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LONDON (AP) — King Charles III has chosen Westminster Abbey as the site of his Christmas Day speech on Thursday, reflecting the idea of pilgrimage that is expected to be a theme of the annual address to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.The central London landmark, known for the lavish coronations and royal weddings it has hosted for more than 1,000 years, is also the focus of an annual pilgrimage to the tomb of Edward the Confessor, which lies at the heart of the church. Edward, a monk-like monarch, was canonized as a saint in 1161.The monarch’s annual holiday message…

A decision by a court in Switzerland this week to hear a climate lawsuit brought by four Indonesian fishermen against cement giant Holcim has been welcomed by campaigners as an important step for climate justice, even as they warned the legal fight could still stretch on for years.On Monday, the Cantonal Court of Zug ruled that it would admit the lawsuit, allowing the case to proceed to a full assessment on its merits.The complaint accuses Holcim, a Swiss company based in the town of Zug, of having “significantly contributed to climate change with its massive CO2 emissions – and continues…

All eyes are on how Beijing’s “Chinese dream” of eventual Taiwan reunification will unfold at a time when the leader of the United States – Taipei’s top international backer – appears less likely to intervene in case of a cross-strait conflict. In the third of a three-part series, Amber Wang looks at how PLA activity may reflect the wider political picture.In the past five years, People’s Liberation Army activity near Taiwan has been seen by many observers as a key indicator of when and whether a conflict that may involve the world’s two most powerful militaries could erupt.Over that period,…

The S&P 500 reached a record intraday high on Wednesday for the first time in more than a month, as investors returned to artificial intelligence stocks and bet that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again next year.   The index was last trading up 0.2% at 6,920.88 points, surpassing its previous intraday peak of 6,920.34, set on October 29, when shares of AI heavyweight Nvidia helped lift the index to a market valuation above $5 trillion for the first time.   US equities have rebounded from their November lows, with investors rotating back into leading technology and AI…

Major market participants continue to increase their exposure to Ethereum (ETH), investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency.   This comes despite recent price weakness, which has pushed the token down by nearly 3% so far this week. The divergence suggests that while short-term price action remains under pressure, long-term conviction among institutional investors and large “whales” remains firmly intact.   Price Weakness Fails to Deter Large Buyers   Data from BeInCrypto Markets showed that Ethereum continued to struggle amid a broader market pullback. At the time of writing, ETH was trading at $2,929.23, down 1.06%…

After a year defined by worries about cloud growth and tariff impact on retail, Amazon stock heads into 2026 poised for gains. The Club name struggled throughout 2025 as Wall Street worried that Microsoft ‘s Azure and Google Cloud were outpacing the growth rate of the No. 1 cloud, Amazon Web Services, and how President Donald Trump ‘s tariffs could pressure already-thin retail margins weighed on sentiment as well. Amazon shares have gained only 6% year-to-date, trailing the S & P 500 ‘s nearly 18% gain over the same period. The stock was also underperforming its mega-cap tech peers. Amazon…

The US dollar fell on Wednesday and was on track to record its largest annual loss since 2017, with scope for further declines, as investors bet that the Federal Reserve will have room to cut interest rates more aggressively next year, while most other major central banks are seen as having largely завершed their easing cycles.   Strong US gross domestic product data released on Tuesday failed to alter interest-rate expectations, with investors continuing to price in around two additional rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in 2026.   David Mericle, chief US economist at Goldman Sachs, said: “We expect…

In a significant enforcement drive, the Corporate Tax Office (CTO) Lahore recovered Rs2.646 billion from a taxpayer who had “failed to fulfill his statutory obligations”, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) said in a statement on Wednesday. “In a significant enforcement breakthrough aimed at strengthening tax compliance, the Corporate Tax Office (CTO) Lahore has recovered Rs2.646 billion in an enforcement action conducted by the CTO Lahore. “The recovery pertains to outstanding Income Tax demand created against a taxpayer – who failed to fulfill his statutory obligations – after successful completion of assessment proceeding,” the FBR statement read. “CTO Lahore successfully…

Crippling high beef prices are being felt by everyone. Tyson Foods , for example, announced plans last month to close its beef plant in Lexington, Nebraska. Roughly 3,200 workers will lose their jobs at what had long been the area’s largest employer. The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday ran a sobering story about the ripple effect of next month’s closure after two decades of operation. In its Nov. 21 announcement, Tyson said it is closing the Lexington plant as part of a plan to “right-size its beef business” in the face of a historically low cattle herd in the United…

The US dollar fell on Wednesday and was on track to record its largest annual loss since 2017, with scope for further declines, as investors bet that the Federal Reserve will have room to cut interest rates more aggressively next year, while most other major central banks are seen as having largely завершed their easing cycles.   Strong US gross domestic product data released on Tuesday failed to alter interest-rate expectations, with investors continuing to price in around two additional rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in 2026.   David Mericle, chief US economist at Goldman Sachs, said: “We expect…