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BEIJING — China posted lower than expected growth in the second quarter on Monday, with all eyes on how top officials gathering for a key meeting in Beijing might seek to tackle the country's deepening economic malaise. The world's second-largest economy is grappling with a real estate debt crisis, weakening consumption, and an aging population. Trade tensions with the United States and the European Union, which have sought to limit Beijing's access to sensitive technology as well as putting up tariffs to protect their markets from cheap, subsidized Chinese goods, are also dragging growth down. And on Monday, official statistics showed the economy grew by only 4.7 percent in the second quarter of the year. It represents the slowest rate of expansion since early 2023, when China was emerging from a crippling zero-Covid policy that strangled growth. Analysts polled by Bloomberg had expected 5.1 percent. Retail sales -- a key gauge of consumption -- rose just two percent in June, down from 3.7 percent growth in May. "The external environment is intertwined and complex," the National Bureau of Statistics said. "Domestic effective demand remains insufficient and the foundation for sound economic recovery and growth still needs to be strengthened," it added. 'A modest policy tweak' From Monday, President Xi Jinping is set to oversee the ruling Communist Party's secretive meeting known as the Third Plenum, which usually takes place every five years in October. Beijing has offered few hints about what might be on the table. State media in June said the delayed four-day gathering would "primarily examine issues related to further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization," and Xi has said the party is planning "major" reforms. Analysts are hoping those pledges will result in badly needed support for the economy. "The four-day meeting of the country's top governing body couldn't come soon enough," Harry Murphy Cruise, an economist at Moody's Analytics, said in a note. But, he said, "while the case for reform is high, it's unlikely to be a particularly exciting affair". "Instead, we expect a modest policy tweak that expands high-tech manufacturing and delivers a sprinkling of support to housing and households," he added. Reform not expected The People's Daily, the Communist Party's official newspaper, appeared to confirm lower expectations when it warned last week that "reform is not about changing direction and transformation is not about changing color." Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura, said the meeting was "intended to generate and discuss big, long-term ideas and structural reforms instead of making short-term policy adjustments." The Third Plenum has previously been an occasion for the party's top leadership to unveil major economic policy shifts. In 1978, then-leader Deng Xiaoping used the meeting to announce market reforms that would put China on the path to dazzling economic growth by opening it to the world. And more recently following the closed-door meeting in 2013, the leadership pledged to give the free market a "decisive" role in resource allocation, as well as other sweeping changes to economic and social policy. Stubbornly low Beijing has said it is aiming for 5% growth this year — enviable for many Western countries but a far cry from the double-digit expansion that for years drove the Chinese economy. But the economic uncertainty is also fueling a vicious cycle that has kept consumption stubbornly low. Among the most urgent issues facing the economy is the beleaguered property sector, which long served as a key engine for growth but is now mired in debt, with several top firms facing liquidation. Authorities have moved in recent months to ease pressure on developers and restore confidence, including by encouraging local governments to buy up unsold homes. Analysts say much more is required for a full rebound, as the country's economy has yet to bounce back more than 18 months after damaging Covid-19 restrictions ended.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

On the heels an attempt on his life, former President Donald Trump called Sunday for unity and resilience as shocked leaders across the political divide recoiled from the shooting that left him wounded but “fine.”. The Republican National Convention begins and is expected to nominate Donald Trump to be the official Republican contender for the presidency. We talk to Republican political consultant Matt Klink about what to expect and what the assassination attempt is likely to have on the election. And a look back at the history of U.S. presidential assassinations and attempted assassinations.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

The Kenyan government is using a new mobile application to educate girls about menstrual health. Through the Oky Kenya app, users can access information on hygiene and other topics. The goal is to dispel myths and misconceptions about menstruation and protect girls against teenage pregnancies. Victoria Amunga reports from Nairobi.

