Israel's finance minister blasts Moody's downgrade of the the country's credit rating (abcnews.go.com)
Man dies mid-flight after breaking out in 'cold sweats' and losing 'liters of blood,' scaring his fellow passengers (www.businessinsider.com)
A 63-year-old man died on a Lufthansa flight on Thursday, according to Swiss-German outlet Blick....
Nicaragua's crackdown on Catholic Church spreads fear among the faithful, there and in exile (apnews.com)
Nineteen priests kicked out of the country, dozens of incidents of harassment and church desecrations, rural areas lacking worship and social services: the situation for Catholic clergy and faithful in Nicaragua is only worsening in 2024, according to exiled priests, laypeople in the Central American country and human rights...
Sweden Democrats threaten to quit right-wing EU group if Orbán joins (www.politico.eu)
MEP Charlie Weimers says his party has had to consider ‘other options’ in light of Orbán’s stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine....
UK workers must accept lower pay deals to help beat inflation, says Bank ratesetter (www.theguardian.com)
American allies worry the US is growing less dependable, whether Trump or Biden wins (apnews.com)
Russia has now transformed to a wartime economy. Nordic and Baltic countries closest to Russia have got the message and are preparing (cepa.org)
Finland, despite its status as the newest NATO member, is in a better condition than most of the other 28 European alliance members. Empty stockpiles and slow armaments production are causing concern elsewhere in Europe, but not so in Finland....
Pakistan: How Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif can both declare victory (www.reuters.com)
"Former Pakistani prime ministers and bitter rivals Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan both declared victory in elections marred by delayed results and militant attacks, throwing the country into further political turmoil,”...
Finnish entry: We hope that Israel doesn't take part in Eurovision | Yle News | Yle (yle.fi)
Climate change row as British scientists claim ‘Day After Tomorrow’ modelling is wrong (www.telegraph.co.uk)
How war destroyed Gaza’s neighbourhoods – visual investigation (www.theguardian.com)
'Cliff-Like' Collapse of Critical Current System More Likely Than Thought: Study (www.commondreams.org)
Body of 6-year-old killed in ‘deliberate’ Israeli fire found after 12 days (www.aljazeera.com)
Relatives find body of Hind Rajab who had begged rescuers to send help after being trapped by Israeli military fire.
Head of UN agency for Palestinians defies Israeli calls to quit (archive.md)
The intelligence assessment, which has been seen by the FT, provides no evidence for the claims, which it says are based on smartphone intercepts and captured identity cards.
Sky News ‘Not Seen Proof’ That UNWRA Aids Hamas After Reviewing Israel’s ‘Evidence’ (www.mediaite.com)
“The Israeli intelligence documents make several claims that Sky News has not seen proof of and many of the claims, even if true, do not directly implicate UNRWA,” Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall wrote Thursday.
Channel 4 Finds ‘No Evidence’ Of UNWRA-Hamas Links In Confidential Israeli Dossier (www.msn.com)
Channel 4 News reports that it found “no evidence to support its explosive new claim” by Israel that employees of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) participated with Hamas in the October 7th attacks.
Donald Trump says he would encourage Russia to attack Nato countries who don’t pay ‘bills’ (www.theguardian.com)
Biden urged to include politicians in sanctions on violent Israeli settlers (www.theguardian.com)
There are growing calls for Joe Biden to use his new executive order sanctioning violent Israeli settlers to also target political leaders, including government ministers, responsible for driving attacks against Palestinians....
Thailand cracks down on knock-off ‘elephant trousers’ flooding in from China (www.telegraph.co.uk)
Hungary President Novak quits under pressure over sex-abuse pardon case (www.politico.eu)
Judit Varga, who was expected to lead the ruling Fidesz party’s slate in the European Parliament election, also resigned....
Israel unveils tunnels underneath Gaza City headquarters of UN agency for Palestinian refugees (apnews.com)
The Israeli military says it has discovered tunnels underneath the main headquarters of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza City, alleging that Hamas militants used the space as an electrical supply room....
On a Frozen Border, Finland Puzzles Over a ‘Russian Game’ (www.nytimes.com)
As it votes on Sunday for a new president, NATO’s newest member says Moscow is testing it by turning asylum seekers into a political pressure point....
U.N. Agency in Gaza Fought Hamas Infiltration; Not Hard Enough, Israel Says (www.nytimes.com)
Current and former UNRWA officials say that the agency has long taken seriously and investigated accusations of infiltration by Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007. The agency has variously responded to tips from Israel, the United States and its own networks. It was the kind of challenge, they said, that all aid groups...
Senegal’s president defends delaying elections in exclusive interview as protests erupt nationwide (apnews.com)
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegalese President Macky Sall defended his decision to postpone elections as violent protests erupted across the country on Friday....
Myanmar: All men and women of eligible age now required to serve in army (www.wionews.com)
