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FINANCIAL TIMES
Tuesday, 19 May 2026
 
 
 

Top Headlines from the UK Edition

 
 
 
Donald Trump says he is holding off attack on Iran planned for Tuesday
 
US president says UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar requested Washington suspend operation ‘for two or three days’
 
 
Xi Jinping told Donald Trump that Putin might ‘regret’ invasion of Ukraine
 
US president also suggested they should co-operate with Russian leader against the International Criminal Court
 
 
SpaceX IPO set to hand $20bn stake to one hedge fund
 
D1 Capital is among the Wall Street firms in line for big rewards if the rocket maker successfully lists next month
 
 
Burnham vows to reverse privatisation and austerity if he replaces Starmer
 
Greater Manchester mayor also insists he will not rip up the UK’s fiscal rules
 
 
Trump and Xi will not determine Taiwan’s fate
 
China assumes that the island would be helpless without American support — that is a dangerous mistake
 
 
 

Top Headlines from the International Editions

 
 
 
Standard Chartered to cut almost 8,000 jobs as AI use escalates
 
Bill Winters’ new strategy for Asia-focused lender aims to ‘drive sustainable growth’
 
 
Electric ships and trucks to buoy battery boom, says China lithium boss
 
Tianqi says demand forecasts underestimate rapid rise of battery-powered industrial equipment
 
 
Project Astra: the $420bn merger powering the US AI revolution
 
Proposed deal between NextEra and Dominion would cement control of US ‘data centre alley’
 
 
Elon Musk loses case against OpenAI after two hours of jury deliberations
 
Decision hands a legal victory to Sam Altman in a case that had overshadowed the AI lab’s plans to go public
 
 
Mortgage costs rise sharply on Middle East conflict
 
Home loans have become more expensive in North America and Europe despite central banks keeping rates on hold
 
 
 

Markets

 
 
 
Worries on gilts point to wider bond market vulnerabilities
 
Rising public debt adds pressure while increased hedge fund trading opens up new fragilities
 
 
Astorg’s flagship fundraise struggles as private equity braces for shakeout
 
Investors reluctant to commit to new fund of French firm that has yet to sell prize asset
 
 
SpaceX IPO adds air to the Silicon Valley ‘genius bubble’
 
The biggest one-man brands today benefit from the impression that no cycle can bring them down
 
 
Iran stockpiles oil on ageing tankers anchored in the Gulf
 
Tehran turns to floating storage to keep country’s production going
 
 
Investors warn of ‘correction’ risk as high-flying stocks defy bond gloom
 
Wall Street indices have surged to a string of record highs despite anxiety over economic fallout from Iran war
 
 
 

Companies

 
 
 
Inside the luxury towers behind Manchester’s revival
 
Salboy, the developer co-founded by the Betfred billionaire Fred Done, has helped to transform the city
 
 
Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis emerges as early Anthropic investor
 
Nobel laureate’s protégés are raising billions and spreading his influence across the AI industry
 
 
Belfast Harbour unveils £1.3bn growth plan in bid to rival Dublin
 
Irish Sea port bets on freight, cruise and offshore wind businesses
 
 
NHS plans to scale back recruitment drive and use AI to avoid ‘financial ruin’
 
Health service is working out how to get by with hundreds of thousands fewer staff than forecast by the last government
 
 
The rise and fall of the Madoff of manuscripts
 
Gérard Lhéritier lured investors by selling shares in literary treasures. When suspicions grew, he was exposed as the architect of a €1bn Ponzi scheme
 
 
 

Opinion

 
 
 
The US and China crave hegemony without responsibility
 
Beijing has yet to step forward to fill the leadership vacuum left by Washington
 
 
The cracks in the Putin edifice
 
Russian leader’s conviction that he could outlast the west is being tested
 
 
How Trump became political kryptonite
 
The president’s ‘populist war’ in Iran is dooming his allies and leaders who sought his favour
 
 
NextEra bets there’s no such thing as having too much power
 
There are few obvious areas of overlap between Dominion Energy and its Florida rival
 
 
Baseball is learning to live with shorter attention spans
 
New rules have made games faster and more exciting
 
 
 

Work & Careers

 
 
 
Why Gen Z is packing out Paris jazz clubs
 
Fuelled by viral videos and a desire for authentic nightlife, a new generation of jazz fans is flocking to spots like Caveau de la Huchette, 38Riv and La Gare-Le Gore
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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