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Scientists have raised concerns about hospitality staff coming into contact with second-hand smoke at work after the Government rowed back on plans to make it illegal to smoke in pub beer gardens. Concerns have also been raised about the “renormalisation” of smoking. Dr Rachel O’Donnell, senior research fellow at the University of Stirling’s Institute for Social Marketing and Health, said restrictions on smoking in outdoor places can “reinforce” a message that smoking “isn’t a socially acceptable thing to do” and could also help smokers to kick the habit. In November, it emerged that the UK Government is to scrap plans to ban smoking in the gardens of pubs and restaurants in England. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the hospitality industry has “taken a real battering in recent years” and it is not “the right time” to ban smoking outside pubs. But smoking and vaping could be banned in other public places in England – such as in playgrounds or outside of schools – under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. According to the World Health Organisation, there is no safe level of second-hand smoke exposure. In a briefing for journalists, Dr O’Donnell said decision-making “should be on the basis of all the evidence that’s available”. She added: “Any debate about legislation on smoking in outdoor settings shouldn’t only focus on air quality and second-hand smoke exposure levels, because the impacts of restrictions in outdoor settings are also evident on our social norms.” Smoke-free outdoor environments “reinforce smoke-free as the acceptable norm”, she said. “This, I think, is a critically important point at a time where in the media, over the last year, we’ve seen various reports and questions as to whether we might be on the cusp of renormalisation of smoking for various reasons, and so smoke-free public environments still have a critically important role to play. “If you reduce opportunities to smoke, it can also help individuals who smoke themselves to reduce the amount they smoke or to make a quit attempt.” Dr O’Donnell said visibility of tobacco products and smoking is a “form of marketing for tobacco companies” as she pointed to studies highlighting the increasing number of tobacco depictions on screen. She went on: “The more often young adults observe smoking around them, the more likely they are to believe that smoking is socially acceptable, which feeds back into this idea of renormalisation of smoking. “So, restrictions on smoking in outdoor public places have other positive knock-on effects, potentially for young people as well, just sending out that clear message that this isn’t a socially acceptable thing to do and see, and this could help to discourage smoking initiation among young people at quite a critical time.” On being exposed to second-hand smoke at work, she added: “I think sometimes when we think about exposure to second-hand smoke in outdoor settings, in pubs, in restaurants, we think about that sort of occasional customer exposure, the nuisance element of it when people are out enjoying a meal with friends, but we also need to be reminded that this is a repeated occupational exposure for those who are working in hospitality and serving drinks and food. “Now, as we’ve already seen, concentrations of second-hand smoke in these settings are generally low, and they’re likely to present a low risk to health for most healthy people. “But ... there’s no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke, and so any individual with pre-existing heart, lung or respiratory conditions may be particularly vulnerable even to low levels of exposure. “We know that second-hand smoke is its known carcinogen, and on that basis those exposed in the hospitality sector have a right to be protected. “On that basis, there’s a need to protect them, as there is anybody in any workplace setting from second-hand smoke exposure in all areas of workplaces and spaces.” Sean Semple, professor of exposure science at the University of Stirling’s Institute for Social Marketing and Health, said: “I think that if I were a policy-maker, which I am not, then I would be looking at those occupational exposures as well. “I have asthma, if I was being occupationally exposed to SHS (second-hand smoke), and knowing that I was one of a very small number of workers now being legally exposed to SHS in the workplace, then I might not be very happy about that.” A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “As part of our 10 Year Health Plan we are shifting focus from sickness to prevention, including tackling the harms of smoking and passive smoking. “The landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill is the biggest public health intervention in a generation and will put us on track towards a smoke-free UK.”Trump team signs agreement to allow Justice to conduct background checks on nominees, staff
Stock market today: Rising tech stocks pull Wall Street to another record
Trump team signs agreement to allow Justice to conduct background checks on nominees, staff
VERIFYING photos claiming to show South Korea protests against martial law
TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Donald Trump that Americans would also suffer if the president-elect follows through on a plan to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products , a Canadian minister who attended their recent dinner said Monday. Trump threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if they don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders with the United States. He said on social media last week that he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders. Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, whose responsibilities include border security, attended a dinner with Trump and Trudeau at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on Friday. Trudeau requested the meeting in a bid to avoid the tariffs by convincing Trump that the northern border is nothing like the U.S. southern border with Mexico . "The prime minister of course spoke about the importance of protecting the Canadian economy and Canadian workers from tariffs, but we also discussed with our American friends the negative impact that those tariffs could have on their economy, on affordability in the United States as well," LeBlanc said in Parliament. If Trump makes good on his threat to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, the price increases that could follow will collide with his campaign promise to give American families a break from inflation. Economists say companies would have little choice but to pass along the added costs, dramatically raising prices for food, clothing, automobiles, alcohol and other goods. The Produce Distributors Association, a Washington trade group, said last week that tariffs will raise prices for fresh fruit and vegetables and hurt U.S. farmers when the countries retaliate. Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the U.S. should Trump follow through on the threat. After his dinner with Trump, Trudeau returned home without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump called the talks “productive” but signaled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. “The idea that we came back empty handed is completely false,” LeBlanc said. “We had a very productive discussion with Mr. Trump and his future Cabinet secretaries. ... The commitment from Mr. Trump to continue to work with us was far from empty handed.” Joining Trump and Trudeau at dinner were Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department, and Mike Waltz, Trump’s choice to be his national security adviser. Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, told The Associated Press on Sunday that “the message that our border is so vastly different than the Mexican border was really understood.” Hillman, who sat at an adjacent table to Trudeau and Trump, said Canada is not the problem when it comes to drugs and migrants. On Monday, Mexico’s president rejected those comments. “Mexico must be respected, especially by its trading partners,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said. She said Canada had its own problems with fentanyl consumption and “could only wish they had the cultural riches Mexico has.” Flows of migrants and seizures of drugs at the two countries’ border are vastly different. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border during the last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. Most of the fentanyl reaching the U.S. — where it causes about 70,000 overdose deaths annually — is made by Mexican drug cartels using precursor chemicals smuggled from Asia. On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol reported 1.53 million encounters with migrants at the southwest border with Mexico between October 2023 and September 2024. That compares to 23,721 encounters at the Canadian border during that time. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports as well. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing for national security. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Trump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban so he can weigh in after he takes office
Vince Fong: We don’t need Newsom to lecture us. We need him to listen to us.
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LeBlanc and Joly offer little details about visit with Trump's team in FloridaWASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the issue. The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by Jan. 19 while the government emphasized its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk. “President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case,” said Trump’s amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case and was written by D. John Sauer, Trump’s choice for solicitor general. The argument submitted to the court is the latest example of Trump inserting himself in national issues before he takes office. The Republican president-elect has already begun negotiating with other countries over his plans to impose tariffs, and he intervened earlier this month in a plan to fund the federal government, calling for a bipartisan plan to be rejected and sending Republicans back to the negotiating table. Trump has also reversed his position on the popular app, having tried to ban it during his first term in office over national security concerns. He joined the app during his 2024 presidential campaign and his team used it to connect with younger voters, especially male voters, by pushing content that was often macho and aimed at going viral. He said earlier this year that he still believed there were national security risks with TikTok, but that he opposed banning it. This month, Trump also met with TikTok CEO Shou Chew at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. The filings Friday come ahead of oral arguments scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. The law was was signed by President Joe Biden in April after it passed Congress with broad bipartisan support. TikTok and ByteDance filed a legal challenge afterwards. Earlier this month, a panel of three federal judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the statute, leading TikTok to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. The brief from Trump said he opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.” In their brief to the Supreme Court on Friday, attorneys for TikTok and its parent company ByteDance argued the federal appeals court erred in its ruling and based its decision on “alleged ‘risks’ that China could exercise control” over TikTok’s U.S. platform by pressuring its foreign affiliates. The Biden administration has argued in court that TikTok poses a national security risk due to its connections to China. Officials say Chinese authorities can compel ByteDance to hand over information on TikTok’s U.S. patrons or use the platform to spread or suppress information. But the government “concedes that it has no evidence China has ever attempted to do so,” TikTok’s legal filing said, adding that the U.S. fears are predicated on future risks. In its filing Friday, the Biden administration said because TikTok “is integrated with ByteDance and relies on its propriety engine developed and maintained in China,” its corporate structure carries with it risk.Many of us have felt it, and now it's official: "brain rot" is the Oxford dictionaries' word of the