News Wire

China Tries to Increase Its Clout in Africa Amid Rivalry With the U.S.

By David Pierson and Lynsey Chutel | The New York Times

President Xi Jinping of China, traveling to Africa for the first time in five years, pledged greater cooperation with South Africa to enhance the voice of poor nations. He commended developing countries for “shaking off the yoke of colonialism.” And on Wednesday, he’s expected to hold talks with the leaders of the BRICS, a club of emerging nations, as he pushes for its expansion to serve as a counterweight to Western dominance.

More from WPR: How a Rising China Has Remade Global Politics

Ukraine’s Forces and Firepower Are Misallocated, U.S. Officials Say

By Eric Schmitt, Julian E. Barnes, Helene Cooper and Thomas Gibbons-Neff | The New York Times

Ukraine’s grinding counteroffensive is struggling to break through entrenched Russian defenses in large part because it has too many troops, including some of its best combat units, in the wrong places, American and other Western officials say.