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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. Venezuela will hold its presidential election on July 28, ending speculation over when polls will be held as political repression increases in the South American country. Socialist strongman President Nicolás Maduro is expected to run

A below-the-radar trip to Venezuela by Boris Johnson to meet autocratic president Nicolás Maduro was arranged by a hedge fund manager interested in normalising diplomatic relations between London and Caracas, according to people familiar with the matter. Former JPMorgan banker Maarten Petermann, co-founder of London-based Merlyn Advisors, organised the former UK prime minister’s visit by

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. TikTok has hit $16bn in sales in the US, where the viral video app that has hooked Gen Z users is at risk of being banned. Three people with knowledge of its finances said the

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has ruled out calling a general election in May, dashing the hopes of opposition MPs who believed there could be a new UK government by the summer. Sunak told ITV news

The working day for MPs in the House of Commons chamber has been shorter on average this parliamentary session than in any other in the past quarter century, according to a Financial Times analysis. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been accused of presiding over a “zombie parliament”, with opposition parties arguing the relative shortness of

His wavy hair billowing in the wind, Rashed al-Haddad looked into the camera as his dinghy neared the Israeli-linked cargo vessel that has become an unlikely tourist attraction since it was seized late last year by Houthi rebels. In a video recorded in the shadow of the Galaxy Leader, now languishing off the Yemen coast,

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The UK economy returned to growth in January helped by the expansion of the services sector, following a technical recession in the second half of 2023. Gross domestic product rose 0.2 per cent between December

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan has warned the Israeli government against “smashing into Rafah” as the Biden administration underlines its opposition to the planned assault on one of Gaza’s biggest cities. The US was

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Equities myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Growing optimism about the world economy and improved corporate earnings is driving stock markets to record highs, prompting analysts to forecast further gains in what some describe as a “risk reset”. Wall Street’s S&P 500, the

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the War in Ukraine myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Brussels is pushing to give Ukraine €2bn-€3bn this year from profits derived from Russia’s frozen assets, accelerating the funding plan as US financial support to Kyiv wanes. The European Commission is preparing a plan,

Last November, the $1.6tn Norwegian sovereign wealth fund asked the government for the umpteenth time if it could be allowed to invest in private equity. That’s a good excuse to explore one of the financial world’s most controversial issues. After all, this is potentially a big deal, given the size of Norges Bank Investment Management

Over a 40-year career, Scott Melbye watched the US uranium industry fall from its position as the world’s leading producer of the radioactive ore that powers nuclear reactors to an also-ran with negligible production. Now, the president of the Uranium Producers of America is leading an industry charge to revive mothballed mines and invest in

Ibrahim al-Kharabishy, a Palestinian lawyer in war-ravaged northern Gaza, considered himself fortunate when he was able to bake for his hungry family with pigeon feed. With shops largely empty and hardly any aid reaching the area, the ground feed — a mix of wheat, barley and corn — at least produced acceptable bread for his

The US has widened its productivity lead over Europe, sparking fears in the EU that it faces a “competitiveness crisis” as policymakers call for greater public and private investment. New data released on Friday showed eurozone productivity fell 1.2 per cent in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, while in the US it rose

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Sterling is the only major developed world currency to strengthen against the dollar this year, driven by a stronger than expected UK economy and growing hopes of imminent US interest rate cuts. The pound climbed

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Central banks myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Top central bankers in Europe and the US have moved closer to declaring victory over the biggest inflation surge for a generation, with new data giving policymakers confidence they can cut rates by the summer.

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. [embedded content] Joe Biden called on Congress to “stand up” to Russian President Vladimir Putin as he opened his annual speech to Congress with a plea to support Ukraine and criticism of Donald Trump for

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Jeremy Hunt has wound down a scheme that delivered an extra £200mn a year for social housing in England, in a controversial move that will further squeeze the finances of cash-strapped local councils. The chancellor’s

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Nationwide Building Society has reached a preliminary agreement to buy Virgin Money in a £2.9bn deal that would bolster its ability to challenge the UK’s big four banks. Nationwide is offering a total of 220p

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt claimed that Britain’s economy has “turned the corner”, as his pre-election Budget put a £10bn personal tax cut at the heart of the Conservatives’ bid to overturn Labour’s polling lead and