Kim Jong Un heads to Russia; deadly flooding in Libya, and more

This is the world in brief from the Economist. Our top stories North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un will meet President Vladimir Putin in the coming days according to the Kremlin. Mr. Kim appears to be traveling by armored train to Vladivostok in Russia's far east according to UNHAP, a South Korean news agency. Last week, American officials reported that the two leaders planned to discuss the provision of weapons by North Korea to aid Russia's war in Ukraine. As many as 2,000 people are feared dead in eastern Libya after storm Daniel Courssevere flooding says Osma Hamad, the Prime Minister of the East Libyan government. Thousands more have been reported missing since the storm swept away in tired neighborhoods in the city of Dernar, where witnesses say the water level reached 3 metres. Sweden will increase its defence budget by $2.44 billion next year to reach 2.1% of its GDP. Just over the target for NATO members, an almost double is spending in 2020. The country shared its military non-alignment in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but its accession to NATO has been held up by Turkey, a member of the Alliance. Growth in the Eurozone economy is expected to slow to 0.8% in 2023 and 1.3% in 2024. The European Commission forecasts, in a downward revision to its estimate published in May, weak demand and increase in consumer prices have taken a heavier toll than expected, despite a strong tourism season in many parts of the continent. Ukrainian forces claim to have retaken control of several gas and oil drilling platforms known as Boyco Towers in the Black Sea close to Crimea. The country's military intelligence said that regaining the sites, which had been seized by Russia in 2015, deprives Vladimir Putin of the ability to fully control the Black Sea. Moscow has not commented on the reports. The death toll in Morocco climbed to at least 2,800 on Monday, following a devastating earthquake on Friday night that struck a cluster of villages south of the city of Marrakesh. Moscow teams are still racing to find survivors, but after 3 days hopes are beginning to fade. The 6.8 magnitude earthquake is the country's deadliest since 1960. New COVID-19 booster shots have been approved for use in America by the FDA. Coronavirus cases are on the rise again. The update of vaccines manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer are effective against the latest variants. The CDC is expected to meet this week to determine how doses will be rolled out and who will be encouraged to get one. Figure of the day, 35 minutes, the amount of sleep that people in Asian countries miss compared with elsewhere in the world. And correction, in a previous edition of World in Brief, we inaccurately stated that Nancy Pelosi held the position of Speaker of the House longer than any Democrat. In fact, several Democrats held the job for longer than her. Sorry.