FT News Briefing

A secretive Catholic group comes under scrutiny as one young woman is drawn in by promises of holiness through work. The story follows her move into a religious center, where rigid routines, surveillance, and punishing rules begin to feel deeply controlling. It also explores the organization’s wider cultural and political influence in America.

Arjun Neil Allam, the FT’s Hong Kong-based Asia finance reporter, tracks the city’s proposed tax breaks for asset managers and its rivalry with Singapore and Dubai. Jill Plimmer, the FT’s infrastructure correspondent, dives into London’s booming rubbish-burning power plants. Also in focus: the UAE’s role in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the market jitters around it.

Brooke Masters, FT’s US managing editor and finance veteran, joins George Steer, an FT reporter on US markets and trading. They dig into investors decoding Trump’s Iran signals through wild oil swings, eyebrow-raising derivatives bets, redemption caps rattling private credit funds, a landmark ruling against Meta and Google, and why the WTO may be running out of road.

Robert Armstrong, FT markets commentator behind Unhedged, digs into gold’s strange behavior as a haven asset. Raya Jalabi, FT Middle East correspondent in Beirut, explores Lebanon’s fear of a deeper Israeli push. Also in focus: Arm’s new AI chip with Meta and OpenAI on board, and Volkswagen’s surprising move from cars to missile defence.

Henry Foy, the FT’s Brussels bureau chief on EU politics, and James Schotter, the FT’s Jerusalem correspondent on Israeli politics, dig into Pakistan’s bid to mediate with Iran. They also explore how US LNG is being used as leverage over Europe, why carmakers are scrambling for aluminium, and how Israeli rivals are racing to sound tougher on Iran.

Jamie Smith, the FT’s US energy editor, tracks how the Iran war could scramble oil and gas markets, boost Canada’s role, and help China cast itself as a steady partner. Joe Daniels, an FT journalist on Latin America, unpacks Cuba’s worsening blackouts, fragile fuel supplies, and rising fears of a sharper US-Cuba clash. These stories follow the widening threat to food aid and global hunger.

Malcolm Moore, the FT’s energy editor, and Sam Lerner, a data-focused graphics journalist, dig into chaos after missile damage at Qatar’s huge LNG hub. They track fears of years-long gas disruption, market turmoil, pressure on Asia and Europe, and coal’s comeback. Then they turn to the wild rise of five-minute crypto bets and prediction markets that look a lot like gambling.

Claire Jones, FT US economics editor, unpacks why the Federal Reserve held rates steady as oil-driven inflation fears grow and Jay Powell faces fresh scrutiny. Hamza Jilani, FT Pakistan correspondent, explores the fragile pause in Pakistan-Afghanistan fighting, rising militant tensions, and the wider regional fallout. It also looks at eased Venezuela oil sanctions and Walmart’s algorithmic pricing plans.

Michelle Chan, FT credit correspondent, tracks risky corporate debt. Ahmed Al Omran, FT reporter on Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, follows regional politics and diplomacy. They get into the EU’s merger shake-up, Wall Street’s $18bn EA debt unload, the dash into cash, and why Riyadh’s truce with Iran is colliding with Vision 2030 ambitions.

Gideon Rachman, FT foreign affairs commentator, and Ed White, FT China correspondent, dig into why the Strait of Hormuz remains a strategic flashpoint. They also track Europe’s limited options, China’s oil stockpile stress test, UniCredit’s bold Commerzbank bid, and a newly spotted hellish planet with magma oceans.