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War spurs the demand for arms, Portugal announces the end of 'Golden Visas', and overnight protests rock Tehran.

by Kate Turton

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World News

Ukrainian service members fire a shell from a towed howitzer FH-70 at a front line. October 27, 2022. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

European demand for U.S. weaponry is soaring, but instead of big-ticket items like jets and tanks, shopping lists are focused on cheaper, less-sophisticated items such as shoulder-fired missiles, artillery, and drones that have proven critical to Ukraine's war efforts.
Protests rocked Iran again overnight after a seeming slowdown in recent weeks, with marchers calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, online video posts purportedly showed. The marches in numerous cities including Tehran that went on into the night marked 40 days since the execution of two protesters last month. Check out Reuters World News podcast for more.
Portugal announced a hefty package of measures to tackle a housing crisis, including the end of its controversial "Golden Visa" scheme and a ban on new licenses for Airbnbs and other short-term holiday rentals. Rents and house prices have skyrocketed in Portugal, which is among the poorest countries in Western Europe.
International aid agencies are stepping up efforts to help millions of homeless people, many sleeping in tents, mosques, schools or cars, 11 days after a massive earthquake hit Turkey and Syria killing more than 43,000. Two people were reported to have been pulled alive from the rubble in Turkey on Thursday, but such rescues have become increasingly rare.
North Korea threatened to take "unprecedentedly constant, strong responses" if South Korea and the United States press ahead with planned military drills, accusing the allies of raising tensions in the region. The North's foreign ministry also said it would consider additional military action if the U.N. Security Council continues to pressure Pyongyang.
A 24-hour strike at seven German airports was set to affect almost 300,000 passengers as unionized workers press their demand for higher wages. "The terminals are empty this morning," said a spokesperson for the airport in Hamburg. Around 295,000 passengers are affected by the cancellation of some 2,340 flights according to the ADV airports association.

Business & Markets

A U.S. Air Force F-35 fighter jet taxis during the Aero India 2023 air show Bengaluru, February 13, 2023. REUTERS/Samuel Rajkumar/File Photo

The United States brought its most advanced fighter jet, the F-35, to India for the first time alongside F-16s, Super Hornets and B-1B bombers as Washington looks to woo New Delhi away from its traditional military supplier, Russia. India, desperate to modernize its jet fleet to boost its air power, is concerned about Russian supply delays.
Signs of strength in the U.S. economy have buoyed stocks in the face of rising Treasury yields and hawkish Federal Reserve expectations, though some investors believe the rally may be on borrowed time. Stronger-than-expected reports on employment, retail sales and inflation have pushed up expectations for how much higher the Federal Reserve will need to raise rates.
Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Apple face stricter EU online content rules, based on monthly user numbers published by the companies. The new rules known as the Digital Services Act label companies with more than 45 million users as very large online platforms and subject to obligations such as risk management and external and independent auditing.
Governments are reconsidering their opposition to vaccines as culling birds or locking them inside has failed to prevent bird flu returning to decimate commercial flocks. Senior officials in the world's largest poultry and egg producers, along with vaccine makers and poultry companies, said there had been a shift in the approach to vaccines globally.
OpenAI, the startup behind ChatGPT said it is developing an upgrade to its viral chatbot that users can customize, as it works to address concerns about bias in artificial intelligence. The startup, which Microsoft has funded and used to power its latest technology, said it has worked to mitigate biases but also wanted to accommodate more diverse views.

U.S. News

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about a high-altitude Chinese balloon and three other objects that were recently shot down by U.S. fighter jets. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

President Joe Biden said he expects to speak with China's president, Xi Jinping, about what the United States says was a Chinese spy balloon that a fighter jet shot down early this month. "We are not looking for a new cold war," Biden said. He added the United States was continuing to engage diplomatically with China on the issue.
Five fired Memphis police officers are due in court to enter their pleas against charges stemming from the beating of Tyre Nichols, a Black man who died three days later. Police video captured images of the officers beating and kicking Nichols following a traffic stop, sparking outrage and renewing national conversation about race relations and police brutality.
Exclusive: A lawyer for former President Donald Trump retained an attorney to represent himself as prosecutors step up their inquiry into the handling of sensitive documents at Trump's Florida residence. Evan Corcoran, who has represented Trump over presidential records taken to his Mar-a-Lago resort, has turned to Michael Levy, a prominent white-collar lawyer in Washington.
Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who flipped a Republican-held seat in last November's elections just six months after suffering a near-fatal stroke, checked into hospital for treatment for clinical depression, his office said in a statement. The Pennsylvania senator was evaluated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda by the attending physician for Congress, who recommended inpatient care.
Far-right Republican groups are making inroads across Michigan, according to Reuters' interviews with two dozen party leaders, grassroots members and political experts, sidelining moderate voices, risking relationships with major donors and complicating the state party's efforts to rebuild after their worst election results since 1984.

Essential Reading

General view of Manchester United's Old Trafford Stadium. REUTERS/Molly Darlington/File Photo

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