Day: August 22, 2025

College basketball league shoots for success in China

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. One of the best-known billionaires to emerge from China’s tech sector is hoping to tap into the country’s passion for basketball by backing a pan-Asian college league styled on the US “March Madness” knockout tournament. Alibaba chair Joe Tsai — who owns the Brooklyn Nets, the US professional National Basketball Association team — hopes to build on enthusiasm for live events in China with a new amateur competition. The Asian…

Study reveals how corn has evolved to sense and respond to environment

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Corn communicates with its neighbours by releasing a gas that prompts nearby plants to alter their soil, a new study has found. Advertisement And when corn is densely planted, that can boost defences against pests and predation. But emission of the volatile gas – called linalool – can also reduce maize growth. The international team of scientists who discovered this mechanism says it offers clues on how the release of linalool could be optimised to combat pests and increase yield. The researchers from Zhejiang University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Leiden…

Hedge funds bet against European car firms as tariffs bite

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Hedge funds are betting against Europe’s struggling car industry, as auto and parts makers battle a market slowdown worsened by US President Donald Trump’s trade war and fierce competition from Chinese rivals. Short positions against some of Europe’s biggest parts manufacturers and carmakers have been on the rise this year following Trump’s return to the White House in January. French components maker Valeo is Europe’s second-most shorted stock as a percentage of issued shares, based on disclosed short positions, according to data provider Breakout Point. Shares out on loan —…