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The Big Read

Financial Times

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The Taliban comes in from the cold

Isolated since 2021, the Islamist group is now rebuilding ties with many countries, despite a fierce dispute with former patron Pakistan

yesterday 8

Financial Times

The Big Read

The hunt for copper to wire the AI boom

Data centres and green grids are heavy users of the red metal, but mine supply is stagnating and new discoveries are rare

previous day 9

Financial Times

The Big Read

Will the next blockbuster drug come from China?

The biopharma industry is booming following record investment and improved supply chains

previous day 5

Financial Times

The Big Read

Will Volkswagen’s radical revamp be enough?

A year after revealing plans for capacity cuts and job losses in Germany, some think more retrenchment is needed

01.12.2025 40

Financial Times

The Big Read

How London’s housing market stagnated

The introduction of a so-called mansion tax in this year’s Budget is likely to depress prices in some parts of the capital even further

29.11.2025 10

Financial Times

The Big Read

Is China winning the innovation race?

Once the world’s factory, Beijing’s relentless focus on R&D means the country has become the world’s laboratory

28.11.2025 10

Financial Times

The Big Read

The US is deregulating banks. Will the rest of the world follow?

New rules will boost lending and profits and entrench American dominance. But critics say they could lead to another crash

27.11.2025 50

Financial Times

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The costs of India’s hunger for cheap steel

Booming production may buoy the domestic economy, but is causing environmental damage and trade tensions

27.11.2025 10

Financial Times

The Big Read

Britain’s Budget woes illustrate the threat to Europe’s social contract

Many governments have not come clean with voters about the growing fiscal strains on the welfare state

26.11.2025 5

Financial Times

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How Ireland became the weak spot in Europe’s defences

With few ships and limited intelligence-sharing, some say the country cannot hope to protect itself or its infrastructure

26.11.2025 40

Financial Times

The Big Read

Lex in depth: Could the banks revive Britain’s economy?

If the chancellor can find a way to solve the credit drought that small businesses face, the country’s prospects would get an important boost

25.11.2025 10

Financial Times

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China’s risky challenge to Japan — and the US

The diplomatic rift between Beijing and Tokyo is also a test of Washington’s appetite for engagement with the region

22.11.2025 20

Financial Times

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How the EU botched its attempt to regulate AI

Can Brussels balance its desire to set the guardrails for tech with its need to attract investment?

20.11.2025 10

Financial Times

The Big Read

The ‘Donroe Doctrine’: Trump’s power play in Latin America

Long neglected in Washington, the region is key to some of the president’s priorities, including halting illegal migration and limiting Chinese...

20.11.2025 30

Financial Times

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The growing problem with China’s unreliable numbers

Beijing’s GDP figures have drawn scrutiny for years but the questions have become more acute

19.11.2025 20

Financial Times

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The revival of deep-sea drilling in the Gulf of Mexico

New technologies and regulatory reforms have boosted the offshore industry, 15 years after the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe

17.11.2025 30

Financial Times

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The law firm, the hedge fund and the fights behind a £36bn lawsuit

Litigation over the Mariana disaster in Brazil was overshadowed by tension between Pogust Goodhead and its backer

15.11.2025 20

Financial Times

The Big Read

The soaring price of a steak

Beef costs have risen sharply in many countries, adding to the pressure on living standards and bringing Donald Trump into conflict with ranchers

15.11.2025 10

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Gen Z and millennials are saving the cruise industry

Bookings from younger passengers have allowed operators to defy the gloom in the rest of the travel sector

14.11.2025 20

Financial Times

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Can anything halt the decline of German industry?

Europe’s manufacturing champion is in free fall. Economists are suggesting radical steps to save what is left

12.11.2025 10

Financial Times

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How the world’s biggest mining project is a win for China

The $23bn Simandou mine in Guinea has taken almost three decades to begin operating but could tilt the balance of power in the global iron ore market

11.11.2025 20

Financial Times

The Big Read

The world is struggling to halt climate change. But can it adapt?

At COP30, ‘adaptation’ to global warming is high on the agenda as efforts to reduce emissions stall

10.11.2025 6

Financial Times

The Big Read

The politics of breaking manifesto promises

The history of politicians who go back on their words has lessons for Rachel Reeves as she mulls raising taxes

08.11.2025 10

Financial Times

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Is Bangladesh’s Gen Z revolution falling apart?

Over a year after the ousting of Sheikh Hasina, the student movement is losing faith in the possibility of real change

07.11.2025 30

Financial Times

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Why Latin America can’t quit oil

As COP30 approaches, Brazil and Colombia offer competing visions of a ‘just energy transition’ for developing countries

07.11.2025 10

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Will higher defence spending boost the European economy?