Rima Ziuraitis, an American of Lithuanian descent, has been teaching basic first aid to military personnel and civilians in Ukraine for over a year. Ziuraitis, who first arrived in Ukraine as a volunteer in the fall of 2022, has decided to stay in the country and become a medical instructor. Anna Kosstutschenko has the story.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

WASHIINGTON — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol condemned political violence Sunday, the day after an assassination attempt against former U.S. President Donald Trump. “I am appalled by the hideous act of political violence. I wish former President Trump a speedy recovery,” Yoon said in a post on his X social media account in English. “The people of South Korea stand in solidarity with the people of America.”  On Saturday, Trump — who is set this week to be officially nominated as the Republican presidential candidate in the Nov. 5 election against Democratic President Joe Biden — said he was hit in his right ear by a bullet fired by a gunman during his rally in Pennsylvania. The gunman was shot and killed at the scene by a Secret Service sniper. The South Korean presidential office also released a statement, saying “Our government strongly condemns any form of political violence.” It added, “Our government would like to offer sympathy to the American people who are shaken by this incident.”  In a separate statement, South Korea’s foreign ministry repeated the condemnation of political violence, adding that it is closely monitoring the issue in close consultation with the South Korean Embassy in the U.S. The country’s political parties denounced in unison the assassination attempt on Trump. “Political terrorism is a threat to democracy and cannot be tolerated for any reason,” Ho Jun Seok, a spokesperson for the ruling People Power Party, said in a statement. He continued, "political terrorism is the product of politics based on extremism and hatred, and politicians have a responsibility to unite society." Han Min-soo, a spokesperson for the main opposition Democratic Party, said, "Political terrorism is a serious challenge to democracy. It cannot be justified for any reason.” Physical attacks against political leaders are not uncommon in South Korea. This year, former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck during a visit to Busan in January. In 2006, former President Park Geun-hye, then leader of the Grand National Party, was severely injured by a knife-wielding man in his 50s while she took the podium at a campaign rally in Seoul. Her father, Park Chung-hee, who served as president for nearly 16 years, was shot to death by a confidant in 1979. South Korean people expressed their feelings, hearing the news of the assassination attempt targeting Trump. "As the United States is an eternal ally of South Korea, I was shocked to learn a presidential candidate was shot,” Wonjung Jung, a 32-year-old office worker in Seoul, told VOA’s Korean Service on Sunday. “There are many terrorist attacks against politicians now, and that is not acceptable in any way,” he said. Yunseo Son, a 28-year-old graduate student in the U.S., told VOA’s Korean Service that she was dismayed about violence used against innocent people. "I feel a bit regretful that such violence occurs at a campaign rally, and it is very upsetting for the victims. I hope it can be resolved peacefully,” she said. Kubok Chung, a retired professor of Korean history, wondered if the incident occurred because of the lack of gun control in the United States. "In American society, it is a tradition for individuals to own firearms, but to eliminate violence, individual firearm possession must be banned, like in South Korea,” he told VOA’s Korean Service. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified the suspected gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Pennsylvania. The FBI is still searching for a motive behind his attack on the former president. Public records show Crooks had no prior convictions and was a registered Republican, like Trump. But other records indicate he made a $15 political donation in 2021 to a left-leaning group that supports Democratic candidates, on the day President Joe Biden was sworn into office.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania — The former fire chief who was killed at a Pennsylvania rally for Donald Trump spent his final moments diving down in front of his family, protecting them from gunfire on Saturday during an assassination attempt against the former president.   Corey Comperatore's quick decision to use his body as a shield against the bullets flying toward his wife and daughter rang true to the close friends and neighbors who loved and respected the proud 50-year-old Trump supporter, noting that the Butler County resident was a "man of conviction." "He's a literal hero. He shoved his family out of the way, and he got killed for them," said Mike Morehouse, who lived next to Comperatore for the last eight years. "He's a hero that I was happy to have as a neighbor." Comperatore died Saturday during what is being investigated as an attempted assassination of Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. At least two other people were injured: David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania State Police. Both were listed in stable condition as of Sunday. As support for Comperatore's family began to pour in from across the country, President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden also extended their "deepest condolences." "He was a father. He was protecting his family from the bullets that were being fired and he lost his life, God love him," said Biden, who added he was praying for the full recovery of the wounded. Separately, Texas U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson said in a statement Sunday that his nephew was injured but "thankfully his injury was not serious." "My family was sitting in the front, near where the President was speaking," Jackson said. "They heard shots ringing out — my nephew then realized he had blood on his neck and something had grazed and cut his neck. He was treated by the providers in the medical tent." The Secret Service said it killed the suspected shooter, who attacked from an elevated position outside the rally venue. The former president was showing off a chart of border-crossing numbers when at least five shots were fired. Trump was seen holding his ear and got down on the ground. Agents quickly huddled in a shield around him. When he stood, his