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Our top stories.

With only hours to spare, America's Congress passed a last minute 45-day stopgap funding

bill to prevent a government shutdown on October 1st.

Kevin McCarthy, the beleaguered Republican speaker, had to rely on democratic votes to get

the bill through the House, weakening his position in his own caucus.

The bill provides money for disaster relief, but none of the aid for Ukraine that Democrats

had sought.

The scrambling follows weeks during which hard-right Republican congressmen, seeking

swinging spending cuts, had blocked efforts to fund the government.

China's purchasing manager's index showed an increase in manufacturing activity for the

first time in six months, according to an official survey released on Saturday.

Following a leap in industrial profits in August, the figures add to a modest improvement

in mood surrounding the Chinese economy, which has struggled to recover from a post-COVID

malaise.

America's government warned of an, quote, unprecedented, build-up of Serbian troops on

the border with Kosovo.

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