META MAG

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - U.S. economic growth likely slowed to a still-solid pace in the fourth quarter because of disruptions from last year's government shutdown and a moderation in consumer spending, though tax cuts and investment inartificial intelligencewere expected to drive activity this year.

The anticipated slowdown in gross domestic product would follow back-to-back quarters of ‌robust growth. The Commerce Department will publish on Friday its advance estimate of fourth-quarter GDP, which was delayed by the record 43-day government shutdown.

The report is expected to highlight a ‌jobless economic expansion as well as a "K-shaped" economy, where upper-income households are doing well while lower-income consumers are struggling amid high inflation from import tariffs and stalling wage growth. Those conditions have created what economists and President Donald Trump's opponents call an affordability ​crisis.

"We'll end the year still on a solid note in terms of growth, but it doesn't really translate to feel as good as it looks on paper to most Americans," said Diane Swonk, chief economist at consulting firm KPMG.

GDP LIKELY INCREASED 3.0%: SURVEY

GDP probably increased at a 3.0% annualized rate last quarter after accelerating at a 4.4% pace in the July-September quarter, a Reuters survey of economists predicted. The survey was, however, completed before data on Thursday showing the trade deficit widening to a five-month high in December.

The second straight monthly deterioration in the trade deficit led the Atlanta Federal Reserve to cut its GDP estimate to a 3.0% ‌rate from a 3.6% pace.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the government ⁠shutdown would subtract 1.5 percentage points from fourth-quarter GDP through fewer services provided by federal workers, lower federal spending on goods and services and a temporary reduction in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

The CBO estimated most of the decline in GDP would eventually be recovered, though between $7 billion and $14 billion would not. Economists estimated ⁠the economy grew 2.2% in 2025 after expanding 2.8% in 2024. Only 181,000 jobs were added last year, the fewest outside the pandemic since the 2009 Great Recession, and down from 1.459 million in 2024.

"You have a confluence of shocks affecting the U.S. economy," said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon. "You have on the one hand the drag from higher prices, tariffs, trade restrictions and reduced immigration, but also the boost from AI investment and the continued ​strong ​momentum in terms of stock prices supporting ongoing spending by the more affluent consumers."

GROWTH IN CONSUMER SPENDING LIKELY SLOWED

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Growth ​in consumer spending is expected to have slowed from the third quarter's brisk ‌3.5% pace. Economists say spending has largely been driven by higher-income households and has been at the expense of saving as inflation eroded buying power.

"Getting richer is one thing, but most households rely on incomes to pay bills, and real disposable income pretty much stalled in the quarter," said Sal Guatieri, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets.

Consumer spending could get a tailwind from what economists anticipate will be larger tax refunds this year because of tax cuts. A solid pace of business investment is expected, mostly related to AI. The jump in imports in December was partly driven by capital goods, mostly computer accessories and telecommunications equipment amid a data center construction boom to power AI.

That should offset any drag on GDP growth from trade.

Economists estimated AI, including data centers, semiconductors, software and research and development, accounted for ‌a third of GDP growth in the first three quarters of 2025, blunting the hit from tariffs and reduced immigration.

"It's ​a significant contribution from a sector that traditionally has represented a small share of the economy," said EY-Parthenon's Daco. "It's also ​been a key source of volatility in the trade data, because a lot of what we ​are building here and creating is imported."

Economists estimated that trade made little or no contribution to GDP after helping to boost growth for two straight quarters. Inventories ‌were another wild card, having subtracted from GDP for two consecutive quarters.

Residential investment ​is forecast to have contracted for the fourth quarter ​in a row as builders and prospective homebuyers struggled with higher borrowing costs.

The stale report will probably have no impact on monetary policy. But Federal Reserve officials are likely to keep an eye on December's Personal Consumption Expenditures inflation data, due to be released at the same time as the GDP report.

Economists polled by Reuters forecast PCE inflation, excluding the volatile food and ​energy components, rising 0.3%. Core PCE inflation rose 0.2% in November from ‌the previous month. Core PCE inflation was projected to have increased 2.9% year-on-year after rising 2.8% in November. The U.S. central bank has a 2% inflation target.

"The year-on-year growth ​rate of the core has shown essentially no progress since mid-2024," said Lou Crandall, chief economist at Wrightson ICAP. "Many Fed officials anticipate at least some improvement in the coming ​months, but they will want to see that show up in the actual numbers."

