As 2024 draws to a close, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is pulling in the cash, whether from billionaire donors or punters betting that the populist party is on the verge of turning British politics on its head. Ladbrokes now has Farage as 5/2 favourite to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister, ahead of Kemi
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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. HSBC is reviewing its retail banking operations outside the UK and Hong Kong, a move that could see it substantially scale back operations in countries including Mexico, as it seeks further cost cuts. The bank
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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”
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol issued a terse apology on Saturday morning for his failed attempt to impose martial law, ahead of an impeachment vote later today that will decide his political future. In
€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
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The US economy added 227,000 jobs in November, a sharp rebound after the previous month’s total was dragged down by hurricanes and the Boeing strike. Friday’s number, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, beat
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Romania’s constitutional court has annulled last month’s first round of presidential elections after evidence that the leading candidate benefited from Russian intervention. The unprecedented decision to strike down the vote, which was won by far-right candidate
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The French parliament on Wednesday voted to oust prime minister Michel Barnier over his proposed deficit-cutting budget, plunging the country into deeper political turmoil. A motion of no confidence was approved by 331 votes in
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol faced mounting calls for his impeachment on Wednesday after his failed attempt to impose martial law triggered the country’s worst constitutional crisis in decades. Opposition lawmakers called on him
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. A convicted former minister vowing revenge against conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol has helped deliver a resounding defeat to the South Korean leader in parliamentary elections. Former justice minister Cho Kuk, convicted on corruption charges
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. South Korea’s conservative president Yoon Suk Yeol has declared martial law, accusing the left-wing bloc that controls the national assembly of North Korean sympathies and plotting rebellion. Yoon, a hardline former chief prosecutor, said in
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has signalled he intends to back down from his threat to impose martial law, hours after triggering a political crisis in the east Asian country. Yoon, a hardline former
Staring at the enormous mound of rubble that used to be her home, Mariam Hosni clutched her daughter’s hand, which gripped a picture of Hizbollah’s venerated former leader Hassan Nasrallah, assassinated by Israel as it escalated its offensive two months ago. The Hosnis’ building in Beirut’s southern suburbs was levelled in the fierce Israeli bombardment
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Rebel forces have swept into Syria’s second city Aleppo after mounting a lightning offensive that poses the biggest threat to Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the simmering years-long civil conflict. Images circulated on Friday night on
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Ireland’s nationalist Sinn Féin party overtook its political rivals to win 21.1 per cent in Friday’s general election, according to an exit poll, in a photo finish to a tight race. The conservative Fine Gael
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The writer is a political journalist and disability advocate I read the draft of the assisted dying bill as soon as it was published, just after 10pm on a Monday, fear and anger surging through
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Britain’s MPs have voted to legalise assisted dying after an emotional and momentous House of Commons debate, heralding one of the biggest social changes the country has seen in decades. The vote to change the
This is an edited transcript of a Financial Times interview with European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde. The interview took place at the ECB’s Frankfurt headquarters on the afternoon of November 25. Financial TimesYou said recently that the geopolitical landscape was fragmenting into rival blocs where attitudes towards free trade were being called into question.
Christine Lagarde has urged Europe’s political leaders to co-operate with Donald Trump over tariffs and buy more products made in the US, warning that an acrimonious trade war risks wiping out global economic growth. The European Central Bank chief said in her first interview since Trump won his second presidential term that the EU needed