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The Big Read

Financial Times

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Formula 1’s pivotal year

The motor racing series has new rules, new teams and a new US broadcaster in Apple. Will it be a recipe for further growth?

wednesday 5

Financial Times

The Big Read

The transatlantic battle over free speech

EU efforts to regulate the digital sphere are under attack from the Trump administration and, increasingly, Silicon Valley

03.03.2026 7

Financial Times

The Big Read

Mexico, El Mencho and the perilous ‘kingpin strategy’

The policy of taking out top cartel bosses has often resulted in brutal reprisals as new leaders use even fiercer violence to assert control

27.02.2026 7

Financial Times

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How China’s universities joined the global elite

Investment by Beijing has transformed the country’s institutions despite lingering questions about research quality and intellectual freedom

27.02.2026 7

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Do America’s carmakers have a plan for survival?

Profits are set to recover this year, but a focus on large, high-margin vehicles could create a gap for Chinese rivals to exploit

26.02.2026 9

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Trump is pushing India to hedge its geopolitical bets

Stung by Donald Trump’s volatile foreign policies, New Delhi is deepening ties with the EU and ‘middle powers’ such as Canada

25.02.2026 6

Financial Times

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What has Reform learnt from its first taste of power?

After grabbing hundreds of local council seats from Labour and the Conservatives, the populist party has faced a reality check

24.02.2026 6

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The Big Read

What is behind Trump’s truce with China?

Allies are trying to work out if the administration is pursuing a tactical détente related to rare earths or if it is placing less emphasis on...

23.02.2026 100

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The problems piling up at fast-fashion giant Shein

Regulatory probes and the ending of customs loopholes pose big challenges, but its business model is highly resilient

20.02.2026 150

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The ANC’s sudden embrace of South African business

Once instinctively hostile to corporate interests, the party is now working with the private sector to shore up the economy

20.02.2026 100

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The crypto-loving billionaire and the $400mn ‘perfect fraud’

Businessman Ricardo Salinas thought he was dealing with financial royalty, but found himself in a transatlantic legal fight

19.02.2026 80

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Maternity care is broken. Who can fix it?

Giving birth is getting riskier, midwives are stretched to exhaustion and families must navigate a lottery of care

18.02.2026 10

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The grim message in the ‘rusting’ Arctic rivers

The bright orange waterways are a sign that permafrost is thawing rapidly, with potentially hazardous consequences

17.02.2026 150

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A fallen Indian tech star and the hunt for its missing millions

The collapse of education start-up Byju’s has resulted in US court sanctions and cast a shadow over the country’s tech sector

16.02.2026 60

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How private equity’s big bet on software was derailed by AI

Dealmakers and lenders are facing a ‘Darwinian moment’ as digital services risk being made obsolete by new technologies

13.02.2026 90

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The airlines fighting the expansion of Heathrow

The carriers say the £33bn plan for a new runway is unaffordable. The airport says the companies just want to keep out competitors

11.02.2026 4

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What fast food’s downturn says about the US economy

Restaurants have raised prices to offset rising labour and ingredient costs, leading low-income customers to visit less often

10.02.2026 9

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‘It feels like a betrayal.’ Germany’s painful estrangement from the US

The unravelling of transatlantic ties has shocked a country that had an emotional attachment to the relationship

10.02.2026 20

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How the NFL became America’s true national pastime

The football league is perhaps the only institution capable of uniting much of the country, as this weekend’s Super Bowl will show

08.02.2026 5

Financial Times

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Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s social Ponzi scheme

New emails reveal the convicted sex offender’s ability to fulfil the wants and needs of some of the world’s richest and most powerful people

06.02.2026 20

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The controversial plan to set ‘Buy European’ rules

Are the EU’s proposals to encourage manufacturing to stay in the region pragmatic or protectionist?

05.02.2026 7

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The Big Read

Japan falls for Takaichi’s star power

The new prime minister has revived the LDP, which had looked as if it might collapse. But if she wins this week’s elections, she will face harsh...

05.02.2026 7

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The political cost of America’s surging electricity bills

Data centres powering the AI boom are straining grids and causing price rises that could hurt Trump

04.02.2026 30

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The stablecoin war: Wall Street vs crypto over the future of money

Banks say rules governing the digital currency are a risk to financial stability. Are they just trying to stamp out competition?

03.02.2026 10

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How the world fell in love with climbing

The televised climb of a Taipei skyscraper follows an explosion of interest in the sport, fuelled by the post-pandemic boom in exercise

31.01.2026 8

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The music industry’s cautious embrace of AI

Leading labels have signed deals with tech companies in the hope of creating new revenue streams and reducing the amount of slop. But artists are...

31.01.2026 7

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Chatbots are coming for ecommerce

Industry giants Walmart and Amazon are taking different approaches to a technology that could further automate shopping

30.01.2026 10

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Nato without America: Europe ‘thinks the unthinkable’

After the stand-off over Greenland, European leaders are having to consider what would happen if Washington leaves the military alliance

28.01.2026 40

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Can anything halt Latin America’s lurch to the right?

The Venezuela incursion might have strengthened populist candidates promising law and order ahead of key elections

27.01.2026 4

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Decoupling from Trump’s America

Washington’s allies are looking for a new strategy after a week that has demonstrated what some see as the risks of subordination and coercion

24.01.2026 40

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Can Israel’s opposition unite to defeat Netanyahu?

Activists say the election expected later in 2026 represents an ‘existential’ moment for the country

23.01.2026 10

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The great graduate job drought

Economic uncertainty and the arrival of AI have brought a reduction in entry-level roles, with potentially disastrous consequences for young people

23.01.2026 30

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Russia, Ukraine and the race for Chinese drone components

As both sides scramble to source vital parts, some experts are convinced Russian buyers are being favoured by Beijing

22.01.2026 50

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The reality of trying to make US manufacturing great again

The fortunes of furniture makers in North Carolina and Foshan in China show the impact of Trump’s tariff regime

21.01.2026 20

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Is Venezuela’s ‘compliant’ new regime sustainable?

The acting president says she is staying true to her socialist roots while trying to meet the demands of the Trump administration

20.01.2026 30

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The threat to the global economy from Trump’s war on the Fed

The escalating conflict between the White House and the US central bank could have far-reaching consequences

17.01.2026 40

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Can Mark Carney Trump-proof Canada’s economy?

After several decades of closer integration with the US, the country’s prime minister is pushing large infrastructure projects and looking for new...

16.01.2026 8

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Can Europe still afford its generous state pensions?

Rising numbers of older people across the continent are straining budgets and making for some difficult political decisions

16.01.2026 20

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Why the world has started stockpiling food again

Governments are hoarding rice and grain as insurance against a world they increasingly view as unstable. But many economists believe it could be...

15.01.2026 30

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How the west fell behind in the green tech race

European companies pioneered much of the technology used in renewables, but have they left it too late to compete with China?

14.01.2026 10

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The reinvention of America’s shopping malls

Changes in shopping habits have widened the split between those catering to well-off customers and those facing bankruptcy

13.01.2026 10

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The new era of resource imperialism

Trump’s military actions in Venezuela show how US foreign policy has become geared towards securing access to energy and critical minerals

10.01.2026 30

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California’s divisive plan to tax billionaires

The proposed levy on people worth 10 figures and above has rattled Silicon Valley and split Democratic leaders

10.01.2026 20

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Meloni’s make-or-break year

The Italian prime minister has brought political stability, but not economic growth. What can she accomplish before facing voters in 2027?

09.01.2026 20

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The cost of America’s nuclear revival

Donald Trump has promised to build fleets of new reactors to help ‘win’ the AI race. But many think the goals are unrealistic

08.01.2026 10

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Has Europe learnt to manage migration?

Policymakers say strict new measures have driven down irregular arrivals, but experts say the underlying factors are little changed

07.01.2026 50

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Ruchir Sharma: top 10 trends for 2026

The AI mania could wane and drag down the economies of the two superpowers, but the rest of the world is well positioned to pick up the slack

06.01.2026 40

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Can a new leader rescue the Church of England?

As Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally will take over an institution tarnished by scandal and with dwindling numbers

03.01.2026 40

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China doubles down on export-led growth model

The country plans to reinforce its dominance of global manufacturing, despite persistent deflation at home and rising tensions abroad

02.01.2026 10

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Can AI really help us find love?

The technology is changing the way many people meet and form relationships but some experts believe it may do more harm than good

31.12.2025 20

Financial Times

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