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☆ Kamala Harris Pushes the Envelope as Biden Struggles With Some Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +7 min

Harris' evolving role comes as progressive Democrats target Biden over his pro-Israel stance, polls show him in a tight race against Republican rival Donald Trump. While some have knocked Harris's performance as vice president and value to the reelection campaign in the past, she's moved into a starring role. Current and former Harris aides disputed the idea of any difference in policy between Biden, characterizing their efforts as a difference in tone and emphasis. Biden cannot emphasize divisive cultural issues without alienating more conservative voters he needs to win, current and former aides said. If Trump wins white voters, the largest U.S. racial group, for the third election in a row, Biden needs a dominant showing among a diverse set of groups that typically favor Democrats.

Persons: Trevor Hunnicutt, Joe, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Harris, Biden, Donald Trump ., she's, Abbas Alawieh, She's, Dave Cavell, HARRIS Biden, Trump, Read, Arlene Eiras, Nandita Bose, Heather Timmons, Deepa Babington, Chizu Organizations: White, U.S, Republican, Trump, Hamas, Democratic, Freedoms, Reuters, Puerto Rican, Biden, Harris, Read Reuters Locations: Gaza, Selma, Alabama, Parkland , Florida, Israel, Minneapolis, Wisconsin , Michigan, Pennsylvania, U.S, San Juan, United States, Caribbean, Washington

☆ Second Trump Presidency Would Axe Biden Climate Agenda, Gut Energy Regulators
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +7 min

Much of that work could go up in smoke if his likely rival Donald Trump beats him at the polls in November, according to Republican policy advisers. Reuters spoke with a dozen Republican policy consultants and former Trump administration officials who are helping lay the groundwork for a second Trump presidency to sketch out the administration's likely approach to energy and environmental issues. Trump formally withdrew the U.S. during his first term in office but Biden swiftly reversed the move in 2021. "A big lesson that everybody in the first Trump administration learned was that personnel is really important. The idea of taking a hatchet to the entire IRA could, however, give some oil industry officials and Republican politicians pause, a former Trump administration official said.

Persons: Valerie Volcovici, Gram Slattery WASHINGTON, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Stephen Moore, Trump's, Larry Kudlow, David Bernhardt, Rick Perry, Kevin Hassett, Harold Hamm, Biden, George David Banks, Ivanka, Mike McKenna, Diana Furchtgott, Roth, Timothy Gardner, Richard Valdmanis, Deepa Babington Organizations: Republican, United Nations, Trump, Reuters, White, Heritage Foundation, Republicans, Economic, Energy, Biden, America, Policy Institute, Heritage Locations: United States, Paris, Biden's

For the second year in a row, a religious Super Bowl ad campaign promised viewers that Jesus “gets us.”Two commercials shown Sunday night centered Jesus’ message to love your neighbors — even across ideological divides. “Our goal is to really show that Jesus loved and cared for anyone and everyone,” He Gets Us campaign spokesperson Greg Miller told The Associated Press on Monday. The “He Gets Us” campaign is now under a new charitable organization, Come Near, meaning the Servant Foundation is no longer overseeing it. This is the 12th consecutive year the Church of Scientology has premiered a new ad during the Super Bowl, said spokesperson Erin Banks. “The audience of the Super Bowl allows us to do that with the greatest potential reach.”___AP Religion News Editor Holly Meyer and reporter Deepa Bharath contributed.

Persons: Jesus “, Jesus, Greg Miller, Roe, Wade —, —, ”, “, Mark Wahlberg, Erin Banks, Banks, Ron Hubbard’s, Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Mary, ” Miller, Holly Meyer, Deepa Bharath Organizations: Associated Press, Servant Foundation, Defending, Hobby, Paris Olympics, NFL, Republican, Democratic, of Scientology, Mental, “, ”, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP

☆ Myanmar Junta Enforces Mandatory Military Service for Young People
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Myanmar’s junta has declared mandatory military service for all young men and women, state media said on Saturday, as it struggles to contain armed rebel forces fighting for greater autonomy in various parts of the country. All men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 must serve for up to two years, while specialists like doctors aged up to 45 must serve for three years. The service can be extended to a total of five years in the ongoing state of emergency, state media said. Myanmar has been gripped by chaos since the military seized power from an elected government in a 2021 coup. So I want to tell everyone to proudly follow this people's military service law," junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told state media.

