Target earnings miss as supply chain inflation bites

Associated Press
UN food agency says 40 million people are struggling to feed themselves in West and Central Africa
More than 40 million people are now struggling to feed themselves across West and Central Africa with that number set to rise to 52 million by the middle of next year, the United Nations food agency said Friday. According to a new report released Friday, the World Food Program said 3.4 million people are currently facing “emergency levels of hunger” in the region, representing a 70% increase in such cases since the summer. The report said conflict, displacement, economic instability and severe climate shocks are driving food insecurity.
AFP
French court to issue verdict in teacher beheading trial
A French court on Friday was expected to deliver a verdict against eight people charged in connection with the jihadist beheading of schoolteacher Samuel Paty in 2020, a murder that horrified France.A court panel of professional judges was expected to announce its decision from 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) Friday.
Associated Press
Tesla recalling almost 700,000 vehicles due to tire pressure monitoring system issue
Tesla is recalling almost 700,000 vehicles because of an issue with the warning light on the tire pressure monitoring system. According to a letter Thursday from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall includes certain 2024 Cybertruck, 2017-2025 Model 3, and 2020-2025 Model Y vehicles. The issue is that the tire pressure monitoring system warning light on the vehicles may not remain illuminated between drive cycles, failing to warn the driver of low tire pressure.
AFP
Syria's Aleppo set for revival despite war scars to its heritage
The historic Baron Hotel in Syria's Aleppo is dilapidated and damaged by years of war but still standing and ready for a revival, much like the city itself.During the four years of fighting before the government recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied.
Associated Press
Trump was poised to inherit a strong economy. Then things got rocky and he added to the uncertainty
The smooth economy that Donald Trump was poised to inherit suddenly looks a bit rockier — with critics saying the president-elect is contributing to the uncertainty. The Federal Reserve now sees inflation as staying stubbornly elevated as it has become cautious about further interest rate cuts planned for next year. On Wednesday, Trump blew up a bipartisan budget deal, which means the government could shut down after midnight Saturday.
NBC News
Moderate drinking linked to lower risk of death, but there's a major catch
A major report released this week found that compared with abstaining from alcohol, moderate drinking was linked to a lower risk of death from any cause and a lower risk of death from heart disease, but it was also linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.
NBC News
'We didn't know she was dead': How an NBC News investigation helped families find answers
Nearly a dozen families learned from NBC News that their relative’s body was sent to the University of North Texas Health Science Center for medical research.
AFP
Serbia shuts schools amid new protests over station collapse
Serbia's government closed schools early for Christmas Friday just as teachers and pupils were set to join nationwide protests over the collapse of a train station roof that killed 15 people last month.Fourteen people, aged between six and 74, were killed at the scene on November 1 when the roof collapsed after major renovation works on the station.
CBS News
Malaysia agrees to launch new search for missing MH370 plane
The Boeing 777 carrying 239 people disappeared from radar screens on March 8, 2014 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
AFP
Russia central bank holds off rate hike after criticism
Russia's central bank kept interest rates at 21 percent on Friday despite surging inflation, a surprise decision that follows criticism from the country's political and business elite over the effects of higher borrowing costs on the economy.Most economists had expected a hike to be announced Friday, but the bank appeared to have headed to harsh criticism by Russian business and political establishment, most of which does not want to see rates go up any more.
CNN
How Luigi Mangione’s notebook helped federal prosecutors build their case and what’s next as he faces mounting charges
It was writings laid bare in a notebook found in Luigi Mangione’s possession, authorities say, that would help investigators build the federal case against him – a well-planned homicide that involved weeks of stalking the movements of his alleged victim, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
USA TODAY
It's time to get tacky! National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day is today
It's National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day! So bust out the tacky tinsel and wretched ribbon and make yourself a sweater.
Reuters
More than 700 killed in siege of Sudan's al-Fashir, UN rights chief says
More than 700 people have been killed in al-Fashir in Sudan's North Darfur state since May, the U.N. human rights chief said on Friday, imploring the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to halt a siege of the city. The siege and "the relentless fighting are devastating lives every day on a massive scale," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement. The U.N. rights office said it had documented the deaths of at least 782 civilians and more than 1,143 injured since May, citing evidence based partly on interviews of those who had fled the area.
NBC News
An aquatic mouse and an ugly blob-headed fish among new species discovered in the Amazon
An amphibious mouse with webbed feet and an unsightly blob-headed fish are among the more than two dozen new species discovered by scientists in a remote region of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest.
AFP
Biden cancels $4.28 bn more in student debt before leaving office
US President Joe Biden said Friday he was canceling student loans for an additional 55,000 Americans, which would amount to wiping out $4.28 billion in debt in his final month in office.According to the Pew Research Center, one in four American adults under 40 have student loan debt, with the median amount owed being between $20,000 and 25,000 in 2023, varying by education level. bur-dhc/sn
AFP
European stocks retreat further before US inflation data
European stock markets slid for a second session running Friday and the dollar dropped as investors grow concerned about the economic outlook for next year.Data showing a forecast-topping rise in US economic growth and consumer spending did little to ease concerns that the Fed would keep borrowing costs higher for longer.
Associated Press
Russian central bank holds rates steady at 21% amid criticism from key business figures
Russia's central bank has left its benchmark interest rate at 21%, holding off on further increases as it struggles to snuff out inflation fueled by the government's spending on the war against Ukraine. The central bank said in a statement that credit conditions had tightened “more than envisaged” by the October rate hike that brought the benchmark to its current record level. On top of that, the weakening Russian ruble raises the prices of imported goods like cars and consumer electronics from China, which has become Russia's biggest trade partner since Western sanctions disrupted economic relations with Europe and the U.S.
CNN
At least one killed in fresh Russian missile barrage on Kyiv
At least one person has been killed and 11 injured in a fresh Russian missile barrage on Ukraine’s capital on Friday morning.
Reuters
Elon Musk gives nod to German far-right party as election looms
The AfD is running second in opinion polls and might be able to thwart either a centre-right or centre-left majority, but Germany's mainstream, more centrist parties have vowed to shun support from the AfD at national level. Europe's leading power is expected to vote on Feb. 23 after a centre-left coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed.
Reuters
Factbox-Donald Trump's lawsuits against media companies
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is making good on his threats to go after the media in court, with several recent lawsuits seeking damages against major publishers over what he describes as false or misleading coverage. Trump on Monday sued the Des Moines Register and its former pollster J. Ann Selzer in Iowa state court over an opinion poll published ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. election showing Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris leading Trump by 3 percentage points in Iowa. Trump, a Republican who ultimately won Iowa, accused the Register and Selzer of engaging in “brazen election interference” by manipulating the poll and leaking it to Democratic operatives before publication.

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