Yahoo Sports 
Yahoo Finance UKFTSE 100 LIVE: Stocks rise as UK inflation unexpectedly falls to 2.5% in December
A deep dive into what's moving markets across the global economy.
ReutersItaly protests to Venezuela over arrest of NGO worker
Italy summoned Venezuela's chief diplomat in Rome on Wednesday to protest over a lack of information on the fate of an Italian national arrested in the Latin American country two months ago, the foreign ministry said. NGO worker Alberto Trentini, 45, was arrested in Venezuela in November but no formal charges have been pressed against him, his family has said, urging Rome's government to maximise efforts for his release. "This morning I summoned Venezuela's charge d'affaires to strongly protest against the lack of information on the detention of Italian citizen Alberto Trentini and to challenge the expulsion of three of our diplomats," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote on X.
Associated Press FinanceUK inflation unexpectedly drops in December, easing pressure in bond markets
Inflation in the U.K. unexpectedly fell in December, a move that has bolstered expectations that the Bank of England will cut interest rates again next month and relieved some pressure on the U.K. government following the recent turbulence in financial markets. The Office for National Statistics said Wednesday that inflation, as measured by the consumer prices index, was 2.5% in the year to December, largely as a result of easing price pressures in the services sector, which accounts for around 80% of the U.K. economy. In the wake of the inflation numbers, markets have moved to price in a growing likelihood of a cut then, to the likely relief of Treasury chief Rachel Reeves, who has faced a stream of negative headlines in recent days over her handling of the economy since Labour returned to power last July for the first time in 14 years.