Persons: Zaw Min Tun, Deepa Babington Organizations: Reuters Locations: Myanmar, British

☆ I was skeptical about moving into a retirement community. But it's so much fun, and much easier on my adult children.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Deepa Andleigh didn't want to burden her adult sons as they raised families and pursued careers. In 2020, Andleigh moved into Priya Living, a Bay Area retirement home rooted in Indian heritage. AdvertisementMy sons and I had heard about Priya Living, a retirement facility Arun Paul started because he wanted something independent for his Indian parents. Deepa Andleigh Deepa AndleighOn Wednesdays, my friends and I at the facility have chai tea and bring snacks — It's like social law. People should be open-minded about retirement homesPeople who don't believe in retirement homes have to realize that their children have their own lives.

Persons: Deepa Andleigh didn't, Andleigh, —, Deepa Andleigh, Priya, Arun Paul, Rachna Patel, He's, don'ts, I'm, Barbra, Deepa Andleigh Deepa Andleigh, Jawaharlal Nehru, COVID, it's, It's, they're Organizations: Priya, Area, Service, Bay Area, Berkeley University, Cornell University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, India Locations: East Coast, Bay, Saratoga , California, Saratoga, Andleigh, India, Priya, Santa Clara

☆ Trump Sees Diminishing Fundraising Returns From Combative Court Appearances
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

On Dec. 7, when Trump appeared in a Manhattan court for a civil fraud trial, his main fundraising group reported taking in around $200,000 in online contributions. The recent slowdown suggests Trump is getting diminishing returns from his legal problems as he closes in on his Republican Party's nomination to face Democratic incumbent Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 election. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the apparent fundraising slowdown. SLOWDOWNThe smaller daily hauls around Trump's legal problems in late 2023 were part of a broader slowdown in his campaign's fundraising. Trump's legal problems are also showing increasing signs of being a direct drag on the finances of his election effort.

Persons: Jason Lange, Alexandra Ulmer, Andrew Goudsward WASHINGTON, Donald Trump, Trump's, WinRed, Trump, Arthur Engoron, Joe Biden, Jason Cabel Roe, Cabel Roe, Hillary Clinton, Nikki Haley, Trump’s, Christopher Kise, Andrew Goudsward, Scott Malone, Deepa Babington Organizations: Federal, Republican, Democratic, Trump, PAC, South, New Locations: Georgia, Manhattan, WinRed, South Carolina, New York, Washington, San Francisco

JAKE SULLIVAN - THE LAST GUY IN THE ROOMBiden often turns to Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, when he is considering final options and looking for advice and counsel. "He develops and puts forward the policy options before the president for him to decide," said one U.S. official. Sullivan, 47, was national security adviser for Biden when he was vice president and deputy chief of staff to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He gathers policy options from across government agencies and prepares them for Biden to consider, the traditional role of the national security adviser. JON FINER - ASKING QUESTIONSSullivan relies heavily on his deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer.

Persons: Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Evelyn Hockstein, ANTONY BLINKEN, Biden, Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, JAKE SULLIVAN, Sullivan, Jake, Hillary Clinton, BRETT MCGURK, Brett McGurk, McGurk, George W, Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, BILL BURNS, spymaster, Bill Burns, It's, Burns, LLOYD AUSTIN, STARK, Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, Israel, KAMALA HARRIS, Kamala Harris, Harris, ”, JON, Jon, John Kerry's, Kerry, Arshad Mohammed, Nandita Bose, Don Durfee, Heather Timmons, Deepa Babington Organizations: U.S, Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Israeli, Biden, White House, National Security, U.S ., CIA, . Defense, Pentagon, Islamic State, U.S . Army, ISIS, Palestinian, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Washington Post, Thomson Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv, Gaza, East, North Africa, Saudi Arabia, United States, Qatar, Doha, Iran, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Ankara, U.S, Austin, Dubai, West

☆ US compels Saudi fund to exit Altman-backed AI chip startup - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 30 (Reuters) - The Biden administration has forced a Saudi Aramco venture capital firm to sell its shares in a Silicon Valley AI chip startup backed by OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. Altman-backed Rain Neuromorphics, a startup designing chips that mimic the way the brain works and aims to serve companies using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, raised $25 million in 2022. The agency, the primary U.S. watchdog for deals with national security implications, instructed the Saudi fund to unwind that deal sometime over the past year, the report said. Altman and the U.S. Treasury, which oversees the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) process, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The US has taken action that could block AI development in the Middle East.