face bloodied, he pumped his fist to cheering supporters as he was whisked off stage by Secret Service agents. Trump later extended his condolences to Comperatore's family. Randy Reamer, president of the Buffalo Township volunteer fire company, called Comperatore "a stand-up guy" and "a true brother of the fire service." He said Comperatore served as chief of the company for about three years but was also a life member, meaning he had served for more than 20 years. "Just a great all-around guy, always willing to help someone out," Reamer said of Comperatore. "He definitely stood up for what he believed in, never backed down to anyone. … He was a really good guy." A crew was power-washing the front of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company on Sunday with plans to install memorial drapery to honor the slain former chief. Assistant Chief Ricky Heasley of Sarver, who knew Comperatore for more than a decade, remembered him as very outgoing and full of life. "He never had a bad word," Heasley said. And in the front yard of the Comperatores' two-story home in Butler County, a small memorial had sprung up of a U.S. flag and small bunches of flowers. For Morehouse, Comperatore's death was an emotional blow — but it also has inspired political action. Morehouse says he plans on casting a ballot for the first time in his life come November and he plans on checking Trump's name. "As soon as I heard what happened and then learned that it was to Corey, I went upstairs as soon as I got home and I registered to vote," Morehouse said. "This is the first time I've ever voted, and I think it will be in his memory." A GoFundMe launched to support Comperatore's family had surpassed more than $480,000 in donations as of Sunday.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

TALLINN, Estonia — When Maksim Kolker’s phone rang at 6 a.m., and the voice on the other end said his father had been arrested, he thought it was a scam to extort money. A day earlier, he had taken his father, prominent Russian physicist Dmitry Kolker, to the hospital in his native Novosibirsk, when his advanced pancreatic cancer had suddenly worsened. The phone kept ringing and Kolker kept hanging up until finally his father called to confirm the grim news. The elder Kolker had been charged with treason, the family later learned, a crime that is probed and prosecuted in absolute secrecy in Russia and punished with long prison terms. Treason cases have been rare in Russia in the last 30 years, with a handful annually. But since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, they have skyrocketed, along with espionage prosecutions, ensnaring citizens and foreigners alike, regardless of their politics. That has brought comparisons to the show trials under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin in the 1930s. The more recent victims range from Kremlin critics and independent journalists to veteran scientists working with countries that Moscow considers friendly. These cases stem from the crackdown on dissent that has reached unprecedented levels under President Vladimir Putin. They are investigated almost exclusively by the powerful Federal Security Service, or FSB, with specific charges and evidence not always revealed. The accused are often held in strict isolation in Moscow's notorious Lefortovo Prison, tried behind closed doors, and almost always convicted, with long prison sentences. In 2022, Putin urged the security services to “harshly suppress the actions of foreign intelligence services, promptly identify traitors, spies and saboteurs.” The First Department, a rights group that specializes in such prosecutions and takes its name from a division of the security service, counted over 100 known treason cases in 2023, lawyer Evgeny Smirnov told The Associated Press. He added there probably were another 100 that nobody knows about. Treason cases began growing after 2014, when Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine, threw its weight behind a separatist insurgency in the eastern part of the country and fell out with the West for the first time since the Cold War. Two years earlier, the legal definition of treason was expanded to include providing vaguely defined “assistance” to foreign countries or organizations, effectively exposing to prosecution anyone in contact with foreigners. The move followed mass anti-government protests in 2011-12 in Moscow that officials claimed were instigated by the West. Those changes to the law were heavily criticized by rights advocates, including those in the Presidential Human Rights Council. Faced with that criticism at the time, Putin promised to investigate the amended law and agreed “there shouldn’t be any broad interpretation of what high treason is.” And yet, that’s exactly what began happening. In 2015, authorities arrested Svetlana Davydova, a mother of seven in the western region of Smolensk, on treason charges in accordance with the new, expanded definition of the offense. She was charged over contacting the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow in 2014 to warn officials there that she thought Russia was sending troops into eastern Ukraine, where the separatist insurgency against Kyiv was unfolding. The case drew national attention and public outrage. Russia at the time denied its troops were involved in eastern Ukraine, and many pointed out that the case against Davydova contradicted that narrative. The charges against her were eventually dropped. That outcome was a rare exception to the multiplying treason and espionage cases in subsequent years that consistently ended in convictions and prison terms. Paul Whelan, a United States corporate security executive who traveled to Moscow to attend a wedding, was arrested in 2018 and convicted of espionage two years later, and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He denied the charges. Ivan Safronov, an adviser to the Roscosmos space agency and a former military affairs journalist, was convicted of treason in 2022 and sentenced to 22 years in prison. His prosecution was widely seen as retaliation for his reporting exposing military incidents and shady arms deals. The FSB also went after scientists who study aerodynamics, hypersonics and other fields that could be used in weapons development. Such arrests swelled after 2018, when Putin in his annual state-of-the-nation address touted new and unique hypersonic weapons that Russia was developing, according to Smirnov, the lawyer. In his view, it was the security services’ way of showing the Kremlin that Russian scientific advances, especially those used to develop weapons, are so valuable that “all foreign intelligence services in the world are after it.” Kolker, the son of the detained Novosibirsk physicist, said that when the FSB searched his father’s apartment, they looked for several presentations he had used in lectures given in China.   