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Iran had lost faith in now-deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad before his fall from power, according to analysts and insiders, and its foreign minister told him last week that a weakened Tehran could no longer send more forces to support his regime. When Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi visited Damascus last week, days after Syria’s

Show video info Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country after a stunning offensive by rebels who seized the capital city of Damascus and toppled the dynasty that had ruled for 50 years. Amid scenes of jubilation on Sunday, the rebels proclaimed that “the city of Damascus is free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad”

€69 per month Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders. Pay a year upfront and save 20%. What’s included Global news & analysis Expert opinion FT App on Android & iOS FT Edit app FirstFT: the day’s biggest stories 20+ curated newsletters Follow topics & set alerts with myFT

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Syrian rebels say they are closing in on the strategic city of Homs as they push ahead with a lightning advance southwards towards President Bashar al-Assad’s remaining strongholds. “Our forces have liberated the last village

€69 per month Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders. Pay a year upfront and save 20%. What’s included Global news & analysis Expert opinion FT App on Android & iOS FT Edit app FirstFT: the day’s biggest stories 20+ curated newsletters Follow topics & set alerts with myFT

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Romania’s constitutional court has annulled last month’s first round of presidential elections after evidence that the leading candidate benefited from Russian intervention. The unprecedented decision to strike down the vote, which was won by far-right candidate

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world EU countries are discussing a €500bn joint fund for common defence projects and arms procurement, tapping bond markets to boost spending in anticipation of Donald Trump’s White House return. Trump’s threat to withdraw

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The French parliament on Wednesday voted to oust prime minister Michel Barnier over his proposed deficit-cutting budget, plunging the country into deeper political turmoil. A motion of no confidence was approved by 331 votes in

A UK-led operation has uncovered a multibillion-dollar money laundering scheme run out of London, Moscow and Dubai that enabled Russian spies and European drug traffickers to evade sanctions using cryptocurrency. The UK’s National Crime Agency said on Wednesday that its “Operation Destabilise” investigation centred on two companies — Smart and TGR — that acted as

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol faced mounting calls for his impeachment on Wednesday after his failed attempt to impose martial law triggered the country’s worst constitutional crisis in decades. Opposition lawmakers called on him

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. South Korea’s conservative president Yoon Suk Yeol has declared martial law, accusing the left-wing bloc that controls the national assembly of North Korean sympathies and plotting rebellion. Yoon, a hardline former chief prosecutor, said in

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. A judge in Delaware rejected Tesla’s attempt to restore Elon Musk’s record $56bn pay package after previously striking it down as a breach of the fiduciary duty of the electric-car maker’s board, dealing a blow

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. French Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government will face a no-confidence vote in coming days after he moved to force through draft budget measures without parliamentary approval. Barnier activated article 49.3 of the French constitution on

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world Joe Biden has pardoned his son Hunter over convictions on gun and tax charges in an extraordinary reversal of his promise not to use executive powers to benefit his son just months before

Staring at the enormous mound of rubble that used to be her home, Mariam Hosni clutched her daughter’s hand, which gripped a picture of Hizbollah’s venerated former leader Hassan Nasrallah, assassinated by Israel as it escalated its offensive two months ago. The Hosnis’ building in Beirut’s southern suburbs was levelled in the fierce Israeli bombardment

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Rebel forces have swept into Syria’s second city Aleppo after mounting a lightning offensive that poses the biggest threat to Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the simmering years-long civil conflict.  Images circulated on Friday night on

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Ireland’s nationalist Sinn Féin party overtook its political rivals to win 21.1 per cent in Friday’s general election, according to an exit poll, in a photo finish to a tight race. The conservative Fine Gael

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Britain’s MPs have voted to legalise assisted dying after an emotional and momentous House of Commons debate, heralding one of the biggest social changes the country has seen in decades. The vote to change the

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world Legal migration to some of the world’s richest countries reached an all-time high in 2023, sparking a voter backlash against governments despite the trend boosting growth and job creation. Roughly 6.5mn people moved

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Net immigration to the UK exceeded 900,000 for the year to June 2023, the highest annual total on record and much more than previously thought, according to official figures issued on Thursday. The revised Office