For almost two decades, Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov has played an unsavoury but necessary role for the Kremlin, ruling the republic with an iron fist and keeping regional tensions at bay. Now, both Kadyrov and his heir apparent are facing health crises, highlighting the regime’s precarious succession and underscoring the fragility of this crucial mainstay … Read more
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 professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London In 2022, when the MP for Bury South left the Conservatives to join Labour, Nigel Farage called it a “disgraceful episode”. It … Read more
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. It’s a funny thing. Just when scientists have started telling us that we in the developed world might have reached peak life expectancy, the idea that we can in fact beat science and keep extending … Read more
A network of ultra-competitive high-school talent streams has been turning out the leading lights of science and tech
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Lord Peter Mandelson was sent money directly from disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein as early as 2003, according to new files released by the US government. The files record three payments from Epstein’s JPMorgan accounts of … Read more
Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world The price of Bitcoin has dropped to its lowest level since last year’s tariffs shock as its reputation for being the digital equivalent of gold unravels. Bitcoin hit $77,020 on Saturday, down more … Read more
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Waymo is close to finalising a $16bn funding round that will more than double the value of Google’s self-driving car business to $110bn, bringing in several new investors as it prepares to expand globally and … Read more
Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world Ford has held talks with electric vehicle maker Xiaomi over a partnership that would pave the way for Chinese carmakers to gain a foothold in the US, according to four people familiar with … Read more
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Kevin Warsh’s long-held desire to slash the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet is likely to clash with Donald Trump’s relentless calls for the central bank to depress long-term borrowing costs, big fund managers have said. Longer-dated … Read more
France’s move this week to push millions of state workers to use a homegrown alternative to Zoom and Microsoft Teams marks the latest chapter in a decades-long effort by European governments to wean themselves off US Big Tech. France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu sent a letter to ministries on Thursday ordering them to shift their … Read more