(Editing by Rod Nickel)

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Nearly four years into itsfull-scale invasion,Russia controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory. Many of the estimated 3 million to 5 million people who remain in regions under Moscow's control face housing, water, power, heat and health care woes.

Russia Ukraine War Occupation

EvenPresident Vladimir Putinhas acknowledged "many truly pressing, urgent problems" in the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, which were illegally annexed by Moscow months after the all-out war began on Feb. 24, 2022.

Russian citizenship,language and culture is forced upon residents, including in school lesson plans and textbooks.

Some residents live in fear of being accused of sympathizing with Kyiv,according to Ukrainianswho have left. Many have been imprisoned, beaten and killed, according to human rights activists.

Russia established a "vast network ofsecret and official detention centerswhere tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians" are held indefinitely without charge, said Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Center for Civil Liberties.

Russian officials have refused to comment on past allegations by U.N. human rights officials that it tortures civilians and prisoners of war.

One family's plight

Inna Vnukova spent the first days of the Russian occupation in the Luhansk region hiding in a damp basement with her family. Outside in her village of Kudriashivka, soldiers bullied residents, set up checkpoints and looted homes. There was constant shelling.

"Everyone was very scared and afraid to go outside," Vnukova told The Associated Press in Estonia, where she now lives. The troops sought out officials and civil servants like her and her husband, Oleksii Vnukov.

In mid-March 2022, she and her 16-year-old son, Zhenya, fled the village with her brother's family, even though it meant leaving her husband behind temporarily. They risked a trip by car to nearby Starobilsk, waving a white sheet amid mortar fire.

Oleksii Vnukov, a court security officer, stayed for nearly two weeks. Russian soldiers twice threatened to kill him before he escaped.

"The people there aren't living, they're just surviving," he said of the 150 people — including the couple's parents — who still live in the village that once was home to 800.

Vnukova and her husband have a new life in Estonia, where she works in a printing house and he is an electrician. Their son is now 20, and they have a 1-year-old daughter, Alisa.

Life in shattered Mariupol

Russian forcesbesieged Mariupolfor weeks before the port city fell in May 2022. The bombing of theDonetsk Academic Regional Drama Theateron March 16 of that year killed nearly 600 people in and around the building, an AP investigation found — the war's single deadliest known attack against civilians.

Most of the population of about a half-million fled but many hid in basements, said a former actor who huddled for months with his parents.

The former actor, now in Estonia, spoke on condition of anonymity to not endanger his 76-year-old parents, still in Mariupol. They took Russian citizenship to get medical care and a one-time payment equivalent to $1,300 per person as compensation for their destroyed home, he said.

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Housing remains a problem even though the population is about half of what it was before the war. New apartments are sold to Russian newcomers — not those who lost their homes, according to complaints sent by video to Putin.

Not everyone opposesthe Russian takeover.The former actor says half of the members of his old troupe support the Kremlin. Still, he said his parents asked him not to send postcards in Ukrainian because "it could be dangerous."

Crumbling infrastructure

Years of war and neglect have saddled many cities with crumbling municipal services.

In Alchevsk, a city in the Luhansk region, over half the homes are without heat in this bitterly cold winter. Five warming stations have been set up.

In the Donetsk region, water trucks fill barrels outside apartment blocks — but they freeze solid in winter, said a resident who spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared repercussions. "There's constant squabbling over water," she said.

Moscow encourages Russians to move to the occupied regions, offering various benefits. Teachers, doctors and cultural workers are promised salary supplements if they live there for five years.

The northeastern city of Sievierodonetsk, once home to 140,000 people, suffered significant damage and now has only 45,000 mostly elderly or disabled residents. Only one ambulance crew serves the city, and Russian medical workers rotate in to staff its hospital, said a 67-year-old former engineer who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.

"I know how difficult it is now for the residents of the liberated cities and towns. There are many truly pressing, urgent problems," Putin said in September. He cited the need for reliable water supplies and access to health care, and said he has launched a "large-scale socioeconomic development program" for the regions.

Living in fear

Stanislav Shkuta, 25, fromNova Kakhovka in the Kherson region,said he narrowly escaped arrest several times before reaching Ukrainian-controlled territory in 2023. He recalled being on a bus that was stopped by Russian soldiers, and "men and women were asked to strip to the waist to see if they had Ukrainian tattoos."

Shkuta, now in Estonia, said he "turned white with fear, wondering if I'd cleared everything on my phone."

