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Torrential rains unleashed flash floods and warnings of debris flow across southern California, particularly in fire-scarred areas, with further downpours forecast for Thursday as authorities declared a state of emergency in several counties.Driven by an atmospheric river known as “the Pineapple Express,” which moves heavy moisture from the tropical climes of Hawaii to the US West Coast, the storm was expected to deliver months’ worth of rain over a few days.Early Thursday, the National Weather Service (NWS) warned about the risk of excessive rainfall over parts of southern California, including in Los Angeles, the second-most populous city in the United States.The NWS warned of a “broad plume of moisture” producing heavy rain in California on Christmas Day, adding there was a “moderate risk” of excessive rainfall over southern parts of the state. “Numerous flash flooding events are possible. In addition, many streams may flood, potentially affecting larger rivers. The flooding may include debris flows in or near recently burned areas,” the bulletin added, referring to areas affected by wildfires.The rain was forecast to continue on Friday, the service said.State authorities declared a state of emergency in several counties, including Los Angeles.- Rescue work -Heavy rain lashed southern California on Wednesday, spawning floods and debris flows. Some communities had already received 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) of rain in the first storm, forecasters said.The Los Angeles Times reported that at least three people had died in storm-related incidents, including a San Diego man who was killed by a falling tree.  On Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works warned Angelenos to stay well away from waterways such as flood control channels, rivers, and streams — even after the rain stopped.”Water from upstream communities can move quickly through channels with little warning. What may look shallow or calm can suddenly become fast-moving and dangerous,” the agency warned in a post on X.In San Bernardino County, adjacent to Los Angeles, authorities told AFP they were working to divert the flow of floodwater on Thursday.Muddy water streamed through the town of Wrightwood a day earlier, trapping people in their homes, said Christopher Prater, spokesperson for the county fire department.”Fire department personnel were out there rescuing people, assisting them from their houses, getting them to safety, also while effecting rescues from people that were stranded in their vehicles,” he said, with work going on into the night.- Fire-affected communities -Fire-burn scar zones, which are less able to absorb water due to vegetation being stripped from them, were under special alert — including the coastal areas of Pacific Palisades and Malibu, both still recovering from devastating wildfires in January.In northern California, a dangerous storm was tracked developing early Thursday morning in the San Francisco Bay Area, with an emergency alert for flash flooding issued in the area, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The National Weather Service was also predicting that a winter storm could bring heavy snowfall to the Sierra Madre Mountains.Ariel Cohen, an NWS meteorologist, had warned that from Wednesday afternoon through Friday, “many areas will likely experience significant flooding, along with rockslides and mudslides, especially in the higher elevations.” “If you were planning to travel on the roads during Christmas, please reconsider your plans,” he added.

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday urged Russia and Ukraine to find the “courage” to hold direct talks and spoke of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza in his first Christmas message.The US pope, who was elected by fellow cardinals in May after the death of his predecessor pope Francis, also condemned the “senselessness” of war and the “rubble and open wounds” it leaves behind.Speaking to a crowd of some 26,000 people in St Peter’s Square, the pope called for “solidarity with and acceptance of those in need” in Europe — a possible reference to growing anti-immigration sentiment on the continent.”Let us pray in a particular way for the tormented people of Ukraine,” he said.”May the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue,” he added.Russian and Ukrainian officials have spoken separately in recent weeks to US negotiators about proposals to end the war started by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Tens of thousands have been killed, eastern Ukraine decimated and millions forced to flee their homes.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week outlined key points of a plan to end the conflict after US talks.But Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far shown no willingness to compromise, doubling down on his hardline demands.