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Chinese spies had run a far-right Belgian politician as an intelligence asset for more than three years in a case that shows how Beijing has conducted influence operations in an effort to shape politics in its favour. Daniel Woo, an officer in China’s Ministry of State Security spy agency, pushed Frank Creyelman, a former Belgian

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Sovereign bonds myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Global stocks climbed towards multiyear highs while bond yields tumbled on Thursday as traders raised their bets that central banks would begin an aggressive round of rate cuts next year. The sharp moves came after

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Investors and currency speculators have boosted bets on the pound as expectations grow that the Bank of England will be slower than other central banks to cut interest rates.  As markets brace for central banks’

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the US inflation myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. US inflation edged lower to 3.1 per cent for November, bolstering arguments by Federal Reserve officials that interest rates should remain at current levels during the spring. The headline consumer price index figure fell marginally

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Israel and Hamas are bitter enemies. But they also agree on some things. Neither the government of Israel nor Hamas has any real interest in a “two-state solution” to the Israel-Palestine conflict. And neither side

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. China’s state health insurance system has lost tens of millions of subscribers, as higher costs have put one of the world’s largest healthcare schemes out of reach for many people already struggling in a post-pandemic

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was blunt when he addressed G7 leaders this week. “Russia hopes only for one thing: that next year the free world’s consolidation will collapse. Russia believes that America and Europe will show weakness, and will not maintain support for Ukraine,” he said in a video call on Wednesday evening with his

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Sometimes this job takes you down unexpected avenues. And so it was that I spent much of Thursday night squinting at a blurry picture of a man in an expensive coat who might be Timothée

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese trade myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. China’s exports rose slightly in November, breaking a six-month run of consecutive declines and giving a boost to policymakers looking to revive a flagging recovery in the world’s second-largest economy. Exports rose 0.5 per cent

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Media myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. In the days when Armani-suited TV executives displayed their charismatic socks while lounging in directional chairs and making rulings about the tastes of the Great British Public, the old saw was that you could never axe

After one of the toughest years for China’s economy and its investors, the country’s central bank governor had a sobering message: there may be more pain to come. Speaking to bankers in Hong Kong last week, Pan Gongsheng warned that the country’s economy was embarking on a “long and difficult journey” away from its traditional

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Geopolitics myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. How many international conflicts can one superpower handle at the same time? The Biden administration is currently trying to deal with wars in the Middle East and Europe, while preparing for a surge in tensions between

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese economy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Defaults by Chinese borrowers have surged to a record high since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, highlighting the depth of the country’s economic downturn and the obstacles to a full recovery. A total of

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. UN climate talks on how to limit global warming have focused on renewable energy for too long, according to the chief executive of ExxonMobil, the biggest western oil supermajor. In an interview with the Financial

Israel is planning a campaign against Hamas that will stretch for a year or more, with the most intensive phase of the ground offensive continuing into early 2024, according to several people familiar with the preparations. The multi-phase strategy envisages Israeli forces, who are garrisoned inside north Gaza, making an imminent push deep into the

Federal Reserve officials are preparing to leave their historic interest-rate raising campaign on hold next month for the third meeting in a row — but that does not mean they are ready to discuss cuts. Since July the federal funds rate has held steady at a 22-year high of 5.25 per cent to 5.5 per

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. UK mortgage approvals rose more than expected in October, according to official figures published on Wednesday that point to a stabilisation in the property market after a prolonged period of low house sales. Net mortgage

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Politics myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. At the next general election, British voters will return either a centre-right government or a centre-left one. For comparison, the spread of plausible outcomes in the US includes a second term of Donald Trump. In France?

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the War in Ukraine myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Russia has claimed it repelled a wave of Ukrainian drone and missile strikes on Sunday, a day after it launched the biggest drone attack on Kyiv since the start of President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. A slim boy with dark hair and spectacles dashed down an Israeli hospital corridor towards a man in a checked shirt, who scooped him into a bear hug. After 49 days in captivity, including his