Persons: Biden, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Altman, Aramco's, Harshita Mary Varghese, Chris Sanders, Arun Koyyur, Sherry Jacob, Phillips, Deepa Babington Organizations: Bloomberg, Foreign Investment, Saudi, U.S . Treasury, Department of Treasury, US, Nvidia, Devices, Thomson Locations: Saudi Aramco, United States, U.S

A Wells Fargo logo is seen in New York City, U.S. January 10, 2017. And they often work unpaid overtime because of chronic understaffing at Wells Fargo branches, according to the lawsuit. Wells Fargo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Michael Scimone, a lawyer for Perez, said Wells Fargo has consistently classified workers as exempt from overtime pay even though they are not managers and lack any decision-making authority. “Companies like Wells Fargo should know better than to withhold overtime pay from workers like Ms. Perez," Scimone said in a statement.

Persons: Stephanie Keith, Wells, Wells Fargo, Sabrina Perez, Perez, Michael Scimone, Scimone, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics . Wells Fargo, Daniel Wiessner, Alexia Garamfalvi, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Fargo & Co, Senior, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics ., Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, San Francisco, Wells Fargo, Albuquerque , New Mexico, Wells, Albuquerque, Alaska, Albany , New York

☆ OpenAI’s New Board Takes Over and Says Microsoft Will Have Observer Role
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Deepa Seetharaman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

OpenAI said late Tuesday that Sam Altman will return to the artificial-intelligence company as CEO, with a new initial board. WSJ reporter Tom Dotan analyzes the latest developments. Photo: John G Mabanglo/ShutterstockOpenAI’s new board formally took over on Wednesday and said it would add an observer role for partner Microsoft , capping a dramatic chapter for the artificial-intelligence startup and launching a new phase of difficult decisions. The new board’s initial three members were decided as part of CEO Sam Altman ’s return last week after the previous board abruptly fired him. The replacement directors’ priorities include creating an independent committee to review the events around Altman’s ouster, said Bret Taylor , the board’s chairman.

Persons: OpenAI, Sam Altman, Tom Dotan, John G Mabanglo, Sam Altman ’, Bret Taylor Organizations: Microsoft

"Monetary policy is in a good place for policymakers to assess incoming information on the economy and financial conditions," Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said on Wednesday. The Fed has kept its policy rate unchanged in the 5.25%-5.50% range since July, and after the last meeting over Oct. 31-Nov. 1, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said he is not yet confident policy is restrictive enough. Fed Governor Christopher Waller, a policy hawk like Mester, on Tuesday delivered a similar assessment. Indeed, Waller said, if the inflation decline continues for several more months, rate cuts could be in order to keep policy from becoming overly tight. Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic, who has for months said the Fed policy rate at 5.25%-5.50% is high enough, said Wednesday he feels data backing that view is getting clearer.

Persons: Sarah Silbiger, Loretta Mester, Mester, Jerome Powell, Christopher Waller, Waller, I'm, Thomas Barkin, Barkin, Raphael Bostic, we’ve, Lindsay Dunsmuir, Deepa Babington Organizations: El Progreso Market, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Cleveland Fed, Richmond Fed, CNBC, Dallas Fed, Reuters, Atlanta Fed, Thomson Locations: El Progreso, Mount Pleasant, Washington ,

☆ UN Chief Says Gaza in Midst of 'Epic Humanitarian Catastrophe'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Michelle NicholsUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday said the Gaza Strip was in the midst of an "epic humanitarian catastrophe", urging the world not to look away. Last-minute negotiations were continuing between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas on Wednesday to extend a truce in Gaza. "The people of Gaza are in the midst of an epic humanitarian catastrophe before the eyes of the world," he said. Hamas is a genocidal terror organization - they don't hide it - not a reliable partner for peace," Erdan told the Security Council. The massacres cannot be allowed to resume," Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told the Security Council.

Persons: Michelle Nichols UNITED, Antonio Guterres, Wang Yi, Guterres, Israel's U.N, Gilad Erdan, Erdan, Israel, Riyad al, Maliki, Michelle Nichols, Kanishka Singh, Deepa Babington Organizations: Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, Reuters, United Nations, . Security, China's, Hamas, Security Council, Palestinian, Security Locations: Gaza, China, Israel, New York, Hamas, Palestine

☆ Mexico president asks lawmakers to let US military trainers into Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 17, 2023. The announcement published Tuesday said President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sought permission for 11 U.S. military personnel to take part in a program called "Strengthening the Capacities of the Special Forces of the Defense Ministry." Lopez Obrador has vigorously defended the principle of Mexican sovereignty, passing measures to restrict the ability of U.S. counter-narcotics agents to operate in Mexico. The U.S. troops are expected to arrive in Mexico with their own weapons, ammunition and equipment, the Senate letter added. For his part, Lopez Obrador has been critical of U.S. anti-narcotics officials operating on Mexican territory, accusing U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents of trampling on Mexican sovereignty.