Friends who stayed in Nova Kakhovka say life has worsened, with suspected Ukrainian sympathizers stopped on the street or in surprise door-to-door inspections, he added.

Mykhailo Savva of the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine said "Russian special services continue to identify disloyal Ukrainians, extract confessions, and continue to detain people," with residents facing document checks and mass searches.

Human rights groups say Russia used "filtration camps" early in the war to identify potentially disloyal individuals, as well as anyone who worked for the government, helped the Ukrainian army or had relatives in the military, along with journalists, teachers, scientists and politicians.

About 16,000 civilians have been detained illegally, but that number could be much higher because many are held incommunicado, said Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed.

By Joey Roulette

WASHINGTON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - NASA on Thursday released a sweeping report on Boeing's botched Starliner mission that kept two astronauts stuck on the International Space Station for nine months, detailing communication breakdowns and "unprofessional behavior" as the agency and its longtime contractor struggled to agree on how to safely return the crew to Earth.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman ripped into Boeing and ‌agency leadership for their handling of the Starliner mission during a news conference timed with the release of a 300-page report detailing technical and oversight failures behind the spacecraft's first crewed mission, ‌which concluded last year.

"Starliner has design and engineering deficiencies that must be corrected, but the most troubling failure revealed by this investigation is not hardware," Isaacman wrote in a letter to NASA employees, which he posted in full on X.

"It is decision making and leadership that, ​if left unchecked, could create a culture incompatible with human spaceflight," he added, echoing findings in the report's "cultural and organizational" section.

Starliner's technical failures kept NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on the ISS for nine months in a high-stakes test mission initially planned to last roughly a week.

On Earth, according to the report, Boeing and NASA officials sparred in tense meetings on how best to bring the crew home, with "unprofessional behavior" and yelling matches that countered the agency's norms of healthy technical debate and crisis management.

The report, completed in November and citing interviews with unnamed NASA officials, said "numerous interviewees mentioned defensive, unhealthy, contentious meetings during technical disagreements early in the mission."

"There was yelling in meetings. It was ‌emotionally charged and unproductive," one official reported. "It was probably the ugliest environment that ⁠I've been in," another said.

"There wasn't a clear path for conflict resolution between the teams. That led to a lot of frayed relationships and emotions," said another.

Boeing said in a statement that it was "grateful to NASA for its thorough investigation and the opportunity to contribute to it." The company, it added, has made progress on fixing Starliner's technical ⁠issues and has made organizational changes.

"WE FAILED THEM"

Wilmore and Williams, both veteran test pilots and astronauts, launched as Starliner's first test crew in June 2024. Five of the spacecraft's maneuvering thrusters failed roughly 24 hours into flight as it was approaching the ISS for an autonomous docking, prompting the crew to manually intervene.

The thruster issues were among four primary technical flaws Starliner experienced during the mission that set off months of debate and ground tests as "Butch and Suni" stayed on the ISS. They ​returned ​to Earth last year on a SpaceX craft after NASA opted to return Starliner to Earth empty.

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"They have so much grace, ​and they're so competent, the two of them. And we failed them. The agency ‌failed them," NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya told reporters.

Williams, now 60, retired from NASA in December, logging 608 days in space across three missions in her 27-year NASA career. Wilmore, now 63, retired in August after spending 25 years at the agency, clocking 464 days in space across three missions.

The report also describes a "fragile partnership dynamic" between NASA and Boeing, in which agency officials' concerns that Boeing could drop out of NASA's Commercial Crew Program influenced officials' decision-making on critical mission issues.

"This reluctance to challenge Boeing's interpretations and failure to act on engineering concerns has contributed to risk acceptance and a fragile partnership dynamic."

NASA retroactively classified the Starliner mission as a "Type A" mishap, the agency's most severe category of mission failure, triggered by factors such as damage to a spacecraft exceeding $2 million or a crew member's death or permanent disability.

Boeing has spent tens of millions of dollars on efforts to ‌fix Starliner following the mission,. The company has taken roughly $2 billion in charges so far on the program since 2016.

But NASA ​last year reduced the contract's total value to $3.7 billion and cut the number of planned Starliner flights from six to four, as ​Boeing's engineering struggles inch closer to 2030, the planned retirement of the ISS.

