RAMALLAH -- Six Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrike and gunfire during two separate incidents in the northern West Bank, Palestinian sources said Thursday.

"The bodies of four people and three injured individuals arrived at Thabet Governmental Hospital in Tulkarm city," the Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry said in a brief statement. (West Bank-Israel-Attack)

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HELSINKI -- Finland's Ministry of Defence announced on Thursday a defense budget of 6.5 billion euros (6.67 billion U.S. dollars) for 2025, marking an increase of 536 million euros from this year.

The budget emphasizes enhancing national defense capabilities and supporting Finland's integration into NATO, with defense spending projected to account for about 2.5 percent of the country's gross domestic product. (Finland-Defense-2025)

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WELLINGTON -- New Zealand's gross domestic product (GDP) decreased 1.0 percent in the September quarter, according to Stats NZ on Thursday.

This was the second quarter that the New Zealand GDP has experienced contraction, following a revised 1.1 percent decrease in the June quarter. The decrease in GDP for two successive quarters means that the New Zealand economy was in recession by common definition. (New Zealand-GDP)

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KIGALI -- Rwanda on Wednesday welcomed the sentencing of Philippe Hategekimana, alias Biguma, a former deputy commander of the Gendarmerie -- now the Rwanda National Police -- for his role in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, particularly in the Southern Province.

The Court of Appeal in France on Tuesday upheld the life sentence for Hategekimana. The appeal hearing began in early November after Hategekimana, who denied the charges, challenged the life sentence handed down by the Paris Assize Court in June 2023. (Rwanda-Kigali-Genocide) Enditem

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