year. Oxford University Press said Monday that the phrase "gained new prominence in 2024," with its frequency of use increasing 230% from the year before. Oxford defines brain rot as "the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging." And the official 2024 Oxford Word of the Year is... Brain rot 📱🧠 #OxfordWOTY pic.twitter.com/ePgpL28p9H The word of the year is intended to be "a word or expression that reflects a defining theme from the past 12 months." "Brain rot" was chosen by a combination of public vote and language analysis by Oxford lexicographers. It beat five other finalists: demure , slop, dynamic pricing , romantasy and lore. While it may seem a modern phenomenon, the first recorded use of "brain rot" was by Henry David Thoreau in his 1854 ode to the natural world, "Walden." Oxford Languages President Casper Grathwohl said that in its modern sense, "'brain rot' speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time." "It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology. It's not surprising that so many voters embraced the term, endorsing it as our choice this year," he said. Last year's Oxford word of the year was "rizz," a riff on charisma , used to describe someone's ability to attract or seduce another person. Collins Dictionary's 2024 word of the year is "brat" – the album title that became a summer-living ideal.
Warning labels for social media gained swift bipartisan support from dozens of attorneys general after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to establish the requirements earlier this year.The army on Friday traced terrorist attacks in Pakistan to Afghan soil, saying that militant groups were being given "sanctuaries, support, and freedom" to operate unrestrained within Afghan territory. Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the chief military spokesperson, emphasised at a news conference in Rawalpindi that Pakistan would leave no stone unturned to dismantle terrorist networks, and ensure the safety of its citizens. "The army chief holds a clear and firm stance that Pakistan has concerns over the safe havens, facilitation, and unrestrained activities of proscribed organisations operating from the Afghan soil," Lt-Gen Chaudhry, the director general of the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), told the news conference. The military spokesperson said that terrorist groups based in Afghanistan were carrying out attacks in Pakistan and emphasised that "Pakistan will leave no stone unturned to dismantle terrorist networks and ensure the safety of its citizens." He said that for the first time ever, there was a clear and comprehensive policy on Afghanistan. He warned that status quo was no more acceptable. "Afghanistan will have to choose its bilateral relations with Pakistan over Fitna Alkhawarij," he stressed. This ISPR statement came amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. The Foreign Office on Thursday confirmed an intelligence-based operation against militants near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border but refrained from specifically mentioning the operation was carried out inside Afghanistan. Earlier this week, the Afghan government summoned a senior Pakistani diplomat in Kabul to record a formal protest. Against this backdrop, the DG ISPR made it clear that Pakistan would do whatever it could to ensure security of its citizens. During the press conference, a journalist raised a question mentioning former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan's criticism of Pakistan's Afghan policy, suggesting that issues should be resolved through dialogue. In response, the ISPR chief stated, "Pakistan has been engaging with the Afghan interim government for the past two years, directly asking them to prevent their soil from being used for terrorism." Without directly naming the former government or Imran, he remarked, "When the backbone of terrorists was broken in 2021, who decided to resettle them through negotiations? We are all paying the price for those decisions." He added: "It is now evident who insisted in 2021 on negotiating with these militants, and Pakistan, especially Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, is bearing the consequences of that stubbornness." Defending the verdict of the military court in relation to the May 9, 2023 cases, Lt-Gen Chaudhry termed the violent protests by the PTI as "political terrorism," and said that those protests, along with the 2014 attack on parliament and other government buildings, as well as the violent events of May 9, were part of a "cycle of negative politics and violence." Without directly naming the PTI, he referred to its protests of last month as a "November conspiracy", which he said, were driven by a mindset of political terrorism. "November 26 riots were the November Conspiracy and it was political He stated that the military court had completed sentencing all those involved in the riots based on evidence and testimonies, adding: "Pakistan will take its decisions independently, undeterred by any foreign pressures." He stated that the perspective of the armed forces on May 9 was crystal clear. "This is not just the military's case; it is the nation's case. If an armed or violent group tries to impose its will and thinking without being stopped according to the Constitution, where will this society be headed?" he asked. The ISPR chief emphasised that the cases related to May 9 in anti-terrorism courts (ATCs) should also reach their logical conclusion, and the "planners and heinous characters" behind those acts must be punished. Lt-Gen Chaudhry also said that this "negative politics" in the country was being fuelled by "fake news". He highlighted the example of May 9 being labelled as a "false flag operation" or holding the military and other institutions responsible for it. When asked about the court martial of former Inter-spymaster Lt-Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, he described the trial of former director general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) as a true example of the army's accountability system. The system, he said, was "unparalleled and unique and doesn't care for the rank and stature" while dispensing justice. "If anyone works for his own