- ‘Return of life’ -In his first Christmas homily as pontiff, Leo addressed the dismal conditions in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are still living in temporary shelters in wintry conditions weeks after a fragile ceasefire took hold.”How… can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold,” the pope said, adding that the territory’s inhabitants “have nothing left and have lost everything.”The UN has said an estimated 1.3 million people currently need shelter assistance in Gaza and has warned of the increasing risk of hypothermia as temperatures dip.”The war, in all its forms, has been harsh on everyone living on this land,” Elias al-Jalda, a Palestinian Christian from Gaza, told AFP after attending a Christmas mass at Gaza’s only Roman Catholic Church late on Wednesday.”We hope this year will mark the beginning of a new phase — one defined by a complete end to the war and the return of life to Gaza,” said Jalda, one of dozens attending the mass.- ‘Compassion and reconciliation’ -Sarah Mullally, who becomes head of the Church of England next month, addressed the issue of immigration directly in her Christmas sermon Thursday.”Our national conversations about immigration continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us,”  said the future archbishop of Canterbury.”We who are Christians then hold fast to joy as an act of resistance,” she added.Britain’s King Charles III called for “compassion and reconciliation” at a time of “division” across the world in his annual Christmas Day message broadcast.”With the great diversity of our communities, we can find the strength to ensure that right triumphs over wrong,” he said.”It seems to me that we need to cherish the values of compassion and reconciliation the way our Lord lived and died.”As well as being king of the United Kingdom, Charles is head of the 56 countries that make up the Commonwealth.- Joy in Bethlehem -In Bethlehem, the Christian community celebrated its first festive Christmas in more than two years as the occupied West Bank city emerges from the shadow of the war in Gaza.Hundreds of worshippers gathered for mass on Wednesday night at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ.In Syria, Christmas lights illuminated Damascus’s Old City despite the Christian community’s fears of violence after a deadly attack in June.Around the district, home to several important churches, red baubles hung from trees, shopkeepers put up Christmas decorations and street vendors peddled warm chestnuts.”Syria deserves joy and for us to be happy, and to hope for a new future,” said student Loris Aasaf, 20.- Trump’s Christmas message -In the United States, President Donald Trump issued a starkly different message to those of religious leaders.He wished a Merry Christmas “to everyone, including the radical left-wing scum”, referring to Democrats.In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had a sombre message after the deadly attack during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on December 14.”After the terror inflicted on Jewish Australia celebrating Hanukkah and Bondi Beach, we feel the weight of sorrow in our hearts,” he saidburs-jj/rh

The tiny Pacific island nation of Palau has agreed to accept up to 75 non-American migrants from the United States under a deal worth $7.5 million, the two countries have said.President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise to expel undocumented migrants, has accelerated deportations and cracked down on border crossings since returning to power this year.Under a new memorandum of understanding, Palau will let up to 75 third-country nationals from the United States live and work on the sparsely populated archipelago, officials said Wednesday.In return, the United States will grant $7.5 million to Palau for public service and infrastructure needs.With some 20,000 people spread across hundreds of volcanic isles and coral atolls, Palau is by population one of the smallest countries in the world.The migrants from the United States have not been charged with crimes and will help to fill needed jobs in Palau, both sides said.”Palau would have to agree on a case-by-case basis as to individuals who will be arriving in Palau under the arrangement,” the Pacific nation said in a statement.The deal was announced following a call between Palau President Surangel Whipps and US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.”Through this partnership, the United States and Palau are taking concrete steps to strengthen our security and protect our communities, while also fostering a safe, more secure, and more prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” the US State Department said in a separate statement.During the call with Whipps, Landau said the United States was committed to building a new hospital and improving Palau’s capacity to respond to national disasters.Washington will also provide additional funding of $6 million for reforms to prevent the collapse of Palau’s civil service pension plan, while adding another $2 million for law enforcement initiatives.The Palauan archipelago — a string of limestone islands and coral atolls — lies about 800 kilometres (500 miles) east of the Philippines.Whipps has overseen the expansion of US military interests since winning power in 2020, including the construction of a long-range US radar outpost, a crucial early warning system as China ramps up military activity in the Taiwan Strait.Palau gained independence in 1994 but allows the US military to use its territory under a longstanding “Compact of Free Association” agreement.In return, the United States gives Palau hundreds of millions of dollars in budgetary support and assumes responsibility for its national defence.