Persons: Joe Biden, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Kevin Lamarque, Lopez Obrador, Lopez Obrador's, Dave Graham, Drazen Jorgic, Franklin Paul, Deepa Babington Organizations: Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, MEXICO CITY, Mexican Senate, U.S, Special Forces of, Defense Ministry, Special Forces Group, Mexico's Defense Ministry, United States, Drug Enforcement Administration, Thomson Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, MEXICO, Mexican, Mexico, United States, Mexico City, Jan, Iraq, Afghanistan

The U.S. military said the mishap occurred during a routine training mission off the shores of Yakushima Island, about 1,040 km (650 miles) southwest of the capital Tokyo. Another Osprey thought to have been travelling with the crashed aircraft landed safely at the island's airport on Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the local government said. Japan, which also operates Osprey aircraft, said on Wednesday it had asked the U.S. military to investigate the crash. The deployment of the hybrid aircraft in Japan has been controversial, with critics saying it is prone to accidents. In August, a U.S. Osprey crashed off the coast of northern Australia while transporting troops during a routine military exercise, killing three U.S. Marines.

Persons: Kiyoshi Takenaka, Tim Kelly, Kantaro, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, John Geddie, David Dolan, Gerry Doyle, Nick Macfie, Deepa Babington Organizations: Japan Coast Guard, Yakushima Fisheries Cooperative, . Air Force Special, Command, United, ., Boeing, Bell Helicopter, U.S . Air Force, Marines, Navy, Japan Self - Defense Forces, Osprey, U.S, Thomson Locations: Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, TOKYO, U.S, Yakushima, Tokyo, Japan's, United States, Taiwan, Okinawa, Australia

Nov 29 (Reuters) - Synopsys (SNPS.O) on Wednesday forecast first-quarter revenue above Wall Street expectations, as artificial intelligence (AI) adoption boosted demand for the company's chip designing software. Synopsys forecast current-quarter revenue between $1.63 billion and $1.66 billion, above analysts' average estimate of $1.60 billion. The rise in custom chip design efforts by firms like Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Alphabet (GOOGL.O) has also boosted demand. "You need a very specific silicon in order to power that (AI) training," Sassine Ghazi, the company's president and chief operating officer, said of the boom in AI chips in an interview. Ghazi told Reuters that increased use of Synopsys AI services helped boost the value of some of its contracts by 20% at renewal time.

Persons: Sassine Ghazi, Ghazi, Aart de Geus, Synopsys, Harshita Mary Varghese, Shailesh Kuber, Deepa Babington Organizations: Design, Microsoft, Intel, Mercedes, Benz, Reuters, Revenue, Thomson Locations: Sunnyvale , California

☆ In spot bitcoin ETF race, some pioneers stick to the sidelines
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Suzanne Mcgee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The SEC has long rejected spot bitcoin ETF applications on the grounds they do meet its investor protection requirements. Industry hopes that position would shift surged in June when BlackRock (BLK.N), which has an almost unbroken record of SEC ETF approvals, filed for a spot bitcoin ETF. The only prospective issuer to disclose proposed investor fees so far is Ark Investment, which last week announced its spot bitcoin ETF would charge a fee of 0.8%. To be sure, issuers hoping to launch spot bitcoin ETFs have a more bullish outlook than those sticking to the sidelines. Magoon hopes the buzz surrounding a spot bitcoin ETF will draw more assets to Amplify's BLOK ETF.

Persons: Marco Bello, it's, Dave Mazza, Gary Gensler, Michael Sapir, ProShares, Sapir, Roxanna Islam, Aisha Hunt, Kelley, Christian Magoon, Roundhill, Mazza, Magoon, Tom Staudt, Staudt, Suzanne McGee, Michelle Price, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Roundhill Investments, SEC, Industry, BlackRock, Ark Investment, Amplify's, Ark Investments, Thomson Locations: Miami Beach , Florida, U.S, BlackRock, Invesco, Amplify's BLOK

The Amplify Online Retail ETF climbed 0.44% and the ProShares Online Retail ETF ended the regular trading session 0.39% higher. The broader VanEck Retail ETF gained 0.02%, and the SPDR S&P Retail ETF was the only one in the group to post declines. The Amplify ETF's gains have been driven by top holdings like Affirm Holdings (AFRM.O), up 11.97% on Monday and 97% so far in 2023. The VanEck Retail ETF's holdings include Costco, (COST.O), which gained 0.6% Monday and is up more than 30% so far this year. For example, the SPDR S&P Retail ETF trades at $63.64, down from its year high of $75.77.

