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FINANCIAL TIMES
Friday, 2 October 2026
 
 
 

Top Headlines from the UK Edition

 
 
 
Andy Burnham searches for UK alternative to Palantir
 
Prime minister’s ‘Buy British’ push triggers hunt to find replacement for controversial US tech group awarded health service and defence contracts
 
 
US sanctions Kremlin-backed fintech A7 for allegedly assisting Iran
 
Payments group that moved almost $7bn through global banks designated a transnational criminal organisation
 
 
Europe braces for ‘severe hybrid attacks’ from Russia, says Friedrich Merz
 
German chancellor says Moscow’s escalation shows ‘desperation’ over the war in Ukraine
 
 
US mortgage rates jump the most in four years in blow to housing market
 
Homebuilders and prospective buyers continue to face challenging market conditions with midterms looming weeks away
 
 
Burnham’s wake-up call for the right
 
Opponents of big-state socialism have never been more in need of a strong Conservative Party and rarely further from having one
 
 
 

Top Headlines from the International Editions

 
 
 
KPMG general counsel retires after Australia whistleblower scandal
 
Retirement of Anne Collins comes as another longstanding client dumps the firm in Australia
 
 
Foreign bid highlights Australia’s battle to forge a gold champion
 
Investors face dilemma as South African rival offers $27bn for Northern Star
 
 
Nike to cut jobs as it forecasts revenue decline in the coming year
 
US sneaker and sportswear group to open an India campus under its turnaround plan
 
 
US deploys thousands of troops to Middle East as Donald Trump weighs strikes on Iran
 
Aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt expected to arrive in the region by the end of November, a US official says
 
 
An AI sovereign wealth fund isn’t progressive — it’s techno-imperialism
 
Accruing income at home from land and power abroad has an old name: empire
 
 
 

Markets

 
 
 
EU countries in crisis talks over release of diesel stocks
 
Trump administration has pressured European countries to release strategic reserves, warning that it could ban US diesel exports if they do not do so
 
 
Eurozone borrowing costs surge in global bond rout
 
European debt hit with bout of selling after US 10-year borrowing costs strike highest level since 2002
 
 
Ex-HSBC banker banned for dodging £5,900 in train fares
 
Joseph Molloy was convicted this year of using a ‘doughnutting’ scam to avoid paying for tickets
 
 
France meets fiscal reality with a crunch
 
A surge in borrowing costs leaves the country on the edge of a debt spiral
 
 
Four potential positives from higher bond yields
 
The sharp rise in borrowing costs has raised justified alarm but there are benefits too
 
 
 

Companies

 
 
 
Watches and Jewellery: October
 
Japan’s watchmakers expand overseas; sharper diamond cuts move into the spotlight; how Caroline Scheufele shaped a Chopard mainstay; crafts revive ancient techniques from Japan; the appeal of rare sannan skarn; watch industry divide deepens over gender labels
 
 
What makes a woman’s watch? Industry divide deepens over gender labels
 
As female buyers drive sales growth, the split is widening among brands between maintaining the category status quo and offering unisex designs
 
 
Japanese watchmakers push for overseas growth
 
Exports are rising as brands large and small attract more buyers beyond their home market
 
 
Branching out: Audemars Piguet adds Royal Oak jewellery line to court female buyers
 
The watchmaker is building on historic connections with jewellers as pressure increases on the market for timepieces
 
 
Accenture shares surge as consultancy confounds AI fears
 
Group says revenues could accelerate in the coming year despite worries over demand for its services
 
 
 

Opinion

 
 
 
Europe should take Trump’s diesel ban seriously, if not literally
 
Even if the president backs down, his threat should prompt Europe to be more energy independent
 
 
Dealmakers line up to test EU’s appetite to create European champions
 
As Brussels opens the door to bigger deals within industries, companies look for a test case of the new approach
 
 
Do US lawmakers finally have capital in the crosshairs?
 
With a metastasising financial sector and declining business investment, action is essential
 
 
Australia’s banks show how to prepare for cable blackouts
 
The country is making its financial system resilient enough to withstand the cutting of undersea lines
 
 
We have forgotten what budgets are for
 
The biggest problem with public finances is when they cease to be tools for governance
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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