Nasry Asfura, a conservative businessman backed by US President Donald Trump, was declared winner of the Honduran presidential vote Wednesday, weeks after a razor-thin election marred by delays and allegations of fraud.The national electoral council CNE said the 67-year-old son of Palestinian immigrants defeated fellow conservative TV personality Salvador Nasralla by less than one percentage point Asfura’s victory marks the return of the right wing to power in one of Latin America’s poorest countries after four years of leftist Xiomara Castro’s presidency. It also aligns Honduras with a rise of conservative governments in the region following shifts in Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Argentina.”Honduras: I’m ready to govern. I won’t let you down,” Asfura posted to X after the win was declared, thanking election officials for validating his victory.Asfura, who takes office on January 27, prevailed with just 40.1 percent of the vote, narrowly beating Nasralla at 39.5 percent, according to the official results.Rixi Moncada, a lawyer from the leftist Libre Party, which currently runs the government, trailed in third with 19.2 percent.Within minutes of the result declaration, the United States welcomed the election of Asfura, saying it would help stop illegal immigration.”We look forward to working with his incoming administration to advance our bilateral and regional security cooperation, end illegal immigration to the United States, and strengthen the economic ties between our two countries,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.Following the lengthy counting process in the Central American country’s election, Rubio called on all sides to “respect the confirmed results so that Honduran authorities may swiftly ensure a peaceful transition of authority.”Argentina’s President Javier Milei, a Trump ally, said on X that the Honduras vote amounted to “a resounding defeat of narco-socialism.” – Tensions, challenges -The result was announced more than three weeks after the November 30 election. The wait for the outcome has caused tensions among Hondurans, and the sluggish count has been accompanied by claims of irregularities and voter fraud.Nasralla had demanded a full recount due to alleged irregularities, and has not recognized Asfura’s victory.The recount of nearly 2,800 tally sheets with suspected inconsistencies was pored over by hundreds of electoral staff and political delegates to decide the race.The CNE had until December 30 to declare a winner. Last week, thousands of supporters of the outgoing president’s leftist Libre Party staged a demonstration in the capital Tegucigalpa to protest what they consider “fraud” in the vote.On the eve of the election, Trump in a surprise move pardoned former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, a member of Asfura’s party who was serving a 45-year prison sentence in the United States for drug trafficking.Extradited by Honduras to face justice in the United States, Hernandez insists he had been set up by the previous administration of US president Joe Biden because of his conservative policies.The pardon was widely seen as contradicting Trump’s crackdown on alleged drug traffickers in Latin America.Trump also endorsed Asfura, suggesting they could “work together to fight the narcocommunists,” and warned “there will be hell to pay” if the conservative candidate’s razor-thin lead was overturned in the count.On Wednesday Hernandez took to X to congratulate Honduran voters, saying the country “closes a cycle and opens a new era with hope, commitment and responsibility.”Asfura faces major challenges. He has pledged to attract foreign investment to the nation of 11 million people and re-establish ties with Taiwan — after his predecessor warmed to China in 2023.He will govern a more polarized country amid lingering doubts about the elections, which Castro said was under “serious question” due to a lack of transparency, coercion of voters by gang members, and “threats” from Trump.Honduras is also plagued by violence and the crime of drug traffickers and major gangs, which Castro has struggled to combat despite declaring a state of emergency.Although murders have declined, Honduras remains one of the region’s most violent countries, with some 27 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024.

US President Donald Trump seized on the occasion of Christmas Eve to assail opposition Democrats, branding them “radical left scum” as he sent out holiday greetings.From his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the Republican spent the day before Christmas spreading some yuletide cheer. He participated in NORAD Santa tracker calls and sent Christmas greetings to American troops worldwide.Trump did not share that same bonhomie with rival Democrats.”Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.”We no longer have Open Borders, Men in Women’s Sports, Transgender for Everyone, or Weak Law Enforcement. What we do have is a Record Stock Market and 401K’s, Lowest Crime numbers in decades, No Inflation, and yesterday, a 4.3 GDP, two points better than expected,” he added.Trump lashed out at the opposition, which has criticized his administration over its handling of the cost of living, a day after Commerce Department data showed the economy had grown by 4.3 percent in the third quarter — the highest GDP in two years.But the report also showed the price index for domestic purchases rose 3.4 percent — a much higher inflation reading compared with 2.0 percent in the second quarter.In the week before Christmas, Democrats had criticized the Justice Department over its slow release and heavy redaction of thousands of records from the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, once a friend of Trump.Trump also sent greetings to troops worldwide, including those who are part of a major US naval buildup in Caribbean waters, where Washington has mounted a campaign to pressure Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to leave office.