Persons: Caitlin Ochs, Michael Ashley Schulman, Suzanne McGee, Ira Iosebashvili, Deepa Babington Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Exchange, Shoppers, Adobe Digital, Adobe Inc, Adobe, P, Costco, Nasdaq, P Retail, PwC, Deloitte, Running, Thomson, & $ Locations: New York City, U.S

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken disembarks from his airplane upon arrival at Brussels Airport in Brussels, Belgium, on November 27, 2023, as he travels to a NATO foreign ministers' meeting. "We've always said that this is a matter for Ukraine to decide," O'Brien said. At a press conference in Brussels on Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he expected alliance foreign ministers to "reaffirm NATO’s long-term support" for Ukraine. Turkey has informed NATO that its parliament will not complete ratification of the bid ahead of the meetings, sources told Reuters last week. Blinken will also represent the United States at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Skopje, North Macedonia, this week, O'Brien said.

Persons: Antony Blinken disembarks, SAUL LOEB, Antony Blinken, James O'Brien, Blinken, we've, O'Brien, Biden, We've, Jens Stoltenberg, O, Brien, Stoltenberg, Simon Lewis, Daphne Psaledakis, Andrew Gray, Lisa Shumaker, Chizu Nomiyama, Deepa Babington Organizations: Brussels, NATO, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Ukraine, State Department, Biden, State, Eurasian, U.S . Congress, Germany's, Reuters, Washington, Organization for Security, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Russia, Europe, Gaza, Israel, Washington, Ukraine, United States, Taiwan, Germany, Kyiv, Moscow, Belgian, Turkey, Hungary, U.S, Western Balkans, Kosovo, Skopje, North Macedonia

☆ Explainer: What is Alberta's Sovereignty Act?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Below are some key aspects of the act:WHAT IS THE ALBERTA SOVEREIGNTY ACT? Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act was approved by the legislature in December 2022 after the initial bill was diluted to its current form. The act affirmed that the Alberta legislature, not Smith's cabinet, would have the last word on lawmaking. The Sovereignty Act was one of the most eye-catching policies Smith promised to introduce after becoming premier last year. Former conservative premier Jason Kenney has blasted the Alberta Sovereignty Act as a "full-frontal attack on the rule of law" that risked turning Alberta into a "banana republic".

Persons: Danielle Smith, Todd Korol, Justin Trudeau's, Smith, " Smith, Trudeau, Jason Kenney, Denny Thomas, Rod, Deepa Babington, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Calgary Stampede, REUTERS, Smith's United Conservative Party, Liberal, ACT, Alberta, United, First Nations, Ottawa, federal National Energy Program, Wildrose Party, Reuters, Former, Thomson Locations: Alberta, Calgary , Alberta, Canada, ALBERTA, United Canada, Saskatchewan, Alberta . Alberta, Ottawa

AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken, June 23, 2023. The agreement is non-binding and carries mostly general recommendations such as monitoring AI systems for abuse, protecting data from tampering and vetting software suppliers. In addition to the United States and Britain, the 18 countries that signed on to the new guidelines include Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Australia, Chile, Israel, Nigeria and Singapore. It does not tackle thorny questions around the appropriate uses of AI, or how the data that feeds these models is gathered. Europe is ahead of the United States on regulations around AI, with lawmakers there drafting AI rules.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Biden, Raphael Satter, Diane Bartz, Alexandra Alper, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Sunday, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Security Agency, Congress, White, Thomson Locations: United States, Britain, U.S, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Australia, Chile, Israel, Nigeria, Singapore, Europe, France

The court ruling has called into question Germany's traditionally strict fiscal policy and sparked warnings that German companies could be starved of support to keep them globally competitive. HANDS TIEDThe crisis has sparked calls for reforming the debt brake. "With the debt brake as it is, we have voluntarily tied our hands behind our backs and are going into a boxing match," he said. A poll by broadcaster ZDF suggested only a minority of Germans supported suspending the debt brake. Some 57% wanted the budget shortfall from the court ruling to be covered by spending cuts, 11% favoured tax increases and 23% wanted the state to take on additional debt.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Christian Lindner, Scholz, Lindner, Habeck, Steffen Hebestreit, Holger Hansen, Christian Kraemer, Miranda Murray, Rene Wagner, Matthias Williams, Toby Chopra, Gareth Jones, Deepa Babington Organizations: Climate, Finance, BERLIN, Greens, Social Democrats, Free Democrats, FDP, ZDF, Thomson Locations: Germany, Europe's, East Germany, China

