wild ace bingo plus NoneParis stocks wobbled and the euro fell Monday as a budget standoff in France fueled concern about the eurozone's second-biggest economy. Positive data from China helped boost equity markets elsewhere, with Germany's DAX index hitting a record above 19,900 points. Oil prices rose on hopes of higher Chinese demand, while on Wall Street, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq logged fresh records too. The euro sat near 14-month lows as opposition to France's belt-tightening draft budget threatens to topple the government. Prime Minister Michel Barnier faces the risk of being deposed by a hostile parliament as his government presents a social security financing plan Monday that has the opposition up in arms. Lacking a majority, Barnier used executive powers to force through the legislation without a vote. The move exposes him to a no-confidence vote, likely on Wednesday, with the left wing and the far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen saying they will back a motion bringing down the government. Le Pen "has the power to destroy Barnier and his mission to get France on a sustainable fiscal track," said Kathleen Brooks, research director at traders XTB. The yield on French government debt rose in another sign of investor concern. France must now pay as much to borrow for 10 years as Greece. Paris stocks, which wobbled in afternoon trading, ended the day flat. They were also weighed down by Stellantis, the multi-brand auto giant, whose shares fell more than six percent after chief executive Carlos Tavares abruptly resigned. US stocks closed mostly higher, with Jack Ablin of Cresset Capital noting the market remains in good shape. Among individual companies, Super Micro Computer surged 28.7 percent after a committee found "no evidence" of misconduct at the firm. Shares in Intel slipped 0.5 percent after the chipmaker, which has struggled to tap into the growth of artificial intelligence that has fueled the rise of rival Nvidia, announced that chief executive Pat Gelsinger had retired. Asian traders began the month on the front foot after a rollercoaster ride since Donald Trump's reelection warning that he would hit China, Canada and Mexico with hefty tariffs on his first day in office as US president. Hong Kong and Shanghai were among the best performers after data showed that Chinese manufacturing activity expanded at a faster clip than expected in November. The figures provided some hope that the world's number-two economy was turning a corner after a lengthy slowdown, with analysts pointing to a raft of support measures unveiled at the end of September. "The big unknown is whether the stimulus efforts will have a long-lasting effect or just a short-term boost," said Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell. Tokyo rose and the yen held recent gains at around 150 per dollar on increasing bets of another Bank of Japan interest rate increase, after last week's forecast-topping Tokyo inflation report. BoJ Governor Kazuo Ueda said in an interview with the Nikkei business daily published Sunday that increases were "nearing in the sense that economic data are on track." New York - Dow: DOWN 0.3 percent at 44,782.00 points (close) New York - S&P 500: UP 0.2 percent at 6,047.15 (close) New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.8 percent at 19,403.95 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.3 at 8,312.89 (close) Paris - CAC 40: FLAT at 7,236.89 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.6 percent at 19,933.62 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.8 percent at 38,513.02 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.7 percent at 19,550.29 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.1 percent at 3,363.98 (close) Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0499 from $1.0580 Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2654 from $1.2739 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 149.54 yen from 149.60 yen on Friday Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.97 from 83.04 pence Brent North Sea Crude: FLAT at $71.83 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.2 percent at $68.10 per barrel burs-rl/rlp/bys/

Ballroom Blitz review: Adam Clayton’s celebration of Irish showbands hints at the burden of being in U2

Popular podcast host Joe Rogan and SpaceX Founder Elon Musk have responded to a brazen attack from ABC chair Kim Williams. Mr Williams was asked about the “Rogan effect” while speaking at the National Press Club on Wednesday. The “Rogan effect” refers to The Joe Rogan Experience podcast which has become wildly popular, especially with young men, and has made him one of the most influential online figures in the world. “I am not a consumer or enthusiast about Mr Rogan and his work,” Mr Williams said. He said, acknowledging he was not one of his “three billion” audience. “I think that people like Mr Rogan prey on people’s vulnerabilities. They prey on fear.” “They prey on anxiety. They prey on all of the elements that contribute to uncertainty in society, and they entrepreneur fantasy outcomes and conspiracy outcomes as being a normal part of social narrative.” “I personally find it deeply repulsive ... to think that someone has such remarkable power,” he added. “I’m also absolutely in dismay that this can be a source of public entertainment, when it’s really treating the public as plunder for entrepreneurs that are really quite malevolent.” Rogan acknowledge the attack on X after Williams’ attack, writing: “LOL WUT.” Mr Musk shared the Rogan’s tweet, adding: “From the head of Australian government-funded media, their Pravda,” likening Mr Williams to the Russian Communist Party newspaper. Mr Williams take town of the ratings winning podcaster came as he admitted the ABC had weakened. As our nation has become richer, our nation’s broadcaster has become much poorer,” Mr Williams said. Max Corstorphan Nicola SmithSynaptics SVP sells $33,030 in stock under trading plan

