2025

• European stock markets have declined, moving toward their longest losing streak since 2025. • The downturn is primarily driven by escalating war risks, which are creating instability across regional markets. • Despite the current slip, some indicators suggest that structural investments and cyclical improvements are beginning to bolster corporate earnings.

Tech billionaire’s $158.3bn deal an outlier in report showing widening gap of CEO to worker pay at top companiesElon Musk received over 2.5m times as much compensation at Tesla as the company’s average worker, according to a new report on the growing gap between top corporate executives and their workers.Musk’s $158.3bn pay deal was an outlier but came as the gap between CEO and worker pay continued to grow. Excluding Musk, last year the average ratio of CEO to worker pay for the top S&P 500 companies was 312 to 1, up from a 285:1 ratio in 2024. With Musk, the average pay ratio was 5,387:1, according to the executive pay watch report released this week by the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of labor unions in the US. Continue reading...

• South Africa has been confirmed as the host country for the 2025 G20 Summit. • This event marks a historic milestone as it will be the first time the summit is held on the African continent. • The selection highlights the G20's growing recognition of Africa's critical role in global geopolitics and the international economy.

• Park Chan-wook's film *No Other Choice* was notably absent from the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards. • Despite being considered one of the biggest snubs of the 2025 awards season, the film is now finding a new audience via streaming platforms. • The lack of Oscar recognition highlights the ongoing tension and competition between traditional cinema and streaming hits during awards cycles.

Failure to pursue line of inquiry ‘which may have been relevant’ now being investigated by police watchdog Counter-terrorism police investigating the death of Ann Widdecombe say they have re-opened an old investigation into an attempted burglary last year.The incident at an address in Greater London was reported in April 2025. Continue reading...

• Asian markets ended Wednesday with mixed results as investors awaited critical U.S. economic indicators, including the ADP November private-sector employment report and September industrial production data. • Local markets experienced a correction as investors moved to take profits, while Wall Street saw gains driven by bets on upcoming Federal Reserve rate cuts. • Market volatility highlights fragile investor sentiment ahead of the Federal Reserve's rate decisions scheduled for later this month.

• AI startup funding reached $510 billion in the first half of 2026, already surpassing the total investment recorded for the entire year of 2025. • The investment surge is primarily driven by a focus on critical infrastructure, semiconductor chips, robotics, and enterprise-level AI solutions. • This boom is fueled by growing commercial demand as businesses integrate AI tools into sectors such as healthcare, finance, cybersecurity, and manufacturing.