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The Flamanville 3 EPR nuclear reactor, France’s most powerful to date, finally began providing electricity to French homes on Saturday after a plethora of technical setbacks led to a 12-year delay and a four-fold increase in the project’s overall cost.

With just days to go before Christmas, thousands of Amazon workers across the US have walked off the job. Also in this edition: European stocks fell on the Fed’s inflation outlook, while US stocks rebounded after being rattled on Wednesday. Meanwhile the US is once again facing the prospect of a government shutdown. Finally, you can now call ChatGPT on the phone.

The mining industry plays a key role in the world’s energy transition, providing the critical minerals and metals needed for new, green technology. It’s also facing pressure to reduce its own carbon footprint, and protect the communities affected by its mining activity around the world. Mike Henry, chief executive officer of BHP, says the world’s largest mining company is on the frontline of those changes, increasing output while focusing on sustainability. “It’s fundamental to the BHP strategy (…) The world needs a lot more of other metals and minerals as well. If we’re to do that in a way that doesn’t have negative consequences for other aspects of environmental stewardship, we have to be setting and upholding high standards.”

US President-elect Donald Trump has upended bipartisan efforts to avert a government shutdown, after he rejected a stopgap bill and pressed Republican lawmakers to either renegotiate it or risk their political careers. The new bill would have kept federal funding running at the current level until March after the current short-term spending plan expires on Friday night. Plus, the ongoing political crisis in Georgia is taking a toll on its economy, especially tourism.   

The US Federal Reserve has cut interest rates for the third time this year, to 4.25-4.5 percent. But the central bank indicated it would likely slow the pace of its rate cuts in the coming year, as prices remain high. Rodney Sullivan, from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, says “the signal that the Fed is giving is that they intend to break the back of inflation and bring it down to their target rate of 2 percent”. He was speaking to FRANCE 24’s Kate Moody.