European markets opened with gains and Asian benchmarks retreated Monday after U.S. stocks coasted to the close of their latest winning week.

The future for the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.1% higher and that for the S&P 500 rose 0.2%.

China and the European Union are open to holding talks on the EU's recent decision to sharply raise tariffs on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles, officials from both sides say.

China's Commerce Ministry and Germany's economy minister said over the weekend that each side was willing to hold talks on the issue. Meanwhile, Chinese state media said Monday that Beijing is pushing for the EU to give up plans to sharply raise provisional tariffs on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles by July 4.

The promises are appealing -– and expensive.

Vying to oust the centrist government of President Emmanuel Macron in an upcoming two-round parliamentary election June 30 and July 7, French political parties of both the far right and far left are vowing to cut gasoline taxes, let workers retire earlier and raise wages.

Cab drivers and bikers tap away furiously on their mobile phones as they wait at red lights in the Iranian capital during an early June heatwave. Some pedestrians in Tehran are doing the same. They all believe they could get rich.

The object of their rapt attention? The "Hamster Kombat" app.

The IMF executive board approved a new loan program with Tanzania worth around $786 million on Thursday to help it "build resilience to climate change," and also unlocked the latest tranche of money under an existing agreement.

The new 23-month loan program "will support Tanzania's ambitious reform efforts to implement climate policy reforms that address risks and challenges associated with climate change and enhance the resilience of the Tanzanian economy," the IMF said in a statement announcing the board's decision.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Friday insisted France would slash the public deficit to below three percent of GDP by 2027, after the EU reprimanded Paris for breaking budget rules.

Global shares were mostly lower Friday after a retreat on Wall Street, where a drop in Nvidia stock pulled stocks lower.

France's CAC 40 dipped 0.1% to 7,661.64 and Germany's DAX fell nearly 0.2% to 18,227.44. Britain's FTSE 100 declined 0.3% to 8,251.91.

Former President Donald Trump's new proposal to exclude tips from federal taxes is getting strong reviews from some Republican lawmakers, though major questions remain about the impact of the policy and how it would work.

What's certain is that a change in the taxation of tips would affect millions. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there are 2.24 million waiters and waitresses across the country, with tips making up a large percentage of their income.

European markets opened higher on Thursday after a mixed day of thin trading in Asia after U.S. markets were closed in observance of Juneteenth.

In London, the FTSE 100 gained 0.2% to 8,218.75, as investors focused on a Bank of England policy rate decision due later in the day. The central bank was expected to keep its main interest rate at a 16-year high of 5.25%, even after data released Wednesday showed that British inflation fell to the central bank's 2% target in May, for the first time in nearly three years.

A state-owned Dutch company that is the biggest electricity grid operator in Germany said Thursday that talks on selling its German business to the government in Berlin have been terminated due to the administration's budget constraints.

TenneT, one of four transmission network operators in Germany, announced plans for the talks in February 2023. At the time, it said it needed a "structural solution" to funding needs for its German business as the grid is bolstered to handle the transition to renewable energy, which it put at about 15 billion euros ($16.1 billion).