RARE LEVEL OF DISCLOSURE FROM ​NASA'S COMMERCIAL CREW PROGRAM

NASA's decision to release a redacted version of its investigative findings was praised by former NASA officials and astronauts and marked a rare move for an ‌agency office that has often sought to portray its collaboration with Boeing's Starliner unit ​as positive and constructive.

"It isn't easy, but if previous Admins ​had done same, safety & public trust would be higher," Lori Garver, former Deputy NASA Administrator and a key architect of the agency's commercial-focused contracting model, said of Isaacman's decision to release the report.

NASA's Commercial Crew Program seeded development of Boeing's Starliner and SpaceX's Dragon capsule. The agency has made an imperative of having two U.S. vehicles for transporting its astronauts to the ISS in case one encounters issues.

The ​Dragon capsule has flown over 13 crews for NASA since 2020 with no ‌mission failures, helping position Elon Musk's SpaceX as the U.S. space program's most prominent contractor.

Isaacman, a former customer of SpaceX's Dragon program who spent millions of dollars commanding two private missions ​in orbit, has long been critical of Boeing and other giant government contractors involved in delayed and over-budget programs, a view that has been shared by the Pentagon. Isaacman's ties with ​Musk concerned lawmakers during his confirmation hearings.

(Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, David Gregorio and Diane Craft)

The 31st Major League Soccer season will begin this weekend, andthere are more storylines than everheading into another exciting campaign.

Lionel Messi helped Inter Miami win the club's first MLS title in 2025, recording two assists in Inter Miami's 3-1 MLS Cup win over the Vancouver Whitecaps. Inter Miami opens the season as the +400 betting favorite atBetMGMsportsbooks, just ahead of Los Angeles FC at +600.

LAFC has plenty of appeal as well, adding former Tottenham star Son Heung-min in the middle of last season. The franchise won its first — and only — MLS Cup back in 2022. LAFC opens its season Saturday in Los Angeles against Messi and the defending champs. LAFC is a +110 favorite on the three-way line, with Inter Miami at +210 and a draw at +270.

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San Diego FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps — 2025 MLS Cup runner-ups — have the next-best odds at +900, followed by the Philadelphia Union and FC Cincinnati at 14-1.

Sporting Kansas City and original MLS franchise DC United have the longest odds of any team to win this year's title at 80-1.

It's a unique season for MLS as well, with the 2026 World Cup taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The league will take a break from May 25 to July 16, in the middle of the season, to accommodate players participating on their international teams.

The NBA's anti-tanking plans are coming into focus.

The league has informed its 30 general managers it plans to make anti-tanking rule changes for next season,according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Possible changes reportedly include:

• First-round pick protections being limited to top four or top 14;

• Freezing lottery odds after the NBA trade deadline or later;

• Preventing teams from picking in the top four in consecutive years and/or after consecutive bottom-three finishes;

• Forbidding teams from picking in the top four after making the conference finals;

• Basing lottery odds on two-year records;

• Expanding the lottery to play-in teams;

• And flattening the lottery odds for all teams involved.

To be clear, the NBA wouldn't be pursuing all of those options. But even one or two of them could mark a sea change for how the league's less competitive teams do business.

The idea of locking teams out of the top four if they made it the previous year has already been implemented in Major League Baseball's draft lottery, and the popularity of the measure depends on which fan base you're talking to.

Former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, currently working as a senior adviser to basketball operations for the NBA, was reportedly present at the league's GM meeting Thursday and called for an "attack" on the problem that the executives should be prepared for in the coming year.

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NBA teams are tanking hard this season, for a reason

These changes are being discussed amid one of the most tank-heavy seasons in living memory, in whichthe Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers have already been fined six-figure sums for "overt" tanking behavior, as described by NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

Tanking has been an accepted cost of doing business in the NBA for decades, buta litany of teams have been racing to the bottom this year, and a spate of injuries have left them unlikely to be any better for the rest of the regular season.

The Sacramento Kings, current owners of the worst record in the league,have now lost Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine to season-ending surgeries. The Washington Wizards, with the second-worst record,are still without trade acquisitions Anthony Davis and Trae Young, and no one is expecting them to be rushed back. The Dallas Mavericks won't be seeing Kyrie Irving or Dereck Lively again this season, and Cooper Flagg also remains out. Ja Morant is still out for the Memphis Grizzlies, who sent away Jaren Jackson Jr. at the trade deadline.

