Unemployment rises in US and UK, adding to pressure to cut interest rates – as it happened

Time to wrap up…. on a day in which unemployment has risen on both sides of the Atlantic….The US labor market grew by more than expected last month, recovering some of the damage inflicted by the federal government shutdown, according to official data.An estimated 105,000 jobs were lost in October, and 64,000 were added in November, a highly-anticipated report showed on Tuesday.Jobs growth was higher in November than anticipated by many economists, with a consensus forecast of some 40,000 jobs added

US lost 105,000 jobs in October and added 64,000 in November, according to delayed data

The US labor market grew by more than expected last month, recovering some of the damage inflicted by the federal government shutdown, according to official data.An estimated 105,000 jobs were lost in October, and 64,000 were added in November, a highly-anticipated report showed on Tuesday.Jobs growth was higher in November than anticipated by many economists, with a consensus forecast of some 40,000 jobs added.But the headline unemployment rate continued to climb – and hit 4.6%, a four-year high, last month – amid apprehension around the strength of the US economy

Water levels across the Great Lakes are falling – just as US data centers move in

The sign outside Tom Hermes’s farmyard in Perkins Township in Ohio, a short drive south of the shores of Lake Erie, proudly claims that his family have farmed the land here since 1900. Today, he raises 130 head of cattle and grows corn, wheat, grass and soybeans on 1,200 acres of land.For his family, his animals and wider business, water is life.So when, in May 2024, the Texas-based Aligned Data Centers broke ground on its NEO-01, four-building, 200,000 sq ft data center on a brownfield site that abuts farmland that Hermes rents, he was concerned.“We have city water here

Boost for artists in AI copyright battle as only 3% back UK active opt-out plan

A campaign fronted by popstars including Elton John and Dua Lipa to protect artists’ works from being mined to train AI models without consent has received a boost after almost every respondent to a government consultation backed their case.Ninety-five per cent of the more than 10,000 people who had their say over how music, novels, films and other works should be protected from copyright infringements by tech companies called for copyright to be strengthened and a requirement for licensing in all cases or no change to copyright law.By contrast, only 3% of people backed the government’s initial preferred tech company-friendly option, which was to require artists and copyright holders to actively opt out of having their material fed into data-hungry AI systems.Ministers subsequently dropped that preference in the face of a backlash. Artists who have opposed any dilution of their copyright include Sam Fender, Kate Bush and the Pet Shop Boys

Christmas Test a window to the world as Australia reels in wake of Bondi atrocity | Barney Ronay

The third Ashes Test in Adelaide will not be the first to take place in the shadow of modern-day acts of terror. The 2005 series in England began two weeks after the 7 July London bombings, which killed 52 people. Day one at Lord’s coincided with an aborted follow-up atrocity that failed only because of the incompetence of those involved. Twenty years on, after the murder of at least 15 people at Bondi beach on Sunday during a Hanukah celebration, the most heinous act of terror on Australian soil, the Australian government has bolstered its security operation for Adelaide.There are practical consequences

Harlequins coach refuses to rule out move for Northampton back George Furbank

The Harlequins senior coach, Jason Gilmore, has praised the ability of Northampton’s George Furbank and declined to rule out a move for the England back.The 29-year-old Saints star is out of contract next summer and has reportedly held talks with the south‑west London club over a switch from the 2023-24 Premiership winners.Gilmore, who is preparing the Harlequins squad for Big Game 17 against Bristol Bears at Twickenham on Saturday, said he is an admirer of the England international but he refused to comment on specific “ins and outs”.“George is a good player, isn’t he? And a good leader,” Gilmore said, when asked about transfer speculation surrounding the full‑back, who made his international debut under Eddie Jones in 2020.“He’s going to attract interest