News

Friday’s bloody attack on a Moscow concert hall has been claimed by the terror group Isis, but Russian propagandists have sought to blame Ukraine. Responsibility for the assault, in which four gunmen killed at least 133 people and incinerated the building, was attributed by the US and other western countries specifically to an Afghan-based affiliate
0 Comments
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the War in Ukraine myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. The Kremlin has admitted that Russia is in a “state of war” amid a push to increase domestic support for President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine after previously calling it a “special military operation”.
0 Comments
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Federal Reserve officials unleashed their optimism on Wednesday, unveiling projections for faster than expected US economic growth this year while still leaving room to cut interest rates three times. It was a moment of vindication
0 Comments
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the UK inflation myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. The UK’s inflation rate fell sharply in February, bolstering arguments for the Bank of England to start cutting interest rates this year as it makes headway in bringing price growth under control. The consumer prices
0 Comments
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The Bank of Japan has raised interest rates for the first time since 2007, becoming the world’s last central bank to end negative rates as the country puts decades of deflation behind it. Following a
0 Comments
Vladimir Putin is cruising to victory in Russia’s presidential election, cementing his rule for another six years amid his invasion of Ukraine and brutal suppression of dissent. The result of the three-day election ending on Sunday is a foregone conclusion after the Kremlin outlawed all criticism of Putin or the war and blocked any opposition
0 Comments
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Benjamin Netanyahu has lashed out at sharp criticism from western allies of Israel’s strategy in Gaza, accusing them of seeking to orchestrate elections that would “paralyse” the country and lead to its defeat in the
0 Comments
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Nato’s European members need to find an extra €56bn a year to meet the alliance’s defence spending target, but the shortfall has halved in the past decade, according to research by Germany’s Ifo Institute for
0 Comments
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
0 Comments
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
0 Comments
The US has held secret talks with Iran this year in a bid to convince Tehran to use its influence over Yemen’s Houthi movement to end attacks on ships in the Red Sea, according to US and Iranian officials. The indirect negotiations, during which Washington also raised concerns about Iran’s expanding nuclear programme, took place
0 Comments