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AFP
German GDP downgraded in new blow for struggling economy
German third-quarter growth was downgraded Friday with official data showing it expanded even more weakly than previously thought, in a new blow for Europe's top economy as it battles multiple headwinds.The growth data laid bare how far Germany is lagging behind other major economies.
Associated Press
6 tourists died in Laos after apparently drinking methanol. What is it and why was it in drinks?
Two Australian teenagers and a British woman died from suspected methanol poisoning after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos. The U.S. State Department issued a warning to travelers to be “alert to the potential risk of methanol poisoning.” There are three main types of alcohol: ethanol, methanol and isopropyl.
AFP
Iran to launch 'advanced centrifuges' in response to IAEA censure
Iran said Friday it would launch a series of "new and advanced" centrifuges in response to a resolution adopted by the UN nuclear watchdog that censures Tehran for what the agency called lack of cooperation.The resolution -- which China, Russia and Burkina Faso voted against -- was carried with 19 votes in favour, 12 abstentions and Venezuela not participating, two diplomats told AFP. "The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran issued an order to take effective measures, including launch
Associated Press
Taiwan president will visit allies in South Pacific as rival China seeks inroads
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te will visit the self-governing island’s allies in the South Pacific, where rival China has been seeking diplomatic inroads. The trip comes against the background of Chinese loans, grants and security cooperation treaties with Pacific island nations that have aroused major concern in the U.S., New Zealand, Australia and others over Beijing's moves to assert military, political and economic control over the region. Taiwan’s government has yet to confirm whether Lai will make a stop in Hawaii, although such visits are routine and unconfirmed Taiwanese media reports say he will stay for more than one day.
CNN
Texas school board to vote Friday on curriculum that incorporates Bible lessons
Education officials in Texas are expected to vote Friday on a new public school curriculum that would incorporate stories from the Bible into elementary school teachings.
Associated Press
In Bali, young girls dance in a traditional Hindu festival threatened by changing times
Ketut Nita Wahyuni lifts her folded hands prayerfully to her forehead as a priest leads the temple gathering. The 11-year-old is preparing to perform the Rejang Dewa, a sacred Balinese dance. The rituals are part of the two-week-long Ngusaba Goreng, a thanksgiving festival for a rich harvest.
Associated Press
Indigenous leaders travel to UK from Peru to draw attention to oil damage and banking
Indigenous leaders from the Wampis Nation in Peru are urging lawmakers at the House of Commons in London to ban international banks' support for Amazon oil activities they say harm their ancestral rainforests. HSBC bank, based in the United Kingdom, JPMorgan Chase in the United States and Santander in Spain helped finance the state-owned oil company Petroperu as it sought to upgrade a coastal refinery.
Associated Press
India's Adani Group shares show some recovery despite uncertainty over US bribery and fraud charges
Indian tycoon and one of Asia's richest men, Gautam Adani, may be facing his biggest challenge yet with an indictment by U.S. prosecutors for alleged fraud and bribery. On Friday, shares in the Adani Group's companies began ticking back up after they plunged a day earlier following the announcement of the charges in New York. Adani, a major power player in India perceived as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was charged with securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud at a court in Brooklyn, New York.
AFP
Japan government approves $140bn stimulus
Japan's minority government signed off Friday on a $140-billion stimulus drive aimed at putting more money in consumers' pockets after the ruling party's worst election result in 15 years.- Rice prices soar - Government data Friday put headline inflation last month at a modest 2.3 percent, but it showed rice up nearly 60 percent year-on-year, revealing the pain for ordinary Japanese.
CNN
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas official Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif.
CNN
‘Send someone ASAP,’ Las Vegas man said on 911 call before police fatally shot him in his home
A man who was fatally shot by Las Vegas police after calling 911 during a home invasion pleaded for officers to arrive “ASAP,” fearing that a trespasser was “going to kill everybody.”
AFP
Most markets track Wall St gains, bitcoin closes on $100,000
Most markets gained Friday after a bounce on Wall Street, while bitcoin continued its march higher to move within touching distance of the $100,000 mark.He pointed out that regarding the jobs market and prices "things are getting close to where we want to settle", adding that "it follows that we will probably need to move rates to where we think they should settle, too".
NBC News
‘Good luck, Gus’: Emperor penguin found in Australia is released back into the wild
The first emperor penguin found in Australia has been released after spending 20 days in the care of a wildlife expert, the Australian government said Friday.
Reuters
COP29 host urges collaboration as deal negotiations enter final stage
COP29 climate summit host Azerbaijan urged participating countries to bridge their differences and come up with a finance deal on Friday, as negotiations at the two-week conference entered their final hours. World governments represented at the meeting in the Caspian Sea city of Baku are tasked with agreeing a sweeping plan that would see rich nations pledge to hand over hundreds of billions of dollars to help poorer countries grapple with the worsening impacts of global warming. Economists have said developing countries need at least $1 trillion annually by the end of the decade, but wealthy nations have so far been resisting.
Associated Press
Romania holds a presidential election Sunday that could narrow to nationalist and leftist candidates
At the campaign headquarters of his far-right nationalist party in Romania's capital, George Simion hailed Donald Trump’s reelection days before he runs in his own country's presidential race. “I would like for Romanians to feel that the leaders are rule-makers, not simply rule-takers,” the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians leader told reporters Wednesday in Bucharest. Formed in 2019, the party known by its initials AUR proclaims to stand for “family, nation, faith, and freedom.”
CNN
American and Brit among five tourists dead as countries warn of suspected methanol poisonings in Laos
A British woman has become the fifth foreign tourist to die in a suspected mass methanol poisoning in Laos, as a growing list of countries warned of the potentially fatal consequences of drinking tainted alcohol in the Southeast Asian country.
Associated Press
Germany's defense minister clears the way for Scholz to seek a second term as chancellor
Germany's popular defense minister has taken himself out of contention to become the country's next leader, clearing the way for Chancellor Olaf Scholz to seek a second term in an early election after a week of arguments that exposed deep divisions in his struggling party. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in a video Thursday night that he has informed the center-left Social Democrats' leadership that he is “not available for a candidacy for the office of chancellor.” Pistorius' announcement resolves the question of who will run in the election expected on Feb. 23, but a week of very public arguments is widely viewed as having damaged a party that was already far behind the main opposition center-right Union bloc in polls.
CNN
Russia’s use of a nuclear-capable missile is a clear departure from Cold War doctrine of deterrence
Russia’s use of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile marks a decisive, and potentially dangerous moment in Moscow’s conflict with the West.
Associated Press
Hungary's Orbán vows to disregard international arrest warrant for Netanyahu
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Friday denounced the International Criminal Court’s issuing of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he would defy it by inviting the Israeli leader to Hungary. In comments to state radio, Orbán accused the ICC of “interfering in an ongoing conflict for political purposes,” saying the decision to issue the warrant for Netanyahu over his conduct of the war in Gaza undermined international law and escalated tensions.
CNN
Iran says it is activating new centrifuges after being condemned by UN nuclear watchdog
Iran announced Friday it was activating new advanced centrifuges – which enrich uranium for the country’s nuclear program – after the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog criticized the country for not cooperating with the agency.

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