World briefs

CHINA Manufacturing activity grew at its fastest pace in nearly two years in August, according to an official survey yesterday, in a possible sign that the world’s No. 2 economy is steadying thanks to government stimulus.

INDONESIA is screening travelers from neighboring Singapore for the mosquito-borne Zika virus as the city-state reports a growing number of infections and its first case of a pregnant woman testing positive.

PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN Pakistan’s military says a key border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan has reopened, nearly two weeks after it was closed in response to Afghan protesters burning the Pakistani flag at a border rally. At a news conference yesterday, army spokesman Lf. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa says the decision to reopen the border was made after Afghan officials apologized for the incident.

SYRIA With the killing of Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, the Islamic State group lost one of its most powerful figures, a militant with multiple roles. In a statement announcing his death, IS described al-Adnani as a descendent of Prophet Muhammad’s family and tribe.
Egypt’s parliament has toughened penalties for female genital mutilation, adopting amendments that punish perpetrators with up to 15 years in prison if a child dies and up to seven years for performing the procedure.

UKRAINE President Petro Poroshenko says a new cease-fire in eastern Ukraine is holding, after months of fighting. He said in a statement released at noon local time yesterday that his forces have not seen any fighting in the past 12 hours.

BRITAIN Prime Minister Theresa May has firmly rejected the notion of a second referendum on the country’s membership in the European Union, insisting that the U.K. wouldn’t attempt a back-handed effort to remain in the bloc.

BRAZIL’s Senate on Wednesday voted to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office, the culmination of a yearlong fight that paralyzed Latin America’s largest nation and exposed deep rifts among its people on everything from race relations to social spending. Her vice president-turned-nemesis, Michel Temer, was immediately sworn in as president with Rousseff’s allies vowing to fight her removal.

US Donald Trump says that, if he’s elected president, he’ll work on “promoting American pride and patriotism in America’s schools.” Trump, speaking at the American Legion’s annual convention in Cincinnati, says he wants to ensure that children learn about America’s common values.