The 10 most important things in the world right now
REUTERS/Abhishek N. Chinnappa
1. Britain will resume flights from the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh on Friday following additional security measures, a day after President Barack Obama said the US is taking "very seriously" the possibility that a bomb caused a Russian plane to crash in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
2. Experts warn that regardless of whether or not the Islamic State was responsible for downing a Russian jet, as they claim, it marks the group's sudden transformation into a major global threat.
3. The Islamic State used mustard gas during fighting in Syria in August, according to a report seen by Reuters, the first official confirmation of the use chemical weapons in Syria since it agreed to destroy its stockpile.
4. Iran is banning the import of American consumer goods as the country prepares for a lifting of economic sanctions.
5. Greece approved a reform bill on Friday, which among other things forces Greece to comply with EU energy efficiency rules gets rid of tax breaks for farmers, and is required to unlock €2 billion in aid from international lenders following a review next week.
6. At least 17 people were killed and more than 50 others injured after a dam burst at a mining waste site in Brazil.
7. The text of the landmark Pacific trade deal, which will set common standards on issues ranging from workers' rights to intellectual property protection in 12 Pacific nations, has finally been made public.
8. Scientists discovered that solar wind is a key reason Mars is currently losing a portion of its atmosphere every second, which may explain how the Red Planet lost much of its atmosphere over time.
9. The United Nations expects over a million refugees to arrive in the EU in 2015, according to a new estimate.
10. Scientists for the first time used a new gene-editing technique to manipulate cells and to cure a one-year-old girl suffering from leukaemia.
And finally ...
H&M clothes are now selling for thousands of dollars on eBay.
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