A recent study that recommended toxic chemicals in black plastic products be immediately thrown away included a math error that significantly overstated the risks of contamination, but its authors are standing by their conclusions and warn against using such products. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Chemosphere , experts from the nonprofit Toxic-Free Future said they detected flame retardants and other toxic chemicals in 85% of 203 items made of black plastic including kitchen utensils , take-out containers, children's toys and hair accessories. In a blog post, Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society in Canada, explained that the Toxin-Free Future scientists miscalculated the lower end of what the EPA considered a health risk through a multiplication error. Instead of humans being potentially exposed to a dose of toxic chemicals in black plastic utensils near the minimum level that the EPA deems a health risk, it's actually about one-tenth of that. (Dreamstime/TNS) The study initially said the potential exposure to chemicals found in one of the kitchen utensils approached the minimum levels the Environmental Protection Agency deemed a health risk. People are also reading... But in an update to the study, the authors say they made an error in their calculations and the real levels were "an order of magnitude lower" than the EPA's thresholds. The error was discovered by Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society in Canada. In a blog post, Schwarcz explained that the Toxin-Free Future scientists miscalculated the lower end of what the EPA considered a health risk through a multiplication error. Instead of humans being potentially exposed to a dose of toxic chemicals in black plastic utensils near the minimum level that the EPA deems a health risk, it's actually about one-tenth of that. Though Schwarcz said the risks outlined in the study aren't enough for him to discard his black plastic kitchen items if he had them, he agreed with the authors that flame retardants shouldn't be in these products in the first place. "The math error does not impact the study's findings, conclusions or recommendations," said Megan Liu, a co-author of the study who is the science and policy manager for Toxic-Free Future . She added that any traces of flame retardants or toxic chemicals in cooking utensils should be concerning for the public. Flame retardants are getting into commonly used items because black-colored products are being made from recycled electronic waste, such as discarded television sets and computers, that frequently contain the additives. When they're heated, the flame retardants and other toxic chemicals can migrate out. If you're wondering whether your old black plastic spoon or other utensils are a part of this group, Liu shared some more guidance. Generally, how do I know a product is harmful? It's nearly impossible to know whether a black plastic product is contaminated. That's because these products that include recycled e-waste don't disclose a detailed list of all ingredients and contaminants in the product. Liu said it's also unclear how many types of flame retardants are in these black plastic products. Some of the products that researchers tested in this recent study "had up to nine different harmful chemicals and harmful flame retardants in them," she said. How can I find out if black plastic food trays are made with recycled contaminated plastic? Anytime you're looking for the type of recycled plastic a product is made of you're going to look for a number within the chasing arrows (that form a triangle) logo. Recycling symbols are numbered 1 to 7 and we commonly associate the numbers with what we can toss in our blue recycling bins. The 1 through 7 numbers stand for, respectively, polyethylene terephthalate, high-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene or Styrofoam, and miscellaneous plastics (including polycarbonate, polylactide, acrylic, acrylonitrile butadiene, styrene, fiberglass and nylon). The study found higher levels of toxic flame retardants in polystyrene plastic, which is labeled with the number 6, said Liu. Microplastics are everywhere, but are they harming us? When did recycled e-waste begin contaminating black plastic products? There isn't a definitive timeline of when recycled electronic-waste started to be incorporated into black plastic products specifically, but e-waste started to get recycled in the early 2000s, Liu said. The way computers, cellphones, stereos, printers and copiers were being disposed of previously was to simply add them to a landfill without reusing salvageable parts. But as the National Conference of State Legislatures notes, electronics production required a significant amount of resources that could be recovered through recycling. Recovering resources such as metals, plastics and glass through recycling used a fraction of the energy needed to mine new materials. However, the study pointed out that flame retardants and other chemical contaminates have been detected in and near e-waste recycling facilities, in indoor air and dust at formal e-waste recycling facilities in Canada, China, Spain and the U.S. It also noted contamination in soil samples surrounding e-waste recycling sites in China and Vietnam. What are safer alternatives? The safest nontoxic material options for kitchen utensil are wood and stainless steel. Single-use plastics revolutionized the medical industry. Now, they're raising concerns about sustainability. Single-use plastics revolutionized the medical industry. Now, they're raising concerns about sustainability. The 20th century brought airplanes, radio, television, the internet, and plastic. Lots of plastic. That plastic is now showing up on shorelines, forming islands in oceans, and generating mountains of translucent trash on land. Around 700 species of animals in the sea have been found to interact with plastic daily. Companies across every industry face pressure to reduce the amount of plastic they produce. Seventy-two percent of the world's largest have made voluntary commitments to reduce their plastic waste, according to a Duke University analysis. One industry, in particular, has greatly benefited from advancements in single-use plastic technology: the medical industry. Only in recent years have businesses and academics in the field begun to talk about minimizing their impact on our environment like beverage manufacturers and other consumer goods-producing businesses. Medical Technology Schools analyzed academic studies published in the National Library of Medicine , the American Medical Association , and news reports to shed light on the medical community's use of plastics through history, their environmental problems, and proposed solutions to reduce their impact. And the impact can be significant. A single hospital patient generates nearly 34 pounds of waste a day —as much as a quarter of it is plastic. The COVID-19 pandemic only worsened the problem. Plastic medical waste booms during COVID-19 The pandemic pushed hospital capacity to the brink and led to a massive increase in personal protective equipment and medical supply usage. Medical-grade masks and other protective equipment like face shields, made mostly of nonrenewable