Flash flood warnings were in effect in Los Angeles and most of southern California on Wednesday as one of the worst Christmas storms in recent memory brought heavy rain and fears of deadly mudslides.Driven by an atmospheric river known as “the Pineapple Express,” which moves heavy moisture from the tropical climes of Hawaii to rain on the West Coast, the storm is expected to deliver months’ worth of rain over the next few days.California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in several counties, including Los Angeles, to facilitate the rapid mobilization and allocation of resources if needed.”Life-threatening flash flooding continues over Southern California today and tomorrow; heavy mountain snow and high winds also ongoing,” the National Weather Service (NWS) said, adding that “lives and property are in great danger.”The first burst of heavy rain hit the region Tuesday night, leaving Los Angeles with fallen trees and some debris in the streets, as well as minor flooding that hampered traffic.The rainfall intensified early Wednesday, leaving thousands of people in southern California without power due to downed lines caused by the fury of the Christmas storm. Late Wednesday the first storm moved out of the Los Angeles area, “but another storm is expected to move in later tonight into Christmas Day,” weather officials warned.Some communities already received 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) of rain in the first storm, forecasters said.Across the state, some 80,000 homes and businesses had no electricity heading into Christmas Eve, according to tracking site Poweroutage.us.Fire burn scars and the communities near them across the state are under special alert, including the coastal areas of Pacific Palisades and Malibu, as they are still recovering from the devastating wildfires in January. Due to fire damage, the terrain is susceptible to mudslides from heavy rain.While many were still hoping to drive to spend the holidays with family, transportation officials were busy announcing road and freeway closures due to flooding, fallen trees and mud flows across Southern California. The Red Cross opened shelters in several communities as some residents in Southern California received immediate evacuation orders.Authorities were responding to a series of accidents Wednesday, and several major roads were closed due to flash flood warnings.Ariel Cohen, an NWS meteorologist, warned that from Wednesday afternoon through Friday, “many areas will likely experience significant flooding, along with rockslides and mudslides, especially in the higher elevations.” “If you were planning to travel on the roads during Christmas, please reconsider your plans,” he added.- ‘Doesn’t feel safe’ -However, many Angelenos were still out and about Wednesday, buying last-minute gifts, grocery shopping, even jogging.For some though, Christmas travel was upended.”We decided to stay home,” said Jim Lewis, who opted against going to his cousins in nearby Pasadena and was doing last-minute shopping in the city instead.”We’ve been receiving all these alerts, it doesn’t feel safe, I don’t feel like driving there at dark,” he told AFP.Larissa Peet, who was planning a party, said her celebration was still on.”Nothing that we’re doing differently. Just hanging out, eating, drinking and having a good time,” she said.In addition to the threat of flooding, meteorologists are forecasting wind gusts up to 80 miles per hour (nearly 130 kilometers per hour) in the mountains and deserts of Los Angeles County.Some Californian communities are still reeling from thousands of wildfires that killed 31 people across the state during 2025, including residential neighborhoods of Los Angeles.In the Sierra Nevada range along the eastern border of California, more than a foot (30 centimeters) of snow had already fallen this week, with up to five feet forecast before the storm is through.

