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This is the world in brief from The Economist.

Our top stories. Donald Trump said he had a, quote, productive meeting with Vladimir Putin, but that there is, quote, no deal until there's a deal.

He said he would call Vladimir Zelenskyy, Ukraine's president, and members of NATO to report back

on what he and the Russian president discussed during their three-hour summit in Alaska,

adding that there were some, quote, big points on which they did not agree.

Quote, next time in Moscow, Mr. Putin said, referring to a future meeting.

Naim Qasem, the leader of Hezbollah, said the Iranian-backed militia was prepared to fight

against efforts to disarm it.

Last week, the new Lebanese government approved an American-backed disarmament plan

for it to begin seizing the militia's weapons.

Hezbollah was severely weakened during its war with Israel last year

and until now has done little to defend its weapons.

China's factory output expanded by 5.7% in July, compared with a year earlier, the smallest increase in eight months. Official data also showed that retail

sales, a gauge of consumption, grew by 3.7%, the slowest pace since December.

The indicators may compel policymakers to boost efforts to stimulate the economy.

The world's second largest economy faces pressure from America's trade policies and a weak

property sector.

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