plastics, were in high demand. In 2020, the World Health Organization estimated that the international need for PPE manufacturing would boost 40% to address the public health crisis. Hospitals needed an estimated 89 million masks, 76 million gloves, and 1.6 million goggles every month of the pandemic. To date, nearly 677 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, each requiring their own plastic syringe, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Global consulting firm Frost & Sullivan estimated that the U.S. would produce a year's worth of medical waste in just two months due to the pandemic. The World Economic Forum warned that the COVID-19 crisis threatened to " stall and even reverse progress " to reduce large plastic waste. It's a challenge researchers acknowledge today as they search for solutions. Convenience gives way to cleanliness Plastics introduced an era of ultraconvenience to the world. It makes our clothes. It's made bike helmets and airbags possible. And it's a cheap material to produce, meaning it's cheap for consumers too. Almost as importantly, it's durable and incredibly easy to make into complex shapes—a trait that helped plastics invented in the mid-20th century quickly replace more expensive metal and wooden goods. That adoption extended to the medical field, where the single-use nature of plastics represented a move toward more hygienic tools for physicians and hospitals. But it wasn't plastic's sanitary qualities that the industry first latched onto. Like so many other technical advancements, convenience and cost were the initial driving factors. That they were more conducive to creating a sterile environment for patients was a benefit that health care began to tout closer to the end of the 20th century. PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, replaced glass bottles previously used to hold IV solution and replaced rubber tubing used throughout hospital settings. Plastic has also become the go-to material for making syringes and catheters. Plastic products are generally made from chemicals derived from the oil and natural gas refining process. Chemists use those byproducts to create synthetic materials with malleable and durable chemical structures. The low cost of these materials has helped medical device-makers support better health outcomes for communities across the U.S. since the 1900s. No longer was health care priced at rates only the elite could afford—it was accessible to a much larger swath of the public. In the last decade, the U.S., in particular, has emerged as a massive market for medical plastics. The country generally accounts for nearly half of the global market for medical devices. Plastic's durability is not only a benefit but a detriment to the environment, as the material can take many years to deteriorate when it enters landfills or trashes oceans. Estimates vary widely, but scientists ballpark that depending on the kind of plastic and the environment in which it decomposes, it could take dozens to thousands of years to break down entirely. Waste could pile higher, faster in the coming years COVID-19, which remains a burden for health care systems, isn't the only force raising the stakes for a health care industry pressured to reduce reliance on plastics or find ways to reuse them. Global annual production of plastic has doubled in the last two decades , according to the Environmental Protection Agency. As the U.S. looks toward the future, its aging population is another factor that could exacerbate the rate at which medical plastics end up in landfills. People require more medical care as they age, and aging baby boomers are expected to place increased demand on the medical device industry. At the same time, governments are under pressure to lower health care costs, which have become unaffordable even for those insured . Organizations work to implement environmentally conscious plastic waste management As recently as 2021, researchers lamented a lack of data on efforts to recycle medical plastics. Around 350 hospitals participate in Practice Greenhealth's Environmental Excellence Awards . Practice Greenhealth is an organization working to help hospitals increase their sustainability. It's one of the few sources of hospital sustainability data, and its roster of participating hospitals represents a small fraction of the more than 6,000 hospitals operating in the U.S. To meet the need to reduce plastic waste generation, some hospitals are moving away from using plastic in certain applications. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center replaced health care workers' disposable plastic isolation gowns with reusable cloth gowns at its hospitals in the last decade, saving money and preventing literal tons of medical waste. It also implemented a process for sterilizing and incinerating the boxes that hold used needles, allowing them to be reassembled and reused in a health care setting. Recycling plastic medical waste is complicated by the potential for contamination and the need to separate contaminated and noncontaminated waste; once separated, they can be broken down with heat or treated with chemicals and reprocessed. However, using chemical methods to break down and dispose of plastics has drawbacks. Over 200 nongovernmental organizations signed a letter in 2023 urging the Biden administration to end federal support for methods like these, arguing they generate toxic pollutants. The Vinyl Council of Australia is working with hospitals to recover used materials made of PVC . The materials are broken down into tiny pieces, washed and heated at high temperatures, and remade into things used outside medical settings. In the U.S. and Europe, there's the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council, a coalition of companies working in the health care device space that includes DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, and Medtronic. In 2021, the HPRC, advised by professionals at Kaiser Permanente and other health systems, rolled out a medical waste recycling pilot project with hopes of scaling it across more hospitals. Story editing by Ashleigh Graf. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Clarese Moller. This story originally appeared on Medical Technology Schools and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Build your health & fitness knowledge Sign up here to get the latest health & fitness updates in your inbox every week!Police File Criminal Complaint Against Philippines VP Sara Duterte for Assaulting Security – Days After Threatening to Kill President

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