups with which he hoped to negotiate peace accords, saying its fighters violated the truce by attacking an Indigenous community. The government said that starting Wednesday it would resume military operations against Estado Mayor Central, … Read more

Putin forecast to win election with 87% of the vote

Vladimir Putin has won the Russian presidential election with at least 87% of the vote, according to forecasts after polling stations closed on Sunday, state media reported Sunday. Russian state television declared Putin, 71, the winner on Sunday on the basis of several voter surveys. No genuine opposition candidates were allowed to stand in the … Read more

European Union signs 7.4B euro aid package for Egypt to address migration concerns and more

The European Union announced a 7.4-billion-euro aid package for Egypt, or about $8 billion, amid concerns of migrants flooding the country from Israel and making the voyage across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Egyptian Abdel Fattah el-sissi signed the deal on Sunday in Cairo, though the agreement … Read more

Germany’s Steinmeier says he won’t be congratulating Putin

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he won’t be congratulating Russian President Vladimir Putin on his re-election, his spokeswoman told the Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel. “There will be no letter to Putin,” the publication quoted spokeswoman Cerstin Gammelin as saying. “Today I am thinking of the people in Russia who are fighting for freedom and democracy and … Read more

Scholz appeals to Netanyahu’s conscience during visit to Israel

German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, openly questioned Israel’s military actions during the Gaza war in light of the high number of casualties during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At a joint press conference, Scholz stressed that Israel has the right to defend itself against the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group but suggested that Netanyahu … Read more

Early results show Putin projected to win Russia’s election in landslide, extending rule

Russian President Vladimir Putin is projected to win Russia’s election in a record post-Soviet landslide on Sunday, extending his rule for at least another six years, according to exit polls. Putin clinched 87.8 percent of the vote, according to an exit poll as the polls closed Sunday from the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM). This is the highest … Read more