Oil futures traded steady ahead of next week's OPEC+ meeting, which could bring some kind of agreement on output cuts in 2024. Gold futures finished higher as the dollar index slipped against a basket of currencies on Friday. Germany's 10-year government bond yield , the benchmark for the euro area, rose 3 basis points to a 1-1/2-week high. Oil prices were steady after tumbling more than 1% on concerns over a delayed OPEC+ meeting. ($1 = 7.2111 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Chris Prentice in New York, Naomi Rovnick in London and Stella Qiu in Sydney.

Persons: Caitlin Ochs, Germany's DAX, Peter Doherty, Arbuthnot Latham, Robert Holzmann, Pierre Wunsch, Chris Prentice, Naomi Rovnick, Stella Qiu, Toby Chopra, Susan Fenton, Mark Potter, Deepa Babington Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Hamas, P Global, European Central Bank, ECB, Bank of England, Japan's Nikkei, China's CSI, Brent, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, OPEC, Germany, Israel, London, Belgian, Asia, New York, Sydney

[1/7] Hostages released as part of a deal between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas arrive by helicopter at Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel, November 24, 2023. They were then taken to Israel for medical checks and reunions with relatives. The Israeli hostages freed included four children accompanied by four family members, and five elderly women. According to Israeli tallies, Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people in the October attack and took about 240 hostages. In at least three cases, before the prisoners were released, Israeli police raided their families' homes in Jerusalem, witnesses said.

Persons: Ronen, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Cross, Joe Biden, Israel's, Shelly Shem Tov, Omer Shem Tov, Omer, Roni Haviv, Munder, Sawsan Bkeer, Marah Bkeer, Bassam Masoud, James Mackenzie, Henriette Chacar, Jeff Mason, Idrees Ali, Grant McCool, Deepa Babington Organizations: Schneider Children's Medical, REUTERS, Palestinian, Hamas, International Committee, ICRC, U.S, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Israel's, Police, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Petah Tikva, Gaza GAZA, JERUSALEM, Gaza, Rafah, Qatar, Filipino, Palestine, Jerusalem, Egypt

OTTAWA, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Canada's Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday said his main political rival on the right was abandoning Ukraine under the influence of Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner in next year's U.S. election. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in a climate change conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada October 18, 2022. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress, a lobby group, said in a statement it was disappointed Conservatives had voted against the trade agreement. On Thursday Poilievre insisted that he supported Ukraine and a free-trade deal, but "voted against Justin Trudeau forcing a carbon tax into that pre-existing agreement". One of Poilievre's main promises is to "axe" Canada's carbon tax if elected.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Friday, Donald Trump, Pierre Poilievre, Trudeau, MAGA, Blair Gable, Poilievre, Sebastian Skamski, Trump, clobber Trudeau, Steve Scherer, Deepa Babington Organizations: OTTAWA, Liberal, Republican, Conservative, Conservative Party of Canada, Canadian Conservatives, European Union, Trump, Kyiv, Canada's, REUTERS, Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Liberals, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, U.S, Canada, Newfoundland, Ottawa , Ontario, Russia

With the Canadian economy showing signs of a slowdown, money markets are pricing in the first interest rate cuts since March 2020 as soon as April, which would bring down mortgage costs. Still, more home buyers took out fixed-rate mortgages in September compared with a year ago, eschewing variable rate mortgages where the interest rate varies based on current market rates. Since then, the central bank has raised the key interest rate to a 22-year high of 5% in July. The share of fixed rate loans among five-year and three-year mortgages rose to 68% in August compared with 32% a year ago. In the first three weeks of November, 79% of mortgage seekers in Canada opted for a fixed mortgage, said Hanif Bayat, CEO of financial data firm Wowa Leads.

Persons: you've, Macklem, Sophie Tremblay, Hanif Bayat, Wowa, Carolyn Rogers, Rogers, Ryan Sims, William Coyle, Nivedita Balu, Denny Thomas, Deepa Babington Organizations: TORONTO, Bank, Bank of Canada, Montreal, NEW, National Bank analysts, BoC, The Mortgage Group Inc, Bank of, Thomson Locations: Canada, Niagara, Huntsville, Toronto

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