China's financial stability is at risk as the number of defaults continues to rise, and weak banks threaten the world's second-largest economy, Bloomberg reports.
Why it matters: Chinese officials are wary of stepping in because they don't want to encourage "moral hazard and reckless spending," Bloomberg writes.
Iran says it has arrested over 500 people in the aftermath of protests over gas prices, AFP reports, and the regime claimed on late Wednesday that eight of those detained are linked to the CIA.
The big picture: Iran cut Internet access for the vast majority of the country earlier this month after protests erupted on Nov. 15. Human rights group Freedom House told Axios' Joe Uchill that the blackout prevented global reporting on Iranian police abuses and stifled coordination between protestors.
Iraqi security forces killed 27 anti-government protesters in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll from the past two months to 350, AP reports.
Why it matters: The country remains engulfed in its worst protests since 2016, with protesters calling for the government to resign over corruption and lack of government services. And as the violence continues to escalate, protesters are calling on the government to investigate.
Airport security beagles are focusing on sniffing out pork products as African swine fever continues to spread, with fears that it might reach the U.S., the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: African swine fever has already wiped out half of China's pork livestock and spread to more than 40 countries, per the Post. As a result, the USDA has hired an additional 60 beagle teams to increase the number of screenings, notes the Post. There is no cure or vaccine for the virus, but it's is not dangerous for humans.
South Korea's military says North Korea fired two short-range projectiles on Thursday that are believed to have come from a "super-large" multiple rocket launcher, per AP.
Between the lines: CNN notes that North Korea has conducted other missile tests on American holidays. It reports that nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea have been at a standstill for weeks, and that Kim Jong-un has given the Trump administration until the end of the year to change its strategy.
Why it matters: TikTok is trying to distance itself from its Chinese ownership amid recent reports that moderators have been told to censor videos that reference topics deemed off-limits by the Chinese Communist Party, and U.S. lawmakers' interest in probing the app for censorship.