Flash flood warnings were in effect in Los Angeles and most of southern California on Wednesday as one of the worst Christmas storms in recent memory brought heavy rain and fears of deadly mudslides.Driven by an atmospheric river known as “the Pineapple Express,” which moves heavy moisture from the tropical climes of Hawaii to rain on the West Coast, the storm is expected to deliver months’ worth of rain over the next few days.California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in several counties, including Los Angeles, to facilitate the rapid mobilization and allocation of resources if needed.”Life-threatening flash flooding continues over Southern California today and tomorrow; heavy mountain snow and high winds also ongoing,” the National Weather Service (NWS) said, adding that “lives and property are in great danger.”The first burst of heavy rain hit the region Tuesday night, leaving Los Angeles with fallen trees and some debris in the streets, as well as minor flooding that hampered traffic.The rainfall intensified early Wednesday, leaving thousands of people in southern California without power due to downed lines caused by the fury of the Christmas storm. Across the state, some 101,000 homes and businesses had no electricity, according to tracking site Poweroutage.us.Some communities could receive up to 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) of rain this week, forecasters say.The coastal areas of Pacific Palisades and Malibu are under a special alert, as they are still recovering from the devastating wildfires in January. Due to the damage from the fires, the terrain is susceptible to mudslides from heavy rain.The Red Cross opened shelters in several communities as some residents in southern California received immediate evacuation orders.Authorities were responding to a series of accidents Wednesday, and several major roads were closed due to flash flood warnings, worsening already congested local traffic.Ariel Cohen, an NWS meteorologist, warned that from Wednesday afternoon through Friday, “many areas will likely experience significant flooding, along with rockslides and mudslides, especially in the higher elevations.” “If you were planning to travel on the roads during Christmas, please reconsider your plans,” he added.- ‘Doesn’t feel safe’ -However, many Angelenos were still out and about Wednesday, buying last-minute gifts, grocery shopping, and even jogging.For some though, Christmas travel was upended.”We decided to stay home,” said Jim Lewis, who opted against going to his cousins in nearby Pasadena and was doing last-minute shopping in the city instead.”We’ve been receiving all these alerts, it doesn’t feel safe, I don’t feel like driving there at dark,” he told AFP.Larissa Peet, who was planning a party, said her celebration was still on.”Nothing that we’re doing differently. Just hanging out, eating, drinking and having a good time,” she said.In addition to the threat of flooding, meteorologists are forecasting wind gusts up to 80 miles per hour (nearly 130 kilometers per hour) in the mountains and deserts of Los Angeles County.Some Californian communities are still reeling from thousands of wildfires that killed 31 people across the state during 2025, including residential neighborhoods of Los Angeles at the start of the year.In the Sierra Nevada range along the eastern border of California, more than a foot (30 centimeters) of snow had already fallen this week, with up to five feet forecast before the storm is through.

It took longer than expected, but Nasry Asfura has gone from businessman to mayor to president-elect of Honduras, carrying the blessing of US President Donald Trump who has described him as a “friend of freedom.”Capping a career shadowed by corruption claims, but never prosecuted, the 67-year-old conservative ascended to the Central American country’s top job on his second attempt, having lost out to leftist Xiomara Castro in 2021.More than three weeks after the election, Asfura held his razor-thin edge and was declared the winner Wednesday over fellow conservative Salvador Nasralla, a 72-year-old TV star, by the plenary session of the national electoral council.Asfura rose to the top as the head of the right-wing National Party (PN), which was tainted by the US imprisonment of a former leader, Juan Orlando Hernandez, for drug trafficking.Hernandez, however, walked out of prison a free man in early December after receiving a pardon from Trump, who embraced Asfura as an ally in the fight against “narcocommunists.” “The only real friend of freedom in Honduras is Tito Asfura,” Trump had written on Truth Social, referring to the politician by his nickname. He added: “Tito and I can work together to fight the Narcocommunists, and bring needed aid to the people of Honduras” — one of Latin America’s most impoverished and violent countries.Asfura returned the PN to power, leaving the ruling leftist party out in the cold in a region where voters tired of hardship and crime have been punishing incumbent parties.- ‘Nothing to hide’ -Asfura, a former two-time mayor of the capital Tegucigalpa, ran a campaign with promises to “save democracy” from the left, which the Latin American right associates with authoritarian regimes in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.He claims to lead a “renewed” party and has denied links to Hernandez, though after Trump’s pardon, he expressed hope it would “bring hope and peace of mind to the family” of the former president.The son of Palestinian immigrants, Asfura was born on June 8, 1958, in Tegucigalpa.He studied civil engineering at the National University but dropped out to start what would become one of the country’s largest construction companies. Later, as mayor, he was credited with building bridges, tunnels, and other infrastructure to ease congestion in the city of over a million inhabitants.He was also accused of embezzling municipal funds, but the Supreme Court decided not to send the case to trial. Asfura was later mentioned in the 2021 “Pandora Papers” list of offshore companies used to evade taxes, but was never charged.”I owe nothing, I fear nothing. I have nothing to hide,” he once asserted.- ‘Work and more work’ -Grey-haired and mustachioed, Asfura is reputed to be a hard worker. He usually wears a light blue shirt, jeans, and dusty boots. In his speeches, he promises “work and more work” for Hondurans, to develop infrastructure, and to attract investments to generate employment. Those who know him say he is passionate about music and a man of few words but much action. He greets supporters who approach him with his trademark phrase: “At your service!”Asfura has described himself as “allergic” to smartphones, preferring to use a landline, and has not embraced social media campaigning.He is married to Lissette del Cid, with whom he has three daughters and three grandchildren.

