A trove of emails released on Friday finally confirmed one of the biggest secrets in recent British politics, which the FT was first told about last September but had hitherto been unable to print. The emails proved that in 2009 and 2010 Reinaldo Avila da Silva, the Brazilian partner of Lord Peter Mandelson, was taking … Read more
Executives in the United Arab Emirates fear the country’s rift with Saudi Arabia could affect their operations after some businesses said they had requests for visas to the kingdom rejected in recent weeks. Tensions between the two traditional allies burst into the open in December after Riyadh alleged that the UAE had supported a Yemeni … Read more
Donald Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh to lead the Federal Reserve will trigger a sweeping reappraisal of the central bank’s role at the centre of the world’s biggest economy, leading economists have said. Warsh, a former Fed governor, has spent years criticising the central bank for what he views as mission creep as policymakers expanded … Read more
Even if they don’t know his name, most of Singapore’s 6mn inhabitants have reason to be grateful to Liu Thai Ker. In the eyes of many Liu, who died this month aged 87, was the “architect of modern Singapore”, the man who designed the state-subsidised housing that has underpinned the growth of the former British … Read more
Kevin Warsh got his break as dusk was beginning to set in a frigid Washington on Thursday afternoon. Donald Trump had summoned Warsh to the White House for a final make-or-break meeting. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent would also be there. Months of twists and turns in the cut-throat race for chair of the Federal Reserve … Read more
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. When politicians wonder what to pitch to the electorate, strategists tend to suggest either “stick with what you know, let us finish the job” or “try us, we’re the change”. The first has fallen out of … Read more
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Film myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Here is a far from exhaustive list of complaints about Hamnet, drawn from the UK and US press. Paul Mescal plays William Shakespeare with the force of a “castrated dormouse”. We should be weeping for murdered … Read more
Diplomats fear that Tehran will see Washington’s demands as tantamount to surrender and resist them
Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world Tehran is ready to resume nuclear talks with Washington but discussions about its ballistic missile programme — a key US demand — are off the table, Iran’s chief diplomat has said. His comments … Read more
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Spare a thought for the plucky Swiss National Bank, which finds itself at the sharp end of Donald Trump’s dollar drama. The Alpine central bank, protector of one of the big three haven currencies in … Read more