The elder Kolker, who had studied light waves, gave presentations that were cleared for use abroad and were given inside Russia, and “any student could understand that he wasn’t revealing anything (secret) in them,” Maksim Kolker said.  Nevertheless, FSB officers yanked the 54-year-old physicist from his hospital bed in 2022 and flew him to Moscow, to the Lefortovo Prison, his son said. The ailing scientist called his family from the plane to say goodbye, knowing he was unlikely to survive prison, the son said. Within days, the family received a telegram informing them he had died in a hospital. Other cases were similar. Valery Golubkin, a 71-year-old Moscow physicist specializing in aerodynamics, was convicted of treason in 2023. His state-run research institute was working on an international project of a hypersonic civilian aircraft, and he was asked by his employer to help with reports on the project. Smirnov of the First Department group, which was involved in his defense, says the reports were vetted before they were sent abroad and didn’t contain state secrets. Two other recent high-profile cases involved a prominent opposition politician and a journalist. Vladimir Kara-Murza, a journalist who became an activist, was charged with treason in 2022 after giving speeches in the West that were critical of Russia. After surviving what he believed were attempts to poison him in 2015 and 2017, Kara-Murza was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison, where his family fears for his deteriorating health. The Wall Street Journal's Evan Gershkovich was arrested in 2023 on espionage charges, the first American reporter detained on such charges since the Cold War. Gershkovich, who went on trial in June, denies the charges, and the U.S. government has declared him to be wrongfully detained.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti — Over a year and a half since Haiti's rampant gang violence upended her life, Philomene Dayiti longs for nothing more than leaving the Port-au-Prince church where she has taken refuge with hundreds of others and returning home. But with the country in the early days of a political transition and a gang-fighting international security mission just hitting the ground, it's uncertain how long the 65-year-old — like hundreds of thousands of other displaced Haitians — still must wait. "The only thing I'm asking for: I'd like to go home, find a place to rest. I can't stay here indefinitely," she told AFP recently at the crowded International Primitive Church. Dayiti used to live in Bas-Delmas, a dangerous neighborhood in the capital's sprawling metropolitan area, and eked out a living selling various goods on the street. When clashes between gangs broke out, she left her home and took shelter in the church, located on Delmas 19 just outside the capital. Some 800 people now reside in a makeshift camp in the church's courtyard, surrounded by personal belongings hanging on walls or clotheslines. Gangs had been steadily gaining ground in crisis-wracked Haiti — with some estimates putting their control as high as 80% of Port-au-Prince — but the violence spiked in late February. In coordinated attacks, armed gangs struck sites around the capital and called for the resignation of Haiti's unelected prime minister, Ariel Henry. He eventually agreed to step down and hand executive power to a transitional council, which has since named an interim prime minister and government. But the ongoing violence has taken a major toll, with the U.N.'s migration agency saying almost 600,000 people in Haiti have been displaced, a 60%t increase since March. There have also been soaring levels of reported murders, rapes, looting and kidnappings. Everything lost    In late June, an initial batch of about 200 Kenyan personnel arrived in Haiti to support the police, the first part of the U.N.-approved international security mission that Nairobi agreed to lead. However, after months of delays, it is uncertain when more Kenyan or other personnel will land, or how effective it will be at restoring order. Roberto, who said he lived "peacefully" in a small community in Croix-Des-Bouquets, near the capital, has also taken refuge in the International Primitive Church. "On the morning of January 21, 2023, as we went about our daily activities, we heard several gunshots. Then we saw armed bandits invade the area and take it over," he told AFP. The armed men "told us not to panic and that the neighborhood was now under their control," said the father of two teenagers, who preferred to only give his first name. He said there was shooting all night and that they ultimately decided to flee for the sake of the children. To avoid arousing suspicions, they left discreetly, without taking any personal belongings. Some Haitians report that armed gangs often force residents to remain in place as human shields in the event of a police operation. "I owned a car, a store, I have nothing left, I've sunk to the lowest level," said a despondent Roberto. "To Haiti's government leaders: while you're blabbering all over the world, I've lost everything in a split second," he added. Makeshift clinic Meus Lotaire, the church's 61-year-old pastor, said it was a major task managing the hundreds of people living there, often in stifling conditions. "There are so many people here... it's swarming with people," he told AFP. He said, "We have all kinds of problems," noting a serious toilet shortage. Access to health care is also difficult, with several hospitals closing up or reducing their services due to the violence. At the church, many seek out the services of Alima, an NGO which operates mobile medical clinics. The pastor praised Alima's "colossal" work, saying it treats "hundreds of patients" there. That includes people who don't live in the church camp, such as 20-year-old Nehemie Laguerre, whose family lives close by. The first-time mother was visiting the clinic for a check-up with her newborn — a day after giving birth — and left with medication and advice on how to care for the baby. AFP asked Laguerre, a resident of Bas-Delmas, what the situation was like there. She didn't want to talk about it, for fear of possible retribution.