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Today’s brief mixes cultural discovery, policy focus and market signals: a new digital atlas has traced some 187,460 miles of Roman roads, revealing a far more extensive ancient network and offering fresh material for historians and archaeologists; in Paris deputies are debating the 2026 social security financing bill, with political leaders urging party unity as lawmakers consider how to fund health and welfare priorities; the Reserve Bank of Australia held the cash rate at 3.6% and signalled that the recent brief cycle of rate cuts may be over, warning hikes could be needed next year if inflation persists — a key development for borrowers and savers; and at the consumer level UK households spent about £1.7bn on festive lighting last year, underlining robust seasonal demand for home decorations.