Deindustrialising regions hope for investment and jobs, but much will depend on how the extra money is spent

06.11.2025 10

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The meaning of Zohran Mamdani

Will the New York mayoral favourite be a boon to the Democratic party, or a millstone around its neck?

05.11.2025 10

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How a warmer world is making pregnancy riskier

Some scientists argue that the link between increasing heat and adverse maternal outcomes is quietly becoming a public health emergency

04.11.2025 10

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The Trump doctrine: don’t rely on America

A year on from his re-election, diplomacy is being driven by the personal whims of the president to an extent that is unprecedented in the modern era

01.11.2025 40

Financial Times

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Big Tech’s market dominance is becoming ever more extreme

In a week when Nvidia’s value reached $5tn, investors in even the broadest index of global companies are now heavily exposed to the AI boom

01.11.2025 10

Financial Times

The Big Read

The race to launch a pill for weight loss

Despite success with injectable drugs pharma companies are investing heavily in tablets, long considered the holy grail of obesity medicine

31.10.2025 10

Financial Times

The Big Read

The global boom in solar — with or without the US

Despite the scepticism about renewables in Washington, falling prices for new panels are making a compelling business case around the world

30.10.2025 10

Financial Times

The Big Read

Will Trump push south-east Asia towards China?

For years, Washington viewed its relationship with the region as a way to limit Beijing’s influence, but tariffs now strain the partnership

29.10.2025 20

Financial Times

The Big Read

Can Pakistan’s military strongman fix a failing nation?

Trump’s ‘favourite field marshal’ is confidently wooing global powers, but Asim Munir faces far tougher challenges closer to home

28.10.2025 10

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Can Fidelity keep its grip on America’s investments?

A vast distribution network helped the asset manager navigate the shift to passive investing, but new challenges are looming

25.10.2025 10

Financial Times

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The rise of the eat-at-home economy

Consumers are increasingly shunning the restaurant experience for the comfort and cost savings of their living rooms

25.10.2025 4

Financial Times

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Milei’s make-or-break moment

US support has helped calm markets, but Argentina’s president is politically weakened as his party faces midterm elections

24.10.2025 30

Financial Times

The Big Read

The fallout from the AI-fuelled dash for gas

A supply crunch in giant turbines for gas-powered plants threatens environmental and geopolitical consequences

23.10.2025 10

Financial Times

The Big Read

Friedrich Merz is testing Germany’s patience

With the economy stagnant and the far-right AfD gaining popularity, the chancellor is under pressure to deliver his promised reforms

22.10.2025 10

Financial Times

The Big Read

Flying blind: how Trump’s climate censorship threatens global disaster defences

Datasets have been removed, federal websites scrubbed and thousands of Noaa staff purged. Experts warn disaster defences are at risk

21.10.2025 30

Financial Times

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How dozens of Trump’s donors have benefited from his second term

While previous presidents have introduced policies that have helped supporters, such incidents are now more common and overt

18.10.2025 80

Financial Times

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America’s gravity-defying economy

The AI boom is helping to sustain growth but demand is coming from the richest consumers who own stocks while poorer Americans are being squeezed

18.10.2025 10

Financial Times

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How long can Mexico’s president straddle populism and pragmatism?

In her first year in office, Claudia Sheinbaum has deftly managed tensions with the US and at home. But the pressure is starting to mount

15.10.2025 10

Financial Times

The Big Read

Gold mania spreads around the world

Professional and retail investors are swarming to buy the precious metal, raising the risk of a bubble

14.10.2025 20

Financial Times

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How OpenAI put itself at the centre of a $1tn network of deals

The company behind ChatGPT has signed agreements with many of the largest tech groups, adding to a growing web of financial dependencies across the AI...

11.10.2025 30

Financial Times

The Big Read

Japan buckles under matcha mania

Booming demand is straining a supply chain that prioritises quality and cannot expand quickly enough

10.10.2025 20

Financial Times

The Big Read

The Davos set in decline: can the World Economic Forum save itself?

Battered by scandal, the Swiss organisation behind the annual summit faces a moment of crisis. Insiders say its future may depend on the success of...

09.10.2025 3

Financial Times

The Big Read

The populist shadow hanging over central banks and QE

The massive bond purchases are being unwound at a time of fierce political criticism of the monetary authorities. The controversy could limit options...

09.10.2025 10

Financial Times

The Big Read

How politicians and passengers gave up on greener air travel

A renewed push for economic growth has added to technological challenges and problems with carbon offset schemes

07.10.2025 6

Financial Times

The Big Read

China’s charm offensive in India’s backyard

Beijing’s new diplomatic forays in south Asia have stoked New Delhi fears of being ‘encircled’

06.10.2025 10

Financial Times

The Big Read