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France signs weapons megadeal with UAE: France announced multibillion-euro deals Friday to sell fighter planes and combat helicopters to the United Arab Emirates, aiming to boost military cooperation with its top ally in the Persian Gulf amid their shared concerns about Iran. The UAE is buying 80 upgraded Rafale warplanes in a deal France says is worth $18 billion.

In Germany, 1 in 100 infected with virus:

Germany’s health minister said Friday that more than 1% of the population — almost a million people — are currently infected with the coronavirus, and called on citizens to get vaccinated if they haven’t done so yet. The country confirmed 74,352 new daily COVID-19 cases and 390 additional deaths.

Court permits journalist to attend Nobel ceremony:

Philippine journalist Maria Ressa will be permitted to travel to Norway to receive her Nobel Peace Prize at an official Dec. 10 ceremony after a Philippine Court of Appeals ruling. Ressa, CEO of Manila-based news outlet Rappler, faces several legal charges, which supporters say are politically motivated, and had to request permission to travel.

Pot taxes mayyield $12billion for states by 2030:

Cannabis tax revenue generated more than $2 billion in the U.S. last year and that could grow to $10 billion to $12 billion for states by 2030, exceeding tax revenue from alcohol, according to municipalbond strategists at Barclays. Eighteen states are now enacting laws to regulate and tax cannabis for adult use.

Developer’s woes roilschina’s financial markets:

Chinese developer Evergrande Group, which is struggling under $310 billion in debt, warned Friday it may run out of money to “perform its financial obligations” — sending regulators scrambling to reassure investors that China’s financial markets can be protected from a potential impact.