BERLIN, January 6, 2026 – Germany’s inflation slowed more than expected in December, dipping to 2.0% year-on-year, preliminary data from the Federal Statistics Office showed on Tuesday. Analysts had forecast a decline to 2.2% from November’s 2.6%. The core inflation rate, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, also eased to 2.4% from 2.7% the

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LONDON, January 6, 2026 – Tesla (TSLA.O) saw its UK car registrations fall by more than 29% year-on-year in December, highlighting the growing competition from Chinese electric vehicle (EV) brands in Britain, the company’s largest European market. Tesla registered 6,323 new vehicles in the UK last month, according to New AutoMotive data, while 2025 UK

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LONDON, January 6, 2026 – British fashion retailer Next (NXT.L) has lifted its annual profit forecast for the fifth time this year, after reporting a 10.6% increase in full-price Christmas sales, surpassing analysts’ expectations. The strong trading update sent Next shares up 3.1% in early trading. Despite subdued consumer confidence and unusually mild weather in

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SHANGHAI, January 7, 2026 – Global furniture retailer IKEA announced on Wednesday that it will close seven of its stores in China starting February 2, part of a strategic shift toward online sales and smaller store formats. The stores scheduled for closure include locations in suburban Shanghai, Guangzhou, and several second-tier cities such as Nantong,

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SHANGHAI, January 7, 2026 – Chinese smartphone manufacturer Realme announced that it will be integrated into Oppo as a subbrand, a move designed to streamline operations, pool resources, and reduce costs across the companies. The decision brings Realme closer to its corporate sibling, Oppo, as both brands are owned by BBK Electronics, the Chinese consumer

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SYDNEY, January 7, 2026 – BlueScope Steel (BSL.AX) has officially rejected a $A13.2 billion ($8.92 billion) takeover proposal from SGH (SGH.AX) and U.S.-based Steel Dynamics (STLD.O), saying the offer significantly undervalues the Australian steelmaker and accusing the bidders of attempting to acquire the company “on the cheap.” The announcement comes shortly after BlueScope shares closed

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Samsung Electronics to Repurchase $1.73 Billion of Shares for Employee and Executive CompensationSEOUL, January 7, 2026 – Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) announced on Wednesday that it plans to acquire 2.5 trillion won ($1.73 billion) worth of its own shares as part of an employee and executive compensation program, marking one of the largest buybacks for incentive

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Crude oil prices continued their decline on Thursday, January 7, 2026, as global markets reacted to heightened geopolitical tensions in Venezuela and China. The fall in oil prices coincided with a retreat in Asian shares and mixed movements in other major global markets, highlighting investors’ growing caution in the face of political upheaval and uncertain

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The UK regulator Ofcom has launched an urgent investigation into Elon Musk’s AI tool, Grok, following reports that it can be used to produce sexualized images of women and children without consent. The probe comes amid growing concerns over AI deepfakes and nudification tools on social media platforms. According to Ofcom, Grok, a free AI

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The UK government has called on Elon Musk’s X platform to urgently tackle the use of its AI chatbot, Grok, in generating non-consensual sexualized images of women and girls. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall described the situation as “absolutely appalling”, emphasizing that such content is degrading and must be prevented. The issue came to light after

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