The Big Read

Why 1 per cent interest rates could shake everything up after a generation of deflation

Supporters say franchised providers widen access to further education, but others doubt the real value of their ‘no frills’ courses

The US is on the verge of losing its status as the world’s leading agricultural exporter

The new US central bank chief is reluctant to signal future interest rate moves — how will hedge funds react?

Deregulation isn’t enough. Nor is government intervention. We need both

Here are the ways leading companies are already responding to the AI revolution in professional services

What will the dismantling of the Orbán machine lead to?

Beijing’s export controls on rare earths and other niche metals are distorting markets and fuelling resource nationalism

America’s diplomats used to have global sway. Now they are besieged by their own president

The bank has sold assets, cut jobs and made controversial new hires while cultivating a closer relationship with Trump. Is it enough to get …

The biggest rise in extreme temperatures is not in the daytime

Todd Blanche, once an ‘underdog’, is now at the heart of the administration

The UK’s military firepower is not what it was. Nor is its global influence

Pushback to the tech group’s politics may threaten the core of its $330bn business

As Nato meets, the continent is starting to think about how to defend itself without the US

The veteran investor has put himself at the centre of the global AI boom. Some think he now has too much control

Automated system first mooted in 2008 was meant to keep out criminals — instead, it is delaying travellers

Exxon’s Darren Woods is the industry’s most powerful chief executive for a generation

EU countries are uneasy about Erdoğan’s growing authoritarianism. But they want his country’s hard power

The clothing retailer forged in Japan’s post-bubble economy is pinning its hopes on Europe and North America

Tens of trillions of dollars are moving between generations — and younger heirs feel little loyalty to traditional advisers

The industry is expanding far faster than finance. Regions outside London want a piece of the pie

The Spanish capital is changing before its residents’ eyes. Restaurants are even imposing a two-hour limit on diners

The tech sector is buzzing in Britain. But can it ever be more than a US outpost?

The country’s workforce is set to fall to 300mn by the end of the century. Beijing wants humanoids to narrow the labour gap