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Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world Donald Trump’s team has told European officials that the incoming US president will demand Nato member states increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP, but plans to continue supplying military aid

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world US president-elect Donald Trump has warned the EU that it must commit to buying “large scale” amounts of US oil and gas or face tariffs, in his first trade salvo against Brussels since

FedEx has announced it will spin off its freight business to a new publicly traded company as it aims to strengthen its business amid weak demand.    The package delivery group, considered a bellwether of global economic growth because of the wide range of items it ships, said it expects the separation to allow for more

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The dollar hit a two-year high and global stocks fell on Thursday after the Federal Reserve indicated it would cut interest rates more slowly next year to guard against any renewed threat of inflation. The

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the US interest rates myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point but signalled a slower pace of easing next year, sending the dollar higher and US stocks lower.  The Federal

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the UK inflation myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. UK inflation accelerated to 2.6 per cent in November, in line with analysts’ predictions, cementing expectations that the Bank of England will hold rates steady at its meeting on Thursday. The year-on-year rise in the

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Nissan and Honda are in exploratory talks about a merger of the two carmakers that would create a $52bn Japanese behemoth, according to people briefed on the matter.  The two companies are studying a way

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. China’s embassy in London has warned the UK to “stop creating trouble” as it hit out at MPs’ “twisted mentality” over allegations that a Chinese businessman linked to Prince Andrew is a Communist party spy.

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Russia has evacuated at least 400 soldiers from the Damascus region in recent days in co-ordination with the main rebel faction that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime, an official from the group said. The soldiers had been stationed at the Syrian Army’s notorious Fourth Division headquarters in Qudsayya, a suburb of the capital, Kamal Lababidi, a

Bashar al-Assad’s central bank airlifted around $250mn in cash to Moscow in a two-year period when the then Syrian dictator was indebted to the Kremlin for military support and his relatives were secretly buying assets in Russia. The Financial Times has uncovered records showing that Assad’s regime, while desperately short of foreign currency, flew banknotes

€69 per month Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders. Pay a year upfront and save 20%. What’s included Global news & analysis Expert opinion FT App on Android & iOS FT Edit app FirstFT: the day’s biggest stories 20+ curated newsletters Follow topics & set alerts with myFT

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the War in Ukraine myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Ukraine’s military leadership has fired the commander who oversaw its operations in the eastern Donetsk region, where Kyiv’s defences are buckling as Russia pushes towards a key logistics hub. A Ukrainian official confirmed to

Standing under a “Bitcoin 2024” logo at a US crypto conference this summer, Donald Trump likened the audience of “bitcoiners” to the inventors and industrialists who pioneered high-tech industries at the turn of the 20th century. “You are the modern day Edisons and Wright Brothers and Carnegies and Henry Fords,” he said. “My job will

Microsoft said it expected to take an $800mn impairment charge stemming from General Motors’ decision to restructure its driverless car unit, Cruise. The Redmond, Washington-based tech group in 2021 joined GM, Honda and institutional investors in a combined new equity investment of more than $2bn to help the Detroit-based carmaker accelerate the commercialisation of autonomous

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the US inflation myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. US inflation rose to 2.7 per cent in November, as the Federal Reserve considers how quickly to press ahead with lowering interest rates. The figure was in line with the expectations of economists polled by

In July, Howard Lutnick, the pugnacious boss of broker Cantor Fitzgerald, regaled an audience of crypto devotees in Nashville with tales of his early days exploring the world of digital currencies. “I met every criminal who’s now in prison,” the 63-year-old joked, referring to his encounters with various youthful crypto executives now serving lengthy jail

Days before last year’s presidential election in Argentina, supermarket worker Emir Gullo was excited about the idea of a madman as president. “He’s crazy,” Gullo said admiringly at a rally for libertarian economist and then-candidate Javier Milei on the outskirts of Buenos Aires in late 2023, noting his eccentric image, unconventional ideas and lack of

Iran had lost faith in now-deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad before his fall from power, according to analysts and insiders, and its foreign minister told him last week that a weakened Tehran could no longer send more forces to support his regime. When Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi visited Damascus last week, days after Syria’s

Show video info Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country after a stunning offensive by rebels who seized the capital city of Damascus and toppled the dynasty that had ruled for 50 years. Amid scenes of jubilation on Sunday, the rebels proclaimed that “the city of Damascus is free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad”