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Happy New Year, folks!

2025 was an interesting year to say the least.

But then again, the earth completed it’s orbit around the sun and we all succeeded in the resolution of getting a little bit older every day.

Now without further ado, let’s get you up to speed with the news via memes.

⏰ Today's reading time is 5 minutes

The FTSE 100 had its best year since 2009, rising 21.5% and hitting 41 record highs, despite tariffs, wars and nerves around AI.

It nearly cracked 10,000 before a small year-end wobble, beating most rivals, including the S&P 500 at 17% and roughly matching the Nasdaq.

London’s rally was mostly driven by mining companies and a hike in defence spending.

The former was helped by gold and silver’s ridiculously good year and the latter was boosted by the UK/Europe’s realisation that America may not be picking up the defence tab for too much longer.

But before you go and liquidate your assets and pour them into Rolls-Royce (we may or may not have done this), it’s worth looking at the whole picture.

UK equity funds have seen net outflows almost every month since 2021, starving new listings of buyers just when they need support.

Budget nerves and talk of tax rises (more on that later) have only accelerated net exits from the FTSE.

Add the rise of tracker funds, which funnel cash into mega-cap giants rather than newcomers, and the picture becomes a bit murkier than the numbers suggest.

The Trump administration has frozen $185 million in federal childcare funding to Minnesota after YouTuber Nick Shirley claimed ‘Somali-run’ daycare centres were taking public money without providing care.

Because you know it’s objective, fact-based journalism when you lead with someone’s nationality, as opposed to their alleged crime.

Shirley is an ex-prankster who has been caught by Reuters paying Mexicans to protest in front of the White House.

Make of that what you will.

He may have unearthed some genuine fraud, but it’s nothing new.

The New York Times (hardly a MAGA-outlet) already reported on it in late November, almost a month before he released his now-viral video.

That same article reports that investigations into the alleged fraud began back in 2022 under the Biden administration, with Somali-American prosecutor Kayseh Megan quoted as saying “there is a perception that tackling this issue might cause political backlash among the Somali community, which is a core voting bloc.”

Some of the daycares in question have also claimed that documentation related to the investigation was ‘stolen’.

Once again, make of that what you will.

On the bright side, The Quality Learing Center sign has now been corrected.

France plans to ban under-15s from social media from September 2026, following Australia already having done so late last year.

A draft bill is ready for legal checks and parliamentary debate, covering platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.

It also proposes banning mobile phones in high schools, extending existing rules from younger schools.

Macron is pushing the move hard, arguing heavy screen use damages grades, sleep and mental health.

A parliamentary inquiry called TikTok a “slow poison” for children, and families have sued the platform over alleged links to self-harm content.

Other countries, including Denmark, Norway and Malaysia, are circling similar bans.

If Stockholm-syndrome riddled Aussie kids resisted the ban, you can sure as shit bet that French kids will get a good protest or two in this year.

China launched two days of large-scale military drills around Taiwan, mobilising its army, navy, air force and rocket units in what it called a “serious warning” to independence supporters and “external forces”.

Nothing to see here, folks!

The exercises, branded Justice Mission-2025, included live fire, rocket launches and blockade simulations targeting ports and key routes.

Beijing flew 130 warplanes and sent 22 ships near the island in 24 hours, with 90 aircraft crossing the Taiwan Strait’s median line.

Analysts say the drills are mainly the result of China kicking up a fuss over a proposed $11 billion US arms deal with Taiwan.

Trump played it down, saying “I can’t read so I don’t know what you’re showing me.” nothing worries me”.

Meanwhile, Chinese leader Xi Jinping used his New Year’s address to call Chinese reunification with Taiwan “unstoppable”.

Middle earners are set to be the big losers of Rachel Reeves’s budget.

Analysis from the Centre for Policy Studies shows workers around £50,000 ($67,000) will be more than £500 ($670) a year worse off by the end of the decade, despite pay rises, thanks to another three-year freeze on income tax thresholds.

The higher-rate threshold has been stuck at £50,270 since 2022 and would now be over £62,000 if it had kept pace with inflation.

By 2030, millions more will be pulled into higher tax bands, with nurses, teachers and police officers joining the 40% club.

In contrast, pensioners and benefit claimants do better.

The state pension rises under an expanded lock, leaving some pensioners up to £537 a year better off, while those on universal credit gain about £290.

Seems very sustainable…

The CIA has assessed that Ukraine was not targeting a residence used by the Russian president during a recent drone attack in northern Russia, contradicting Putin’s story from a phone call with Trump.

Trump initially appeared to accept Putin’s version, saying he was “very angry” about the alleged strike.

Days later, CIA director John Ratcliffe briefed him that the claim was not credible, partly due to the fact that if the US had targeted a foreign leader in a tactical strike, it probably would have been the CIA’s idea.

The allegation surfaced as Trump pushes peace talks after meeting Volodymyr Zelensky.

European officials see it as an attempt by Moscow to muddy negotiations without necessarily alienating Trump.

Russia says dozens of drones were intercepted near Putin’s residence but has provided no evidence they were aimed at him.

The Times recently reported on a group of lads who have a Whatsapp group dedicated to the sole goal of having 1 million beers.

Some vigilant Pint readers alerted us to this fact, revealing that they themselves are part of a rival group with the same aim.

This was their reaction to the Times piece…

The Times group are on 106,269, whilst 1 Million Beers are just behind at 101,327.

Let the games begin…

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