Friday, March 13

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Swedish minister’s staff insist on banana-free rooms due to ‘weirdest phobia’ | World News
Business

Swedish minister’s staff insist on banana-free rooms due to ‘weirdest phobia’ | World News

A Swedish minister's phobia of bananas has led officials to insist rooms are free of the fruit ahead of any meeting or visit, according to reports.The instructions from Gender Equality Minister Paulina Brandberg's staff were seen in leaked emails published by Expressen. The tabloid quoted one of the leaked messages - sent to the Norwegian Judicial Agency ahead of a VIP lunch - as saying that she "has a strong allergy to bananas, so it would be appreciated that there are no bananas in the areas where she will be staying".Read more from Sky News:Scottish health secretary 'sorry' after chauffeur tripsBaby red panda scared to death by fireworksA similar email, reportedly sent to the County Administrative Board, said: "No bananas are allowed on the premises either." Brandberg told Expressen tha...
Snap election before Trump sworn in would be best for Canada: ex-minister – National
Politics

Snap election before Trump sworn in would be best for Canada: ex-minister – National

Descrease article font size Increase article font size Former Liberal deputy prime minister John Manley says it would be in Canada’s best interest to hold an election as soon as possible. In a recent Global News interview, Manley said he is worried that an election after U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration would mean the incoming federal government would be ill-equipped to navigate the incoming administration.“It would be in the country’s interest if we were to have our federal election and put a government in place, whether the current one or a different one, in time to deal with what’s coming out of Washington after Jan. 20,” Manley said.Trump has vowed to impose more tariffs on trade partners, though some argue Canadian oil may...
Elon Musk hints 80-hour-a-week DOGE job for ‘high-IQ revolutionaries’ will be unpaid | US News
Business

Elon Musk hints 80-hour-a-week DOGE job for ‘high-IQ revolutionaries’ will be unpaid | US News

"Super high-IQ revolutionaries" who are willing to work 80+ hours a week are being urged to join Elon Musk's new cost-cutting department in Donald Trump's incoming US government.The X and Tesla owner will co-lead the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. And in a post on X, the official DOGE account put out a call to arms for people to sign up and help "dismantle government bureaucracy".The post said: "We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE."We don't need more part-time idea generators. "We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting."If that's you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vi...
Who is Davina McCall’s partner Michael Douglas? Hairstylist remains by presenter’s side during brain tumour op
Life Style

Who is Davina McCall’s partner Michael Douglas? Hairstylist remains by presenter’s side during brain tumour op

Davina McCall has become a staple of British television over the past three decades, presenting the likes of Big Brother and a host of other programmes. While she may be used to helping others share their stories, the 56-year-old – and her partner Michael Douglas – took to Instagram on Friday to announce news regarding her health. In the video, McCall reveals that a scan found a 14mm benign brain tumour – known as a colloid cyst – in her brain, which requires surgery to remove. Her partner has updated people with the news on social media.“Hey everyone. Michael here. @davinamccall will be “off grid” for a bit while she recovers from this brain operation,” her partner wrote. “I’ll do the odd update from her account here for anyone interested. I’m sure she’ll read all the comments when she’s ...
The Trump trade that could have more to run as overall market loses steam
Business

The Trump trade that could have more to run as overall market loses steam

Bank stocks have popped since President-elect Donald Trump's win, but their move eight years ago suggests this rally still has more upside. Wells Fargo strategy analyst Christopher Harvey published a note Friday examining how different sectors performed after Trump's win in 2016 relative to their rally in the 7 trading days following the most recent election. The data shows that financial stocks, while already one of the best performers this year, did even better in 2016. Drilling down to bank stocks, specifically, within financials still shows that the group could have room to run. In 2016, bank stocks outperformed by 11.5 percentage points, compared to 6.9 points this year, according to the note. Bank stocks have seen big moves since Trump's win, as investors react to the expectation of ...
Ron Baron sees Tesla worth $5 trillion in 10 years, says Musk eyeing $30 trillion value one day
Business

Ron Baron sees Tesla worth $5 trillion in 10 years, says Musk eyeing $30 trillion value one day

Billionaire investor Ron Baron, a longtime Tesla bull and shareholder, believes the electric vehicle company could hit a $5 trillion market capitalization in a decade, saying CEO Elon Musk has an even higher number in mind longer term. "Tesla, I think, is going to be worth $3 or $4 trillion — $5 trillion in 10 years, based upon the business plan that I am aware of. Then Elon believes that longer term it's going to be worth $30 trillion," Baron said on CNBC's " Squawk Box " Friday. At $3.65 trillion, Nvidia had the largest market value in the U.S. as of Thursday's market close, bigger than Apple and Microsoft , according to FactSet data. Tesla closed Thursday with a market cap of $1.12 trillion. Baron first invested $400 million in Tesla between 2014 and 2016, and said the early bet has mad...
Canada Post workers begin nationwide strike as talks fail – National
Politics

Canada Post workers begin nationwide strike as talks fail – National

The union for Canada Post workers says their members are now on a “nationwide strike” as negotiations with the Crown corporation failed to reach an agreement by Friday. Canada Post is warning Canadians will face delays in receiving their mail, and postage already in the system will not be delivered, with a few exceptions.“Some 55,000 postal workers represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) went on a nationwide strike on Friday, November 15 at 12:01am ET,” the CUPW said in a statement on Friday morning. 1:48 How could Canada’s labour disruptions impact holiday deliveries? Canada Post warned in a statement Friday that “customers...
BABA, AMAT, ULTA and more
Business

BABA, AMAT, ULTA and more

Check out the companies making headlines before the bell. Applied Materials — Shares tumbled more than 8% after the semiconductor equipment manufacturer offered weak revenue guidance for the current quarter. Applied Materials said it forecasts $7.15 billion in the first fiscal quarter, under the estimate of $7.224 billion from analysts polled by LSEG. The company also reported better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results and provided a strong outlook for adjusted earnings per share. Alibaba — S hares jumped more than 3% after the Chinese e-commerce giant beat profit expectations in its fiscal second quarter , although its sales disappointed as the company continues to grapple with weaker consumer spending in China. Alibaba's net income rose 58% year-on-year, on the back of its equity...
5 things to know before the stock market opens Friday, November 15
Business

5 things to know before the stock market opens Friday, November 15

Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:1. Still room to run?2. Powell pondersFederal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivers remarks in Dallas on Nov. 14, 2024.Ann Saphir | ReutersJerome Powell is taking his time. The Federal Reserve chair said in a speech to business leaders in Dallas on Thursday that the central bank doesn’t need to be "in a hurry" to reduce interest rates. He said strong U.S. economic growth means policymakers can take their time in deciding how far and how fast they should lower rates. He also noted that the unemployment rate has been rising but remains low by historical standards and that inflation has been running closer to the Fed's 2% goal.3. Vaccine makers fallRobert F. Kennedy Jr. and Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. ...
Air pollution raising risk of asthma, lung cancer among children: Experts
Health

Air pollution raising risk of asthma, lung cancer among children: Experts

Long-term exposure to air pollution may cause severe harm to the lung health of children and significantly raise the risk of lung cancer and respiratory diseases like asthma and bronchitis, warned experts on Friday, even as Delhi-NCR`s air quality remained severely poor for the third consecutive day. On Friday morning, the National Capital`s Air Quality Index (AQI) reached a severe level of 409, while the readings in neighbouring cities in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were also above the 300 mark. To safeguard children, all primary schools in Delhi have been moved online, Chief Minister Atishi announced in a post on X. She said the online classes for primary school children will continue "until further directions". Children are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution,...