The reason why teams would be so committed this year is one of the most loaded draft classes in NBA history, with a remarkable collection of freshman currently making an impact at the college level. Darryn Peterson of Kansas, AJ Dybantsa of BYU and Cameron Boozer of Duke all stand out, but this is also a class where a franchise-changing talent could easily be found anywhere in the top 10, and maybe beyond.

The situation has proven controversial, all the way up to the NBA's ownership.Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia was ranting about "losing behavior done by losers" hours before the possible anti-tanking measure were reported, whileMavericks minority owner Mark Cuban was telling his peers to embrace the tank earlier this week.

Hello from Milan and Cortina, where American figure skaterAlysa Liusummed up today's events quite succinctly. After her nearly flawless performance in the women's free skate, cameras caught Liu saying, "That's what I'm f---ing talking about!"

Liu wonthe gold medalin women's singles figure skating, the first for an American woman since 2002, before Liu was born. And the U.S. women's hockey team beat rival Canada, 2-1, in overtime to win its first gold medal since 2018.

Our correspondents have it all covered below and atNBC News. Catch it all streaming onPeacock.

Live from Milan Cortina

During her free skate today,Alysa Liuseemed to be smiling the whole time, as she moved gracefully across the ice. When she finished, she smiled again, stuck out her tongue and raised her hands. Liu had left figure skating after the 2022 Beijing Games, only to return, on her own terms, and fall back in love with the sport.

Then Liu had to wait for two more skaters to go before she learned:She had won gold. Soon, she was being guided through a back hallway toward the medal ceremony. In that quiet moment, NBC cameras caught her reflecting on her performance.

"I just, like, can't process this," Liu said. "There's no way. I really liked my skate a lot."

On Tuesday, Liu had ended the short program in third place. Then she scored a 150.20 during today's free skate, giving her a total score of 226.79, vaulting her into first place.

Fellow AmericanAmber Glennhad started the day in 13th, after a mistake cost her points during the short program. But she made a spectacular recovery today, scoring a season-best 147.52 in the free skate, which helped her finish in fifth.

After she finished her routine, she appeared to mouth the words "So close."

About an hour earlier, theU.S. women's hockey teamhad its own chance at glory.

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For about 57 minutes today, Team USA couldn't break through. After scoring more than 30 goals in the tournament, the U.S. had been held scoreless and trailed Canada 1-0. All the U.S. needed,Hilary Knightsaid afterward, was to "put one good shot on net."

With just over two minutes left to play,Laila Edwardsfired toward the goal, where Knight had camped out in front of the goalie. Knight deflected the puck into the net, tying the game.

Then, in overtime, Team USA'sMegan Kellermade an incredible individual play, maneuvering around a defender and then chipping the puck past the goalie.

"We knew it was a matter of time, just leaning on them, slowly, slowly," Knight said in an interview with NBC. "But you can also run out of time against a great team. Fortunate that we have an amazing squad to be able to get the job done."

This marked Team USA's third gold medal and first since 2018. The Americans finished these Olympics 7-0 and outscored their opponents 33-2. With that goal,Knight also became the all-time leading scorerfor U.S. women's hockey at the Olympics.

"I'm just happy to have a gold medal," she said. "Oh, my gosh, this feels amazing."

Speedskating Corner

AfterJordan Stolzcrossed the finish line of the 1,500-meter speedskating final, he bent over, put his hands on his legs and breathed heavily.Stolz had finished secondbehind China'sZhongyan Ning, by only 0.77 seconds, and took silver.

"Ning's time was a surprise. He had the race of his life," Stolz told reporters after the race. "I didn't know much about placings until I crossed the finish line. But I was hoping if it wasn't going to be gold, I hoped I could get a silver."

Stolz got off to a slow start and admitted he "didn't have one of [his] best" races. He still has a chance to secure his third gold of these Games: He'll compete in the speedskating mass start event Saturday.

Photo of the Day

When to Watch

In the quarterfinals of the men's hockey tournament, three of the four games went to overtime. The semifinals should be appointment viewing. Are the USA and Canada on a collision course for the gold medal game? Or can Finland or Slovakia pull off an upset? Tune in to find out.

