China reports 2,105 new COVID cases for Oct 29 vs 1,658 a day earlier

Yahoo Finance
Stock market today: US futures hold steady as inflation test looms
Investors are bracing for a crucial update on consumer prices that will test their rate-cut hopes.
CBS News
Victims of Think Finance loan repayment scam to get $384 million
Regulators say the online lender deceived consumers into thinking they owed money on loans and withdrew funds from their bank accounts.
CNN
Sun releases the strongest flare in current cycle from the same region that triggered auroras this weekend
After causing the dazzling waves of aurora borealis this weekend, our Sun isn’t done yet: The strongest solar flare of the current solar cycle occurred Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
AFP
Guitar-playing Blinken sparks criticism in Ukraine
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was trying to send a message of defiance and hope when he took to the stage of a Kyiv bar on Tuesday night for a guitar performance of "Rockin' in the Free World".A guitar player who has launched a musical diplomacy initiative at the State Department, Blinken later joined Ukrainian musicians at a famed Kyiv bar, Barman Dictat, for a rendition of Neil Young's 1989 "Rockin' in the Free World".
Reuters
Explainer-How will Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders form a government?
The Netherlands was set to have its most right-wing government in recent history after anti-immigration populist Geert Wilders said he was close to working out a deal with coalition partners. WHAT WILL THE NEW PROPOSED GOVERNMENT LOOK LIKE? Wilders' nationalist PVV party, the clear winner of the Nov. 22 election, will form a coalition with outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's centre-right VVD, the new centrist NSC and the farmers protest upstart BBB.
Associated Press
Report: Welding at water slide caused huge fire in Sweden that killed one person
A welding operation sparked a huge fire in February at a water park that was under construction at one of Sweden’s biggest amusement centers, causing the death of one person, a newspaper reported Wednesday. The blaze destroyed a large part of the Oceana water park that was scheduled to open this summer in Goteborg, Sweden’s second-largest city.
AFP
Stocks waver before US inflation but London hits record
Asian and European equities diverged Wednesday as most dealers sat on their hands before key US inflation data, but London set a new record peak on solid US gains and largely upbeat earnings.In the eurozone, Frankfurt climbed toward its recent record but Paris lapsed into negative territory, after Asian markets had wobbled in earlier deals on Wednesday before hotly-awaited US inflation figures.
AFP
Western allies denounce Georgia 'foreign influence' law
Georgia faced a blizzard of international condemnation Wednesday as the EU, NATO and UN slammed the adoption of a controversial "foreign influence" law targeting overseas-funded NGOs. Ruling party lawmakers voted through the legislation Tuesday in defiance of protesters worried the Caucasus country is shifting away from its pro-Western course towards Russia. "The adoption of this law negatively impacts Georgia's progress on the EU path," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a joint stat
Associated Press
Pakistan test-fires a new rocket system developed by its military, the army says
Pakistan’s military said it successfully test-fired Wednesday a short-range, indigenously developed rocket system meant to boost its ability to deter any offensive action from archenemy and neighbor India. According to a military statement, the Fatah-II Guided Rocket System has a range of 400 kilometers (240 miles), as well as a state-of-the-art navigation system, unique trajectory, and maneuverable features. It can engage targets with high precision and defeat any missile defense system, it said and added that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the military congratulated the scientists and engineers behind the rocket system, as well as troops who ensured a successful launch.
Reuters
French police search for 'The Fly' after deadly prison van escape
Hundreds of police fanned out across northern France on a massive manhunt for a fugitive gangster known as "The Fly" on Wednesday, a day after he was sprung from a prison van by gunmen in an attack that killed two prison guards. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said France had deployed unprecedented resources to capture the armed gang, including assistance from foreign countries. Across France, thousands of prison guards staged a symbolic 24-hour shut-down of jails in support of their slain colleagues.
Associated Press
UN agency authorizes second vaccine against dengue amid outbreaks in the Americas
The World Health Organization on Wednesday authorized a second dengue vaccine, a move that could provide protection for millions worldwide against the mosquito-borne disease that has already sparked numerous outbreaks across the Americas this year. In a statement on Wednesday, the U.N. health agency said it approved the dengue vaccine made by the Japanese pharmaceutical Takeda, recommending its use in children between six to 16 years old living in regions with high rates of dengue. The two-dose vaccine protects against the four types of dengue.
CNN
Every mom knows the judgmental glares you get. I’ll never forget the woman who did something different
Every mom knows the judgmental glares you get. I’ll never forget the woman who did something different.
NBC News
Chuck Todd: Is Biden or Trump the bigger drag on his party?
If there is one consistent pattern this spring in political polling, it’s how differently voters are treating the presidential race and the down-ballot races.
NBC News
Ben Carson keeps his distance as other VP contenders audition for Trump
Ben Carson remains in contention to be Trump's VP pick, even as others throw themselves more forcefully into public auditions for the job.
NBC News
More than half of Black women ages 15-49 live with little to no abortion access
57% of Black women ages 15-49 live in states with abortion bans, heavy restrictions or plans to implement them, according to a new report from a pair of reproductive rights organizations.
AFP
EU cuts inflation forecast for 2024 despite uncertainty
The EU on Wednesday predicted eurozone inflation to fall faster in 2024 but warned the single-currency area's economy still faced risks from geopolitical tensions including wars in Ukraine and Gaza.But he warned the forecast faced "downside risks" from wars raging but also multiple elections around the world, including later this year in the United States.
AFP
Ireland to recognise Palestinian statehood 'this month': minister
Ireland is certain to recognise Palestinian statehood by the end of May, the country's foreign minister said on Wednesday, without specifying a date.In March the leaders of Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and Malta said in a joint statement that they stand ready to recognise Palestinian statehood.
CNN
Defense tactics raise eyebrows in Cohen cross-examination
It would be no surprise if the jury in Donald Trump’s first criminal trial now sees his former fixer, Michael Cohen, as a profane social media troll and vengeful liar who dreams of seeing the boss he once worshipped behind bars.
CNN
What is Georgia’s ‘foreign agents’ bill, and why is Europe so alarmed?
Georgia’s parliament is set to pass a highly controversial so-called “foreign agents” bill that has triggered widespread protests across the former Soviet Republic nestled in the Caucasus Mountains.
Associated Press
Slovakia plans to build a new nuclear reactor
Slovakia’s government approved a plan on Wednesday to build another nuclear reactor in a country that relies heavily on nuclear electricity generation. The new reactor, with an expected output of 1,200 megawatts, is to be built at the Jaslovske Bohunice nuclear plant, where the utility Slovenske Elektrarne currently operates two nuclear units. Slovakia’s government is led by populist Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose leftist Smer party won a general election in September on a pro-Russian and anti-American platform.

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