Month: September 2025

What superstition tells us about humanity

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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. By the end of 1965, Japan looked every bit the enlightened, science-led, technology-driven society it advertised. Its booming economy had produced the world’s fastest train, the capital had recrafted its skyline for the most advanced Olympics yet and its leading physicist had won a Nobel Prize for work on quantum electrodynamics. Then, in a moment that stands out even from humanity’s long catalogue of loopiness, the place went mad: unscientifically,…

Lula says Zelensky ‘more willing to talk’ as he revives Brazil-China peace plan

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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday said he saw new signs that both Kyiv and Moscow may be edging towards negotiations to end the three-year war in Ukraine, reviving his joint peace push with China and urging the United Nations to take a central role. Advertisement Speaking to reporters at the UN headquarters after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Lula said he believed both sides now understood the limits of their battlefield ambitions. “I felt Zelensky was much more willing to talk than in previous meetings,” he…

What’s behind Singapore’s world-high property transaction costs?

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Over a single weekend in August, close to 90 per cent of the apartments in a 36-storey condominium in Singapore’s upscale River Valley were sold — even though the site is not expected to be completed for four years. With prices ranging from S$1.2mn ($900,000) to S$3.5mn for one-to four-bedroom flats, buyers were drawn to the development’s riverside views, 50-metre pool, clubhouse and gym.  More than 900 off-plan apartments were sold overall in Singapore that weekend. New home sales hit a nine-month high in August, despite a series of government…

Military advertises its bigger role as Prabowo reshapes Indonesia

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Indonesia’s largest newspaper ran an unusual advertisement this week — a full-page essay by the ministry of defence, explaining the expanding role of the military in economic and civilian affairs.    Titled “no longer just the military: Indonesia’s people’s defence”, the ministry said that its role has expanded in recent times to support President Prabowo Subianto’s “grand visions” to build “comprehensive defence” for Indonesia.  The ministry is “transforming from mere military defence to universal defence based on welfare and cross-sector collaboration”, it said in the Kompas newspaper, justifying the armed forces’…

Trump’s port fees will weaken China’s shipbuilding dominance, says shipping boss

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Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world The Trump administration’s incoming fees on Chinese-made vessels visiting US ports will weaken China’s shipbuilding dominance and boost Japanese and South Korean rivals, said the head of one of the world’s biggest shipowners’ groups. Hitoshi Nagasawa, president of the Japanese Shipowners’ Association, which represents the world’s second-largest ship-owning nation after China, said fleet owners were already rethinking orders to Chinese yards and exploring alternatives ahead of levies set…

Chinese solar panels rewire Africa for the future at record pace as costs fall

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African solar energy use is surging, with Chinese-made panels a common sight across the continent, on rooftops and in the massive renewable energy plants being built in countries such as Algeria and South Africa by companies from China. Advertisement An Oxford Economics study released on Monday showed the continent welcomed a record 9,516 megawatts worth of Chinese-made solar panels in the first seven months of this year, from just 6,625MW in the same period last year. The trend reflects how Africa is increasingly turning to solar energy for homes and…

China announces plan to cut its greenhouse emissions by 7 to 10%

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China, currently the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has announced it aims to cut its emissions by 7-10 per cent by 2035. Advertisement In a video address to the United Nations high-level climate summit on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his fellow leaders that China will finally reduce the emissions of the gases that cause global warming and extreme weather. “Green and low-carbon energy and development transition are the trend of our era,” proclaimed Xi. The announcement comes at a time when the US is rolling back on…

US reaffirms India as China counterweight despite trade rifts, Pakistan concerns

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India remains a democratic counterweight to China in the Indo-Pacific region, a senior US State Department official said on Wednesday, dismissing any suggestion that sharp bilateral disputes over trade had fundamentally changed that position for US President Donald Trump’s administration. Advertisement “Absolutely still see India as a critical partner in the Indo-Pacific,” the official said, suggesting India is the “indo” in Indo-Pacific and adding that ties with New Delhi remain strong. The official noted that the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first engagement after he was sworn into office…

China’s Xi sets out conservative climate goal for next decade

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Climate change myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. China’s President Xi Jinping has set out conservative targets for emissions cuts from the world’s second-largest economy while taking a veiled swipe at US inaction on climate change under Donald Trump. In a video address to a UN climate summit, Xi said China would cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 10 per cent over the next decade, while doubling its wind and solar installed capacity from today’s levels. A…

Xi sets out conservative climate goal for China over next decade

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Climate change myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. China will cut its greenhouse gas emissions by up to 10 per cent and increase renewable energy capacity six-fold within a decade, President Xi Jinping announced in a new climate plan, along with a thinly veiled swipe at the US. The climate goal was described as “both underwhelming and transformative”, with experts having hoped that the world’s largest emitter and second-biggest economy would set a target at least in the…