The ceremonial lighting of the Christmas tree in Bethlehem was expected to be so popular this year that the city authorities planned to stage it twice, to better accommodate the crowds. Now, Bethlehem will have no Christmas tree at all. The Palestinian hilltop town, considered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus, is in mourning,
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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Retail & Consumer industry myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Father Christmas can do astonishing things: make presents to order for every child, fly in a reindeer-drawn sled and remain constantly jolly. But one of his greatest skills is being able to deliver
All those years of black bag work for CIA and the final place I ever hit was also the nicest, even if I didn’t ever confirm the rumoured Vermeer. That job was a villa outside Rome, and it was really more of a palace. The analyst’s report had hinted at the Vermeer, but a man
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The Supreme Court has rejected a request by the US Department of Justice to fast-track a decision over whether Donald Trump is “absolutely immune” from federal prosecution for crimes allegedly committed while he was in
The horrific Hamas attack and Israel’s devastating response defined the year. Ukraine’s counteroffensive floundered. Inflation worries stalked financial markets before major central banks asserted control. A banking crisis was contained but Credit Suisse and Silicon Valley Bank were washed away. Artificial intelligence was feted and feared and the technology’s most prominent company was rattled by
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The US has said Iran has been “deeply involved” in planning Houthi attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea and warned Tehran of a possible response amid the increased threat to shipping through a
Tony Blair has revealed that his institute is on course to make $140mn in annual revenues and provide advice to more than 40 governments, underscoring the enduring political influence of the former UK prime minister. In an interview in his West End office, Blair told the Financial Times he would not sell the Tony Blair
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. No one likes us, we don’t care, as the refrain from Millwall Football Club fans goes. For UK stocks, this sentiment may be one of the biggest selling points. To say the UK stock market
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The UN Security Council has passed a resolution calling for urgent expanded humanitarian aid for Gaza and the creation of “conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities”, after overcoming the threat of an American veto.
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the US inflation myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. The measure of inflation preferred by US rate setters fell by more than expected in November, bolstering investor expectations of rate cuts next year. The core personal consumption expenditures price index showed prices rose by
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. It’s hardly Christopher Hitchens debating Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. But around this time of year, online atheists and chatroom believers love to thrash out an age-old debate: “Why God and not Santa?” That adult Homo sapiens
Falling US petrol prices are boosting hopes that the worst wave of inflation in decades is fading, just as Joe Biden begins a campaign to convince sceptical voters that they are better off with a Democrat in the White House. The average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline could fall below $3 in the
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Worse than expected output data on Friday confirmed the UK’s struggle to escape its spell of economic stagnation, leaving third-quarter gross domestic product for 2023 barely above the levels at the end of last year.
Hello and welcome to the final edition this year of the FT Cryptofinance newsletter. This week, we’re looking at the digital coin that bitcoin is threatening to leave behind. We’ll be back on January 13th. One common — and not always unfair — criticism made by crypto enthusiasts is that the wider world conflates bitcoin
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Health officials in Gaza said more than 20,000 Palestinians had been killed during Israel’s offensive against Hamas, as the UN warned that at least a quarter of the besieged enclave’s population faced starvation. The estimated
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Geopolitics myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. The writer is an FT contributing editor and writes the Chartbook newsletter This was a year of dismaying conflict and violence. The war in Ukraine, the risk of a superpower clash in the South China Sea
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the US foreign policy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. The writer is deputy secretary of the US Treasury Nearly two years ago, Russia invaded Ukraine, unleashing brutal and unprovoked violence. From the start, the US has unequivocally supported Ukraine and its people, through
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the War in Ukraine myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. The Biden administration will blacklist foreign financial institutions that support Russia’s military industrial complex as part of Washington’s efforts to starve Moscow’s war machine. An executive order to be issued on Friday will enable
The head of France’s far-right Rassemblement National party has said its brand of nationalist anti-immigration politics was winning the battle of ideas in the country and would also prevail in European parliament elections next year. Jordan Bardella, Marine Le Pen’s right-hand man who will lead the RN list in the June vote, described President Emmanuel
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Revolut swung to a loss last year as increased costs offset a windfall from higher interest rates, according to delayed annual accounts from the fintech group on Friday. The results came as the group’s auditor
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The UK economy shrank slightly in the third quarter, according to revised figures that highlight the country’s struggle to shake off its low-growth performance. The Office for National Statistics said on Friday that gross domestic