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BERLIN -- The German economy grew in the third quarter, an unexpectedly positive performance powered largely by private spending, official figures showed Friday. But the immediate outlook for Europe's biggest economy remained gloomy, with inflation rising again in October. Gross domestic product expanded by 0.3% in the July-September period compared with the previous quarter, the Federal Statistical Office said. That followed a slight increase of 0.1% in the second quarter. “The German economy managed to hold its ground despite difficult framework conditions of the global economy, with the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain interruptions, rising prices and the war in Ukraine,” the statistics office said. The government said earlier this month that GDP was believed to have shrunk...

MONTREAL -- The United States must work with countries like Canada to solve world problems, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday. Neither Canada nor the United States can alone face challenges such as climate change, global health issues and the impact of new technologies, Blinken told a group of dignitaries and university students. “When I started this role, my boss, President Biden, told me, above all, make an effort to re-energize our partnerships, our alliances,” said Blinken, who spoke in French during the event, which was also attended by Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly. “We’re starting with the closest partner, Canada,” Blinken said. In an interview earlier in the day with a Montreal television station, Blinken called Canada and the U.S. “essential partne...

It's like a needle in a haystack: how do you find one entangled whale in a vast expanse of ocean? Then how do you free the 20-tonne giant from a maze of constraints when it is panicked, sometimes angry, often injured, and always determined to evade you? That's a riddle that marine rescuers like Wayne Phillips have to solve on an increasingly regular basis. Each year, an estimated 40,000 humpback whales leave the freezing waters of Antarctica on the world's longest mammal migration. They make their way up Australia's east and west coasts to the tropics before returning, calves in tow, a couple of months later. For most Australians, the so-called "humpback highway" from May to November is a fun and exciting spectacle. Bu...

With the upcoming coronation of King Charles III, the Canadian province of Quebec is reviving a debate on the country's ties to the British monarchy. On Wednesday, Canadian parliamentarians overwhelmingly voted no to severing ties with the monarchy, after Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet introduced a motion that sparked a conversation in the House of Commons about the monarchy. His move follows the refusal of 14 recently elected Quebec politicians to recite an oath of allegiance to the King during their swearing-in to the provincial legislature, as required by Canadian law. Speaking to reporters, Mr Blanchet admitted that he had expected his motion to fail, but he said it would show Quebecers that federal politicians "prefer to support the K...

Russia has carried out its annual nuclear exercises, with its President Vladimir Putin watching them via video link from a big white room at the Kremlin. His government announced that ballistic and cruise missiles were launched in the Far East and Arctic. While the US was informed of the drills, they come at a time of heightened tensions with the West over his his invasion of Ukraine. Without providing any evidence, Russia has accused Ukraine of plotting to use a "dirty bomb" - an explosive device mixed with radioactive material. Western countries have widely rejected those allegations as false, and Ukraine has warned that Moscow itself could be preparing such an attack. Will Belarus join the war? IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGE...

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is being urged to raise UK defence spending by a key eastern European ally. Estonia, which borders Russia, has hosted British troops on rotation for years. Its foreign minister Urmas Reinsalu told the BBC it was "vital" all Nato countries spend 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence. Mr Sunak has not matched a pledge, set by predecessor Liz Truss, to meet that target by 2030. The new prime minister, who replaced Ms Truss in Downing Street this week, has previously described such targets as "arbitrary". However, he also said he believed in "investing in our armed forces" during his campaign to be Tory leader over the summer. The UK currently spends just over 2% of GDP - a measure of the...