Author: LoveWorld UK

U.S. STOCKS END DOWN – Tech shares drop ahead of New Year Wall Street’s main indexes ended lower, kicking off the final week of the year on a softer note, as heavyweight technology stocks retreated from last week’s gains that had pushed the S&P 500 to record highs. The information technology sector weighed on the S&P 500, as most tech and AI-linked stocks declined, such as Nvidia and Palantir Technologies. According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 lost 23.84 points, or 0.34%, to end at 6,906.10 points, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 118.75 points, or 0.50%, to 23,474.35. The Dow…

President Donald Trump is preparing for a more aggressive immigration crackdown in 2026 with billions in new funding, including by raiding more workplaces — even as backlash builds ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Trump has already surged immigration agents into major U.S. cities, where they swept through neighbourhoods and clashed with residents. While federal agents this year conducted some high-profile raids on businesses, they largely avoided raiding farms, factories and other businesses that are economically important but known to employ immigrants without legal status. ICE and Border Patrol will get $170 billion in additional funds through September 2029 – a huge…

Britain’s health minister Wes Streeting said he would do everything he could to prevent further strikes by hospital doctors who returned to work on Monday after a five-day walkout. The union for qualified medical practitioners in England staged another five-day strike last week in a dispute over pay and working conditions during one of the busiest periods for the health service. Streeting has been critical of the action, calling the doctors “self-indulgent, irresponsible and dangerous” in earlier comments as hospitals faced rising admissions due to a surge in flu cases. He said in a statement on Monday that his door remained open…

EU TROUBLE OVER FROZEN RUSSIAN ASSETS – Hungary’s Orban calls using Russian frozen assets for Ukraine a ‘crazy idea’  Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban called using Russian frozen assets to finance Ukraine a ‘crazy idea’ on Wednesday, December 17th, as he arrived at the EU far-right leaders’ meeting in Brussels. EU leaders will discuss how to finance Ukraine with frozen Russian assets at an EU summit on Thursday, December 18th, when they are expected to take some key decisions including on guarantees for Belgium, where most of the assets are held. There are some 210 billion euros of such assets…

LAW STOPS POLICE HALTING ANTISEMITIC PROTESTS – Legal limits cited as officers say powers are restricted when protests fall within law  A British Law is preventing police from stopping anti-Semitic protests, according to senior Police officers, who say that current legislation limits their ability to intervene unless criminal thresholds are met. Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, said he was “concerned” that protesters could “stir up racial hatred” in the UK without facing sanctions as long as they avoided a direct terror threat and steered clear of supporting a proscribed group. Officers argue hateful language can fall short of…

WARNER BROS BOARD REJECTS BID FROM PARAMOUNT – Hostile offer rejected over battle for Warner Bros Discovery.  Warner Bros Discovery’s board rejected Paramount Skydance’s $108.4 billion hostile bid, saying it failed to provide adequate financing assurances. In a letter to shareholders, disclosed in a regulatory filing, the board wrote that Paramount had “consistently misled” Warner Bros shareholders that its $30-per-share cash offer was fully guaranteed, or “backstopped,” by the Ellison family, led by billionaire and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison.  “It does not, and never has,” the board wrote of the guarantee of Paramount’s offer, noting that the offer posed “numerous,…

LLOYDS, NATWEST, AND HSBC UNDER FIRE – The UK lenders relied on flawed net zero study which influenced their corporate lending decisions Some of Britain’s largest lenders, including Lloyds, NatWest, and HSBC, are facing intense criticism for relying on a significantly flawed net zero study that may have influenced their corporate lending decisions. The banks used climate research from the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), which recently warned that some of its core analysis was based on an inaccurate academic paper that has since been retracted. Lloyds, NatWest, and HSBC have all confirmed their use of the NGFS…

UK GIVES ABRAMOVICH CHELSEA CASH ULTIMATUM – Government demands release of 2.5 billion pounds from sale to fund Ukraine aid  Britain on Wednesday said it was giving Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich a final chance to pay 2.5 billion pounds ($3.33 billion) for the sale of Chelsea Football Club to Ukraine, otherwise it would be ready to take him to court. Britain sanctioned Abramovich in a crackdown on Russian oligarchs after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, triggering a rushed sale of the Premier League club and freezing of the proceeds. Britain wants the funds spent only in Ukraine in line…

RUSSIA MAKING UNREASONABLE PEACE DEMANDS – Italy’s PM says MOSCOW’S stance hinders progress as talks aim to end Ukraine war soon! Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says Russia is making unreasonable demands in peace talks on Ukraine.  She told reporters that Moscow’s position is blocking meaningful progress toward ending the war.  Meloni said negotiations must be based on respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and international law. Her comments come amid renewed diplomatic efforts to explore possible ceasefire frameworks. Italy remains a strong supporter of Ukraine and continues to back European and NATO positions. Russian officials have repeatedly said their conditions are…

UK TO REGULATE CRYPTOCURRENCY – The rules are to take effect in 2027 to increase consumer protection and transparency The UK Treasury is introducing new legislation that will subject cryptocurrencies to regulation similar to traditional financial products, with the rules expected to take effect in 2027. This overhaul aims to increase consumer protection and transparency within the rapidly growing crypto market. The new framework will require crypto companies—including exchanges and digital wallet providers—to meet a rigorous set of standards overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Historically, cryptocurrencies have operated outside the regulatory perimeter governing traditional financial products like stocks…