The government of Sikkim, a tiny state in India, plans to pay its 610,577 citizens a Universal Basic Income. If successful, the scheme would represent the largest trial run of a concept could provide a safety net, help alleviate poverty and address the challenge of job automation. Detractors say it would reduce the incentive to work. The government expects to roll out the scheme by 2022.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said on Friday that arms negotiations were ongoing with the United States. The foreign minister stated that the goal of the arms deal was to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the Ukrainian military.

A knife attack in a supermarket in Oslo on Thursday is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism. A woman was stabbed as she was paying at the till. A 20-year-old Russian man, has been arrested in connection to the same. He is believed to have entered Norway via Sweden. The victim was reported to be in a critical condition.

Pennsylvania police department asked for public volunteers who were ’willing to drink hard liquor to the point of inebriation’ for free to help officers train. The department is now overwhelmed with interest. The call which went out on Wednesday seeking only three volunteers has generated interest from hundreds. The event will help officers train in administering field sobriety tests.

The Northeast is bracing for an intense winter storm. The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said Thursday that ’freezing rain, heavy snow, and heavy rain’ associated with a storm over the Western US will move through the Midwest and Northeast over the next few days. Between 1 to 2 inches of snow can be expected in the major Northeast cities.

Apple CEO Tim Cook blasted what he called the ’shadow economy’ of data collectors and sellers, and said users must have full control over their information. Cook said the government must pass legislation to protect consumer privacy and limit the amount of data firms can collect. He added that the FTC should create a ’data-broker clearinghouse’ that would allow consumers to track their data.

A number of women across the US are preparing to head to Washington, DC, for the third annual Women’s March on Saturday. The march comes as the body’s co-president Tamika Mallory faces accusations of supporting the anti-Semitic sentiment of the Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan. The march aims to advocate justice, equality, and civil rights for women and marginalized communities around the world.

US manufacturing output increased by the most in 10 months in December, boosted by a surge in the production of motor vehicles and a range of other goods. Manufacturing production jumped 1.1 per cent last month, the biggest gain since February.

Walmart will remain part of CVS Health network for commercial and Medicaid pharmacy customers. No financial terms of the contract have been specified. This is a reversal from the course of events earlier in the week - CVS said the companies had failed to agree on pricing and that Walmart was leaving the pharmacy network.

Ryanair has cut its profit forecast blaming lower-than-expected air fares. CEO Michael O’Leary said Ryanair could not rule out having to cut fares further. Full-year profits are now expected to be in a range of €1.0bn to €1.1bn, compared with a previous forecast of €1.1bn to €1.2bn.

Coinme launched a service that offers consumers the ability to buy bitcoin at Coinstar kiosks at select Safeway and Albertsons stores in California, Texas, and Washington. Coinstar owns and operates over 20,000 fully automated self-service coin-counting kiosks in nine countries.