Single-use plastic cutlery, plates to be banned in England

Single-use plastic cutlery and plates will be banned in England as part of efforts to tackle climate change, according to local media reports.

This came after consultations on the issue by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) that took place from November 2021 to February 2022."A plastic fork can take 200 years to decompose, that is two centuries in landfill or polluting our oceans," Environment Secretary Therese Coffey told the Mail on Sunday.

"I am determined to drive forward action to tackle this issue head on. We've already taken major steps in recent years - but we know there is more to do, and we have again listened to the public's calls," Coffey said.

"This new ban will have a huge impact to stop the pollution of billions of pieces of plastic and help to protect the natural environment for future generations," she added.

The response to the consultation on proposals to ban commonly littered single-use plastic items in England is expected to be released on Saturday. Similar bans have already been imposed in Scotland and Wales.

Tokyo stocks opened nearly flat Friday in cautious trade after falls on Wall Street, where better-than-expected jobs data reinforced concerns that the Federal Reserve will pursue more interest rate hikes.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index zigzagged between positive and negative territory, adding 0.02 percent, or 4.63 points, to 25,825.43 at the open, while the broader Topix index gained 0.01 percent, or 0.22 points, to 1,869.12. The dollar stood at 133.47 yen, against 133.42 yen in New York on Thursday.

The Tokyo market digested the news that hiring in the United States spiked in December, with private payrolls rising by 235,000 jobs, to exceed analyst expectations.

The report "provides a more definitive snapshot of the US labour market," Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management wrote in a note. "Any incremental evidence that the labour market remains hot supports the Fed's hawkish impulse," Innes added.

This, coupled with newly released Fed minutes that continued to suggest a hard line on inflation, reignited the view among investors that "monetary tightening by the Fed will continue", senior market analyst Toshiyuki Kanayama of Monex said in a commentary.

Among major shares in Tokyo, SoftBank Group edged up 0.27 percent to 5,761 yen, Sony Group added 0.33 percent to 10,420 yen and Toyota was up 0.27 percent to 1,812 yen.

Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing rose 0.56 percent to 80,100 yen.

Earlier, the benchmark Nikkei stock index finished the year down 9.4 percent on Friday, its first yearly fall in four years, as the result of aggressive monetary tightening by central banks offset the impact of solid corporate earnings with the yen's historic fall, Kyodo reported.

In the final trading day of the year, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended up 0.83 points, or 0.00 percent, from Thursday at 26,094.50. The broader Topix index finished 3.56 points, or 0.19 percent, lower at 1,891.71.

On the top-tier Prime Market, gainers were led by marine transportation, bank and retail issues. Mining, oil and coal product, and food shares were among the worst performers.

The yen firmed to the lower 132 level against the U.S. dollar in Tokyo amid a decline in long-term U.S. Treasury yields. The Japanese currency had weakened to near the 152 level in October, losing about 38 yen in value since its strongest level in January, its biggest yearly drop in 40 years.

At 5 p.m., the dollar fetched 132.13-15 yen compared with 132.98133.08 yen in New York and 133.78-80 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Friday.

The euro was quoted at $1.06510652 and 140.74-78 yen against $1.0656-0666 and 141.74-84 yen in New York and $1.0623-0625 and 142.12-16 yen in Tokyo late Friday afternoon. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond fell 0.035 percentage point from Thursday's close to 0.410 percent.

The Nikkei started 2022 at around 29,000 but fell early in the year. The index fell briefly below 25,000 in March.

Aggressive monetary tightening in the United States to tame soaring inflation caused the yen to fall sharply against the dollar, with the Japanese currency hitting a 32-year low in October, as investors rushed to sell the yen and buy the dollar on expectations of a wider interest rate differential.