interests in army, this accountability system comes into play no matter what." He stressed that army had professional relationship with every government and it should not be given any political colour. "It's positive development that political parties are engaging in talks on the issues with each other." During the press conference, the chief military spokesperson also addressed the country's overall security situation, ongoing security operations, border issues, as well as answered political questions posed by journalists. At the beginning of the news conference, he discussed the security operations conducted this year. "This year, security forces and the law-enforcement agencies [LEAs] have conducted a total of 59,775 successful intelligence-based operations [IBOs] against terrorists and their facilitators," he said. "During these successful operations, 925 terrorists, including members of the Khawarij faction, were killed, while hundreds were arrested." He added that more militants were eliminated this year than in the past five years, including 73 high-value targets and 27 Afghan extremists. During the press conference, the spokesperson also highlighted that in Balochistan, militants were "indoctrinating innocent people and using young boys and girls for armed rebellion against the state, which is a shameful act." He further said that 383 officers and LEA personnel were also martyred during these operations across the country. He described the ongoing situation in ?the Kurram district as a "clear example of misplaced priorities and a case of bad governance, weak legal system and lack of interest by provincial government on administrative issues of the province. "The K-P government has to focus on resolving this issue," he stressed. Regarding India, the military spokesperson said, "We are fully aware of the threats posed by India on the eastern border." He mentioned that this year, India committed 25 ceasefire violations, engaged in 564 incidents of unprovoked firing, and violated Pakistani airspace 61 times. (With inputs from news desk) COMMENTS Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. For more information, please see our
Fianna Fail and Fine Gael eye independent TDs as option to secure Dail majorityNEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction , arguing continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.“ In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that dismissal is warranted because of the “overwhelming national mandate granted to him by the American people on November 5, 2024.” They also cited President Joe Biden’s recent pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, who was convicted of tax and gun charges . “President Biden asserted that his son was ‘selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,’ and ‘treated differently,’" Trump’s legal team wrote. The Manhattan district attorney, they claimed, engaged in the type of political theater "that President Biden condemned.” Prosecutors will have until Dec. 9 to respond. They have said they will fight any efforts to dismiss the case but indicated a willingness to delay the sentencing until after Trump’s second term ends in 2029. In their filing Monday, Trump's attorneys dismissed the idea of holding off sentencing until Trump is out of office as a “ridiculous suggestion.” Following Trump’s election victory last month, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed his sentencing, previously scheduled for late November, to allow the defense and prosecution to weigh in on the future of the case. He also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier. He says they did not and denies wrongdoing. Taking a swipe at Bragg and New York City, as Trump often did throughout the trial, the filing argues that dismissal would also benefit the public by giving him and “the numerous prosecutors assigned to this case a renewed opportunity to put an end to deteriorating conditions in the City and to protect its residents from violent crime.” Clearing Trump, the lawyers added, also would allow him to “to devote all of his energy to protecting the Nation.” The defense filing was signed by Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who represented Trump during the trial and since were selected by the president-elect to fill senior roles at the Justice Department. A dismissal would erase Trump’s historic conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. Trump takes office Jan. 20. Merchan hasn’t set a timetable for a decision. Merchan could also decide to uphold the verdict and proceed to sentencing, delay the case until Trump leaves office, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court or choose some other option. Prosecutors cast the payout as part of a Trump-driven effort to keep voters from hearing salacious stories about him. Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels. Trump later reimbursed him, and Trump’s company logged the reimbursements as legal expenses — concealing what they really were, prosecutors alleged. Trump pledged to appeal the verdict if the case is not dismissed. He and his lawyers said the payments to Cohen were properly categorized as legal expenses for legal work. A month after the verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that ex-presidents can’t be prosecuted for official acts — things they did in the course of running the country — and that prosecutors can’t cite those actions to bolster a case centered on purely personal, unofficial conduct. Trump’s lawyers cited the ruling to argue that the hush money jury got some improper evidence, such as Trump’s presidential financial disclosure form, testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made during his first term. Prosecutors disagreed and said the evidence in question was only “a sliver” of their case. If the verdict stands and the case proceeds to sentencing, Trump’s punishments would range from a fine to probation to up to four years in prison — but it’s unlikely he’d spend any time behind bars for a first-time conviction involving charges in the lowest tier of felonies. Because it is a state case, Trump would not be able to pardon himself once he returns to office. Presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes.