All times are in Eastern, and an asterisk signifies a medal event:

Friday, Feb. 20

• 4:30 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, men's aerials qualification 1

• 4:30 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, men's freeski halfpipe qualification 1

• 5:15 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, men's aerials qualification 2

• 5:27 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, men's freeski halfpipe qualification 2

• 6 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, women's ski cross 1/8 finals

• 6:35 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, women's ski cross quarterfinals

• 6:54 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, women's ski cross semifinals

• 7:10 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, women's ski cross finals*

• 7:30 a.m.: Freestyle skiing, men's aerials finals*

• 8:05 a.m.: Curling, women's semifinals

• 8:15 a.m.: Biathlon, men's 15 km mass start*

• 10:30 a.m.: Speedskating, women's 1,500-meter*

• 10:40 a.m.: Men's hockey, semifinals, Canada vs. Finland

• 12 p.m.: Bobsled, two-woman heat 1

• 1:05 p.m.: Curling, men's bronze medal game*

• 1:30 p.m.: Freestyle skiing, men's freeski halfpipe final*

• 1:50 p.m.: Bobsled, two-woman heat 2

• 2:15 p.m.: Short track speedskating, women's 1,500-meter quarterfinals

• 3:02 p.m.: Short track speedskating, women's 1,500-meter semifinals

• 3:10 p.m.: Men's hockey, semifinals, USA vs. Slovakia

• 3:30 p.m.: Short track speedskating, men's 5,000-meter relay finals*

• 4:07 p.m.: Short track speedskating, women's 1,500-meter finals*

That's it for now! We'll be back tomorrow.

By Heejin Kim and Joyce Lee

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang

SEOUL, Feb 20 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his reclusive country had overcome stagnation and accomplished major economic goals over the past five years, as he opened the Ninth Party Congress, state media ‌KCNA reported on Friday.

The congress, which opened on Thursday, is the country's biggest political event. Held every five years, it can ‌bring changes in leadership roles beneath supreme commander Kim.

In his opening speech, Kim said the last five years had been "a proud period", citing North Korea's accomplishments in politics, economy, defence, ​culture and diplomacy, in addition to enhancing self-reliance.

For the outside world, North Korea has brought a "big change" in relations with other countries and the global geopolitical landscape, he said.

Kim did not mention relations with the United States or South Korea in his speech, nor refer to his country's efforts to develop a stockpile of nuclear weapons.

At the meeting, attended by 5,000 members of the ruling Workers' Party, new goals and plans in various sectors for the next five ‌years were submitted, KCNA reported.

North Korea is expected ⁠to showcase military capabilities at a parade and weapons development goals as part of the meeting.

FOCUS ON DAUGHTER JU AE

Analysts are monitoring whether Kim will be given the title of "president" and if his teenage daughter, Ju Ae, makes ⁠an appearance or receives some form of official post.

There has been increasing speculation among analysts and from South Korea's spy agency that Kim is grooming Ju Ae to succeed him.

When the previous Eighth Congress was convened, the circumstances surrounding North Korea were "literally so harsh that we could hardly maintain our own existence", Kim said. The ​country's ​economy and industries were antiquated, he added.

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North Korea's economy suffered its biggest contraction in ​23 years in 2020 as it was battered by ‌continued U.N. sanctions, COVID-19 lockdown measures and bad weather, South Korea's central bank has said.

But more recently there have been signs of recovery and the economy grew 3.7% in 2024, the fastest annual pace in eight years, backed by expanded economic ties with Russia, according to Bank of Korea estimates.

"Everything has changed fundamentally for the past five years," Kim said.

In a speech that focused mostly on economic development and promoting party leadership, Kim said the country was "faced with heavy and urgent historic tasks of boosting economic construction and the people's standard of living."

Earlier this week, Kim marked the completion ‌of 10,000 new houses in Pyongyang, achieving the goal of building 50,000 homes set ​during the Eighth Congress.

Kim also said, however, the country should "review shortcomings" in development, without ​providing details.

MILITARY PARADE

It is unclear how long the gathering will run, ​but the Seventh Congress lasted four days and the Eighth Congress ran for eight days.

Satellite images showed thousands of ‌North Koreans spelling out the slogan 'Ninth Party Congress' in large ​Korean characters in central Pyongyang last ​week, NK News reported, citing it as possible evidence of plans for a military parade.

Kim may have toned down his speech to avoid international or military issues, said Jeong Eun-mee, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a state-run think tank.

"He appears ​to be refraining from making public comments about ‌sensitive issues," she said, especially ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to China in April.

Kang Dong-wan, a political science professor ​at Dong-A University in Busan, said Kim may revise rules to formalise the "hostile two states" rhetoric guiding policy toward South Korea.

(Reporting ​by Heejin Kim; Editing by Ed Davies, Lincoln Feast and Stephen Coates)