Conservative backed by Trump declared winner in Honduran election
Nasry ‘Tito’ Asfura says he is ‘ready to govern’ after poll marred by allegations of fraud
Nvidia to poach top staff from AI chip start-up Groq in licensing deal
World’s most valuable company will gain engineer who helped develop Google’s Tensor Processing Unit chip programme
The Room in the Tower — claustrophobic Mark Gatiss spookathon
Starring Tobias Menzies, this atmospheric BBC adaptation of an EF Benson story is eerily effective
Democratic senators urge Trump to halt mass recall of ambassadors
Lawmakers warn that empty posts at more than 100 embassies endanger US national security
US justice department says full Epstein file release could take ‘few more weeks’
‘Over a million’ additional documents uncovered that will take time to review, according to the DoJ
US bars former EU commissioner Breton and others over tech rules
France hits out at visa sanctions as Washington targets what it calls the ‘global censorship-industrial complex’
Big US banks add $600bn in value as deregulation spurs gains
Moves to allow higher leverage and overhaul stress tests have driven increase in market capitalisation
Libyan army chief killed in Turkey plane crash
Chief of ground forces of internationally recognised military also among the dead
Zelenskyy open to demilitarised zone as part of peace deal if Russia pulls back
Ukraine’s offer comes as Putin insists his hardline demands must form the basis for any end to the war
EU foreign aid takes transactional turn with Africa minerals push
Investment in Lobito Corridor comes as bloc channels development assistance towards energy, metals and migration
Let boredom be the mother of invention
Idleness breeds creativity if only we can ignore shallow technology distractions
How a straw-hatted anime pirate became a symbol of Gen Z dissent
Young protesters around the world have rallied under the image in their fight for political change
The absurdity of a mummers’ Christmas
The annual folk tradition has been staged in the UK and Ireland for over two centuries
FirstFT: Trump replaces H-1B visa lottery with a ‘weighted’ system
Also in today’s newsletter: Big tech turns to special purpose vehicles to fund data centres and US economic growth exceeds expectations
Banks and traders race to capitalise on gold’s historic rally
Surge in bullion prices turns precious metals trading and vaulting into one of finance’s most profitable businesses
Saudi’s sway is here to stay
For business, following the whims of politicians isn’t always easy, but it does create opportunities
US accuses China of unfair chip trade practices
Trump administration holds off increasing tariffs until 2027
BP to sell majority stake in $10bn Castrol to pay down debt
UK oil and gas major steps up asset sales under new chair Albert Manifold
‘A lot of gold’: the business of dressing priests for Christmas
Family-run Watts & Co serves places of worship, UK state occasions such as coronations and even Hollywood studios
South Korea offers tax breaks on overseas stock sales to stem currency’s slide
Authorities seek to rein in craze for US equities that has weakened won’s value against dollar
Pakistan sells indebted state carrier in privatisation win
Consortium led by Karachi-based securities brokerage is buying majority stake in airline
BoJ to continue tightening gradually in 2026
Read the central bank’s December forecast from the FT’s Monetary Policy Radar team
EU spent less on US energy after $750bn Trump trade deal
Member states’ spending on US oil and gas fell 7 per cent over the past four months