By Lawrence Delevingne (Reuters) -Stocks in the U.S. and Europe were mixed on Monday, while the dollar gained versus the euro, amid political turmoil in France and positive signals for the U.S. economy. French equities finished little changed in choppy trading after politicians there planned a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Michel Barnier, a move likely to cause the French government to collapse this week. Broader European shares pulled back on the news but still finished the day up 0.66% on the day. In the U.S., data showed manufacturing contracted at a moderate pace in November, with orders growing for the first time in eight months and factories facing significantly lower prices for inputs. More economic data is expected this week, including the key monthly jobs report on Friday. Wall Street stocks were mixed, with a boost from technology shares such as Facebook parent Meta Platforms and Amazon.com Inc, which gained 3.2% and 1.4%, respectively, although Intel fell 0.5% after the faltering American chipmaker announced CEO Pat Gelsinger’s retirement. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.29% to 44,782, the S&P 500 rose 0.24% to 6,047 and the Nasdaq Composite rose about 1% to 19,403. “We are seeing a bit of a reversal of the last few weeks with tech leadership returning and rallies in financials and cyclicals pausing,” John Belton, portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds in New York, said in an email. Belton added that data points released over the weekend suggested Black Friday spending was above expectations, with particular strength seen in e-commerce sales. The euro sank around 0.75% to $1.0498, as the dollar got a boost over the weekend as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump warned BRICS emerging nations against trying to replace the greenback with any other currency. The euro has lost 14% over three months, partly on concern the euro zone economy might need deeper interest rate cuts than expected from the European Central Bank. [EMRG/FRX] Amid the political drama in France, the risk premium that investors demand to hold French government debt jumped. The gap between France and Germany’s 10-year bond yields – a measure of French borrowing costs compared with the euro zone benchmark – rose about 7 basis points to 87 bps, although it remained below last week’s 12-year high of 90 bps . “Heightened political uncertainty could also play a role at the margin in keeping alive market expectations for larger 50 bps ECB rate cut this month although the hard economic data is not fully supportive,” MUFG currency strategist Lee Hardman said. Global stocks edged higher, leaving the MSCI All-World index up about 0.3%. DOLLAR, U.S. BOND YIELDS FIRM The Federal Reserve is in focus and Friday’s monthly payrolls report could be the deciding factor when policymakers consider whether to cut rates again on Dec. 18. A number of Fed officials are due to speak this week, including Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday. Traders put the odds of a quarter-point reduction at about 60%. Fed Governor Christopher Waller said on Monday he was inclined to cut the benchmark interest rate as monetary policy remained restrictive enough to keep putting downward pressure on inflation, while the labor market was roughly in balance, something the Fed wants to maintain. In Treasury markets, the yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes was flat on the day at 4.194%. That has left the dollar index, which measures the currency against six others, up 0.33% at 106.39, having gained 1.8% in November. In Asia, mainland Chinese shares closed up 0.8%, following a robust reading in a private manufacturing survey on Monday. The yen, meanwhile, was steady near Friday’s six-week high of 149.47. Gold slipped 0.6% to $2,637 an ounce, under pressure from the strong dollar, after sliding more than 3% in November, its worst monthly performance since September 2023. [GOL/] Oil prices were steady, as optimism around strong factory activity in China was largely offset by concerns the Fed will not cut U.S. rates again at its December meeting. [O/R] In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin fell 1.88% to $95,619.00. (Reporting by Lawrence Delevingne in Boston and Amanda Cooper in London. Additional reporting by Kevin Buckland in Tokyo and Ankur Banerjee in Singapore; Editing by Shri Navaratnam, Ed Osmond, Jan Harvey, Alexander Smith, Gareth Jones, Jonathan Oatis and David Gregorio) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );By Lawrence Delevingne (Reuters) -Stocks in the U.S. and Europe were mixed on Monday, while the dollar gained versus the euro, amid political turmoil in France and positive signals for the U.S. economy. French equities finished little changed in choppy trading after politicians there planned a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Michel Barnier, a move likely to cause the French government to collapse this week. Broader European shares pulled back on the news but still finished the day up 0.66% on the day. In the U.S., data showed manufacturing contracted at a moderate pace in November, with orders growing for the first time in eight months and factories facing significantly lower prices for inputs. More economic data is expected this week, including the key monthly jobs report on Friday. Wall Street stocks were mixed, with a boost from technology shares such as Facebook parent Meta Platforms and Amazon.com Inc, which gained 3.2% and 1.4%, respectively, although Intel fell 0.5% after the faltering American chipmaker announced CEO Pat Gelsinger’s retirement. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.29% to 44,782, the S&P 500 rose 0.24% to 6,047 and the Nasdaq Composite rose about 1% to 19,403. “We are seeing a bit of a reversal of the last few weeks with tech leadership returning and rallies in financials and cyclicals pausing,” John Belton, portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds in New York, said in an email. Belton added that data points released over the weekend suggested Black Friday spending was above expectations, with particular strength seen in e-commerce sales. The euro sank around 0.75% to $1.0498, as the dollar got a boost over the weekend as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump warned BRICS emerging nations against trying to replace the greenback with any other currency. The euro has lost 14% over three months, partly on concern the euro zone economy might need deeper interest rate cuts than expected from the European Central Bank. [EMRG/FRX] Amid the political drama in France, the risk premium that investors demand to hold French government debt jumped. The gap between France and Germany’s 10-year bond yields – a measure of French borrowing costs compared with the euro zone benchmark – rose about 7 basis points to 87 bps, although it remained below last week’s 12-year high of 90 bps . “Heightened political uncertainty could also play a role at the margin in keeping alive market expectations for larger 50 bps ECB rate cut this month although the hard economic data is not fully supportive,” MUFG currency strategist Lee Hardman said. Global stocks edged higher, leaving the MSCI All-World index up about 0.3%. DOLLAR, U.S. BOND YIELDS FIRM The Federal Reserve is in focus and Friday’s monthly payrolls report could be the deciding factor when policymakers consider whether to cut rates again on Dec. 18. A number of Fed officials are due to speak this week, including Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday. Traders put the odds of a quarter-point reduction at about 60%. Fed Governor Christopher Waller said on Monday he was inclined to cut the benchmark interest rate as monetary policy remained restrictive enough to keep putting downward pressure on inflation, while the labor market was roughly in balance, something the Fed wants to maintain. In Treasury markets, the yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes was flat on the day at 4.194%. That has left the dollar index, which measures the currency against six others, up 0.33% at 106.39, having gained 1.8% in November. In Asia, mainland Chinese shares closed up 0.8%, following a robust reading in a private manufacturing survey on Monday. The yen, meanwhile, was steady near Friday’s six-week high of 149.47. Gold slipped 0.6% to $2,637 an ounce, under pressure from the strong dollar, after sliding more than 3% in November, its worst monthly performance since September 2023. [GOL/] Oil prices were steady, as optimism around strong factory activity in China was largely offset by concerns the Fed will not cut U.S. rates again at its December meeting. [O/R] In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin fell 1.88% to $95,619.00. (Reporting by Lawrence Delevingne in Boston and Amanda Cooper in London. Additional reporting by Kevin Buckland in Tokyo and Ankur Banerjee in Singapore; Editing by Shri Navaratnam, Ed Osmond, Jan Harvey, Alexander Smith, Gareth Jones, Jonathan Oatis and David Gregorio) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );