On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 27-Aug. 2: July 27: Actor John Pleshette (“Knots Landing”) is 83. Actor-director Betty Thomas (“Hill Street Blues”) is 78. Singer Maureen McGovern

A concert in Italy by a top Russian conductor with close ties to Vladimir Putin has been cancelled after a widespread outcry. Valery Gergiev, who has repeatedly expressed support for the Russian president, had been scheduled to lead a local orchestra at a music festival on 27 July at Reggia di Caserta, a former Bourbon

Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang discusses a potential Donald Trump-Xi Jinping meeting before or during the APEC summit, China and Vietnam holding joint military exercises and the purchase of U.S. homes by Chinese buyers.

Heritage Foundation senior research fellow Steve Yates on President Trump reportedly weighing a face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and China dramatically increasing their rare earth magnet exports to the U.S.

D3sign/Getty Images The wide world of imbibing is abundant with legacy liquor brands with long, rich histories and generations of devotees. It’s also speckled with spirits like Cabo Wabo. The boozy brainchild of one Samuel “Sammy” Hagar (of the Van Halen Hagars) is generally accepted to be

A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. After making bold claims of being able to broker an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Donald Trump failed to deliver. His back-and-forth on continuing American support for Ukraine has been cynical but his renewed backing should be embraced. Listen on:

As reported by Reuters On Thursday, July 25, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa will visit China, where a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled. This information was confirmed by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to a Reuters report. On the same day, Chinese