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FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Germany narrowly avoided a recession in the fourth quarter, reporting only zero growth as foreign trade made little contribution to Europe’s largest economy.

The lackluster figure released Thursday by the state statistics agency followed a 0.2 percent fall in output during the preceding third quarter. Business spending on machinery and equipment as well as construction supported the economy in the fourth quarter and kept Germany from suffering two straight quarters of negative growth, one definition of a recession.

14 Feb 2019; AFP: An international court Wednesday ruled Iran can proceed with a bid to unfreeze assets in the United States, rejecting Washington's claims the case must be halted because of Tehran's alleged support for international terrorism.

Washington had argued that Iran's "unclean hands" -- a reference to Tehran's suspected backing of terror groups -- should disqualify its lawsuit to recover $2 billion in assets frozen by the US Supreme Court in 2016.

14 Feb 2019; DW: European aircraft manufacturer Airbus on Thursday announced it will end production of the A380 double-decker passenger jet in 2021.

The Franco-German company had hoped the superjumbo would challenge Boeing's 747 and revolutionise air travel in the 21st century.

What's behind the move?

MOSCOW, February 12. /TASS/. OPEC countries demonstrated an unequal level of oil production cuts as of the end of January and reduction rates need to be expedited, OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo said on Tuesday in a statement released by the Secretariat’s press service.

"Initial production and supply data from participating countries is beginning to show various levels of conformity, as can be viewed in OPEC’s latest Monthly Oil Market Report. Once again the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to exhibit leadership from the front and by example," Barkindo said.

MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/. Chairman of the State Duma Committee for Foreign Affairs Leonid Slutsky stated that Crimea’s accession to Russia is closed and ruled out the return of the peninsula to Ukraine in exchange for the abolishment of the US sanctions.

"The issue of Crimea’s territorial sovereignty is closed. The return of the peninsula to Ukraine in exchange for the abolishment of the US’ anti-Russian sanctions is out of the question," Slutsky told journalists on Wednesday, commenting on the statements made by US Deputy Representative to the UN Jonathan Cohen.

BEIRUT, February 13. /TASS/. The Venezuelan government plans to increase oil output by more than 1 million barrels, President Nicolas Maduro told Al Mayadeen TV channel on Wednesday.

"We are using difficulties that resulted from sanctions to create a modern, self-sustainable economy, and call upon investors from Arabic and Islamic countries to invest their money into developing the oil and gas industry," Maduro said.

According to the Venezuelan president, the country's government "plans to triple gold mining rates, as well as production of aluminum and other metals."

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Google will make a new investment of more than 13 billion U.S. dollars in data centers across the United States in 2019, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said Wednesday.

Pichai said the new investment is expected to allow the company to hire tens of thousands of workers and create more than 10,000 new construction jobs in many states including Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Texas and Oklahoma, Pichai said.

With the new funding, Google will "have a home in 24 total states, including data centers in 13 communities," Pichai said.

RABAT, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Morocco and Spain signed on Wednesday 11 agreements in Rabat to bolster cooperation between the two countries.

In a ceremony chaired by Morocco's King Mohammed VI and King Felipe VI of Spain, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on establishing multi-dimensional strategic partnership.

In the energy sector, Morocco and Spain inked two MoUs, one on the setting-up of a strategic partnership on energy, and the other on the development of a third electric interconnection between the two countries.

MOSCOW, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Moscow has no fear of possible new Western sanctions, which are likely forced by Washington, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.

"We are not discussing sanctions with anyone. We want to improve our economy, trade with normal foreign partners in such a way as not to depend on someone's whims," Lavrov said at a press conference.

TEHRAN, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said here Wednesday that the anti-Iran meeting in the Polish capital Warsaw is "doomed to fail," semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

"This is another attempt by the United States to pursue its policies vis-a-vis Iran, which has not been forged properly," Zarif was quoted as saying.

"In my eyes, Warsaw meeting is doomed to fail from the very start," he said. "I think they would not be able to issue a joint statement."