The US Department of Justice said Wednesday that more than a million more documents potentially related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been discovered and are being reviewed for release.The DOJ began releasing records last week from the investigation into Epstein, a wealthy financier who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls.The Epstein Files Transparency Act passed nearly unanimously by Congress last month and signed into law by President Donald Trump mandated the release of all of the Epstein files by December 19.The Justice Department failed to meet that deadline, however, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche blaming the delay on the need to painstakingly redact the identities of Epstein’s victims from the files.The DOJ said Wednesday it would need a “few more weeks” to sort and redact the new material.It said the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI had “uncovered over a million more documents potentially related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.””We have lawyers working around the clock to review and make the legally required redactions to protect victims, and we will release the documents as soon as possible,” the DOJ said on X.”Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks.”

Major US stock indices finished at fresh records Wednesday following a shortened pre-holiday session while gold and silver prices also struck fresh highs.Both the Dow and S&P 500 closed at all-time highs, drifting higher consistent with typical holiday season patterns.”It’s a continuation of a market that’s trading at a record high, and I think there’s a little bit of a seasonality bias that’s kicking in here without any upsetting news to alter the trend at the moment,” said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare.”You have a bullish bias in this market, which is being helped along by the idea that 2026 has the potential to be another good year.”Earlier, in a holiday-shortened trading session, London finished lower, Paris ended the day flat and Frankfurt was closed. Asian markets swung between gains and losses.Gold climbed above $4,500 for the first time and silver topped $72, as investors looked for safe havens amid US military and economic pressure on Venezuela.Geopolitical worries have grown as Washington continues to put pressure on Caracas with a blockade of sanctioned oil vessels sailing to and from Venezuela.Market watchers are hoping for a “Santa Claus” rally in the sleepy period that comprises the last five trading sessions of one year and the first two in the next. The stretch between Christmas and New Year’s Day usually sees markets drift higher amid a dearth of major economic news.”What’s happening right now is we have a very strong setup and then we just need a bullish catalyst and it’ll take off and go,” said Adam Sarhan of 50 Park Investments.The S&P 500’s fresh all-time high on Tuesday came after figures showed the world’s top economy expanded 4.3 percent in the third quarter, the fastest pace in two years and much quicker than expected.The report provided some reassurance to investors about the economic outlook after a string of increasingly weakening jobs data.However, other figures were less upbeat, with a gauge of consumer spending falling for a fifth successive month to its lowest level since February 2021 owing to worries about jobs.- Key figures at around 1830 GMT – New York – Dow: UP 0.6 percent at 48,731.16 (close)New York – S&P 500:  UP 0.3 percent at 6,932.05 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 23,613.31 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 9,870.68 (close)Paris – CAC 40: FLAT at 8,103.58 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: Closed Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.1 percent at 50,344.10 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.2 percent at 25,818.93 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.5 percent at 3,940.95 (close)Dollar/yen: DOWN at 155.98 yen from 156.23 yen on TuesdayEuro/dollar: DOWN $1.1781 from $1.1795Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3501 from $1.3518Euro/pound: FLAT at 87.25 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.1 percent at $58.35 per barrel (close)Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.2 percent at $62.00 per barrelburs-jmb/md