The 10 Most Important Things In The World Right Now
1. Brent crude dropped to a 5-1/2-year low of $63 a barrel amid a supply glut and weak demand.
2. The US government avoided a government shutdown after the House narrowly passed a $1.1 trillion spending bill Thursday night.
3. A group claiming to be the Guardians of Peace sent another disturbing computer message to Sony Pictures in what is the organisation's fourth contact with the studio, The Wrap reports.
4. The world's second biggest oil services company, Halliburton, is cutting 1,000 jobs in its eastern hemisphere offices due to tumbling oil prices.
5. The IEA cut its outlook for oil demand in 2015 by 230,000 barrels, despite falling prices.
6. The United Nations climate negotiations in Lima, Peru, enter their final day on Friday after two weeks of talks hampered by disagreements among rich and poor nations about rolling back carbon pollution.
7. Gucci's CEO Patrizio di Marco and creator director Frida Gionnini are leaving the Italian luxury brand early next year.
8. Saudi King Abdullah has donated $35 million to help fight Ebola in West Africa.
9. Protests in the US over alleged police brutality have been particularly heated in Oakland, California, where demonstrators have attempted to shut down a nearby freeway.
10. The Geminids meteor shower, the last major meteor shower of the year, will light up the sky this weekend.
And finally ...