GeoEcon 101: In the midst of an economic slowdown and a stock market slump, China devalued its currency for the second day in a row. The Central Bank dropped the value of the yuan, by 1.6 percent against the US …

Gaza: At least 15 people were killed and 200 wounded today when Israel shelled a United Nations school used as a shelter. About 120,000 Palestinians have sought shelter from the fighting in UN schools. As discussions continue about ending the …

MH17: The first 40 bodies from the downed Malaysian jet arrived in The Netherlands this morning with solemn military honors and a row of hearses waiting with open doors. Honor guards carried the wooden coffins off a transport plane. Ukrainian …

MH17: The NY Times published photos of a piece of fuselage that shows perforations from shrapnel, indicating that the jet was hit with the fragmenting warhead of an SA-11 antiaircraft missile. It appears to be the first physical evidence of …

MH17: President Obama this morning challenged Russia and its President Vladimir Putin to allow an investigation of the crash site of Malaysian airlines Flight 17, and the proper handling of bodies. In stern terms, Obama repeatedly referred to “Russian backed …

Nation: Senate Republicans blocked a proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, saying a hike would slow the economy and force employers to shed hundreds of thousands of jobs. The federal minimum is now $7.25. But …

Ukraine: The official time in Crimea jumped two hours ahead last night as Russia’s newest acquisition switched to Moscow time. A crowd of flag-waving Crimeans sang the Russian national anthem as the clock on the main railway station in Simferopol …

Debris: Thailand reports that one of its satellites spotted 300 floating objects in the Indian Ocean not far from where other satellites took pictures of  what could be debris from Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. Searchers are fighting bad weather and …

G Minus One: The G-8 conference of the world’s largest economies is now the G-7. The US and its allies met yesterday and kicked Russia out of the Group of 8 diplomatic conference. Russia had been a member for 15 …

 Getting Close: Malaysia’s prime minister says an analysis of data shows there’s no longer doubt that the missing Flight 370 crashed in the Southern Indian Ocean. “This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites,” said Prime Minister …