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Nasdaq rallies again while yen falls despite BOJ rate hike

Resurgent artificial intelligence shares lifted the Nasdaq Friday for a second straight session while the yen retreated despite a Bank of Japan interest rate hike.

IMF approves $206 mn aid to Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah

The International Monetary Fund said Friday that its board has approved $206 million in emergency financing for Sri Lanka, to help in the country's recovery from the devastating Cyclone Ditwah.

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Stocks advance with focus on central banks, tech

Global stock markets mostly advanced on Friday as traders reacted to central bank activity and easing concerns over the technology sector.

France's budget hits snag in setback for embattled PM

A joint committee of French lawmakers on Friday failed to reach a compromise on the state budget for next year, parliamentary sources said, meaning France would not have a 2026 budget by year end.

Volatile Oracle shares a proxy for Wall Street's AI jitters

For a reading of Wall Street's shifting mood on the artificial intelligence investment boom, take a look at the daily fluctuations of Oracle stock, analysts say.

Japan hikes interest rates to 30-year-high

The Bank of Japan hiked interest rates to a 30-year high of 0.75 percent on Friday, the first increase since January, as it said the economy had shown signs of improvement.

'We are ghosts': Britain's migrant night workers

"We are ghosts on the night shift," says Leandro Cristovao from Angola, who has worked the graveyard shift at a south London market for seven years.

Asian markets rise as US inflation eases, Micron soothes tech fears

Asian markets rose Friday as a below-forecast read on US inflation boosted hopes for another interest rate cut next month, while blockbuster earnings from chip firm Micron helped soothe nerves over a tech bubble.

EU agrees 90-bn-euro loan for Ukraine, but without Russian assets

EU leaders struck a deal Friday to provide Ukraine a 90-billion-euro loan to plug its looming budget shortfalls -- but failed to agree on using frozen Russian assets to come up with the funds.

EU fails to agree Russian asset plan for Ukraine

EU leaders failed Friday to agree a deal on using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine -- with overnight talks pivoting instead towards providing Kyiv a loan backed by the bloc's common budget.

Trump signs $900 bn defense policy bill into law

President Donald Trump signed a sweeping defense policy bill into law Thursday that signaled strong bipartisan support for Europe and defied the US leader's increasingly hostile posture toward NATO and America's closest allies.

Cannabis Is Running Into the Same Wall Plastics Already Hit, SMX Breaks Through it

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Cannabis did not design its infrastructure for permanence. It designed it for speed.

SMX Brings Identity to Cannabis and rPET Under FDA-Compliant Frameworks

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Cannabis is entering a phase where identity matters more than narrative. As federal oversight takes shape, the industry is being pulled out of a patchwork of state systems and into a framework that resembles other regulated categories. In those environments, compliance is not about disclosure. It is about proof.

IRS Can Levy Accounts Without Court Approval - Clear Start Tax Explains How Quickly Collections Can Escalate

Tax professionals say many taxpayers are unaware that the IRS has broad authority to seize funds once required notices are issued.

EU-Mercosur deal delayed as farmers stage Brussels show of force

The signing of a trade deal between the EU and South American bloc Mercosur will be postponed to January, officials said Thursday, after farmers staged a show of force against the pact outside a Brussels leaders' summit.

Trump health chief seeks to bar trans youth from gender-affirming care

The US health department on Thursday announced proposed measures that would effectively ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth, a major escalation of the Trump administration's efforts to roll back protections for trans people.

Argentine unions in the street over Milei labor reforms

Thousands of Argentines demonstrated on Thursday against President Javier Milei's plans to drastically overhaul the country's labor laws to make work more flexible, restrict the right to strike and make it cheaper to fire workers.

Brazil open to EU-Mercosur deal delay as farmers protest in Brussels

Police fired teargas at farmers protesting the EU's planned trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur in Brussels Thursday, as Brazil opened the door to postponing its signature to win over reluctant Europeans.

Brussels farmer protest turns ugly as EU-Mercosur deal teeters

Protesters lit fires and hurled potatoes at riot police who responded with teargas and water cannon in Brussels Thursday, as tensions boiled over at a farmer demonstration against the EU's planned trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur.

US accuses S. Africa of harassing US officials working with Afrikaners

Washington on Thursday accused South Africa of harassing US government employees working with Afrikaners, the white minority to whom President Donald Trump is granting refugee status, in the latest escalation of tensions.

Trump Media announces merger with fusion power company

Trump Media & Technology Group, the struggling company that owns the US president's Truth Social platform, announced Thursday a $6 billion merger with fusion power company TAE Technologies, in an unexpected pivot into energy technology.

Stocks rise as US inflation cools, tech stocks bounce

Equity markets climbed on Thursday as investors welcomed cool US inflation data and tech stocks bounced.

Zelensky presses EU to tap Russian assets at crunch summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told EU leaders Thursday they had the "moral" and legal right to use frozen Russian assets to fund Kyiv -- as pressure grew on key player Belgium to drop its opposition at a summit showdown.

Danish 'ghetto' residents upbeat after EU court ruling

The European Court of Justice on Thursday said it was up to Denmark's courts to decide whether a Danish law requiring authorities to redevelop poor urban "ghettos" with high concentrations of "non-Western immigrants and their descendants" was discriminatory.

ECB holds rates but debate swirls over future

The European Central Bank held interest rates steady Thursday for its fourth meeting in a row and raised growth forecasts for this year and next.

Bank of England cuts interest rate after UK inflation slides

The Bank of England cut its key interest rate to 3.75 percent on Thursday after UK inflation eased faster than expected and as the economy weakens.

Have Iran's authorities given up on the mandatory hijab?

Women swaying to dance music at a DJ set, strolling without headscarves through cutting-edge art exhibitions and in coffee shops showing off trendy styles that could have come from the streets of Europe.

British energy giant BP extends shakeup with new CEO pick

British energy giant BP, which this year shelved targets on reducing carbon emissions, has appointed industry veteran Meg O'Neill to be chief executive from April, replacing Murray Auchincloss who stepped down Thursday.

EU kicks off crunch summit on Russian asset plan for Ukraine

EU leaders kicked off a make-or-break summit Thursday on using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine, with key player Belgium under pressure to drop its opposition.

Sri Lanka plans $1.6 bn in cyclone recovery spending in 2026

Sri Lanka's government announced plans on Thursday for $1.6 billion in extra spending in 2026 to fund the country's recovery from Cyclone Ditwah, which killed more than 640 people.

Most Asian markets track Wall St lower as AI fears mount

Most Asian markets sank Thursday after another sell-off on Wall Street as worries over the tech sector's colossal spending on artificial intelligence continued to dog investor sentiment.

Danish 'ghetto' tenants hope for EU discrimination win

The European Court of Justice is to rule Thursday whether a Danish law requiring authorities to redevelop poor urban "ghettos" with high concentrations of "non-Western immigrants and their descendants" is discriminatory.

What to know about the EU-Mercosur deal

Squabbles over the EU-Mercosur trade deal are likely to punctuate a European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Trump vows economic boom, blames Biden in address to nation

President Donald Trump promised Americans an economic boom in an address to the nation on Wednesday, while blaming Democratic predecessor Joe Biden for high prices that have hit the Republican's popularity.

The Fort Worth Press - Economy (English)