An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following on Friday:

Hungary toxic sludge - Experts have said that it looks like the sludge contamination has been diluted sufficiently enough to not pose a threat to the main Danube River. Other countries along the river’s banks are making contingency plans in case they are affected by the contamination, but fears of mass pollution seem to have abated.

Nobel Peace Prize - The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Liu Xiaobo, a leading Chinese dissident who is serving an 11-year prison term. Liu was sentenced in 2009 for inciting subversion of state power. He's the co-author of Charter 08, a call for political reform and human rights, and was an adviser to the student protesters at Tiananmen Square in 1989. We're chasing reaction.

France burqa ban - France's law banning the burqa and other Islamic face coverings in public places is legal, top constitutional authorities in France ruled Thursday, clearing the final hurdle before the ban goes into effect.

Sarkozy visits pope - The twice-divorced French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, is scheduled to visit Pope Benedict XVI, and the discussions are expected to include France’s crackdown on and deportation of thousands of the country’s Roma and Gypsy populations.

Ryan Giggs interview - Ryan Giggs of Manchester United is the most decorated footballer to have played in England's top division, yet as a Welsh international, now retired, he has never played for his country at a major competition. Alex Thomas sits down with Giggs to find out the secret behind his unprecedented success at club level. 

Turkish PM in Germany - The Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is scheduled to visit Germany from October 8 to 10.

Russian rocket - A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying three astronauts has taken off from Kazakhstan destined for the International Space Station.