Darren Dodd

For up-to-the-minute news updates, visit our live blog Good evening. News confirming that US inflation was continuing to slow would normally be a big shot in the arm for a president facing re-election in just a few months, but the good news on easing price pressures has been eclipsed by conversations about Joe Biden’s fitness to take on Donald Trump after last night’s TV debate. The personal consumption expenditures index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation, dipped from 2.7…

For up-to-the-minute news updates, visit our live blog Good evening. “At the heart of attempts to halt damaging climate change is a pair of ideas: decarbonise electricity and electrify the economy. So, how is it going? Badly, is the answer.” That’s the nub of the latest column from FT chief economics commentator Martin Wolf, who argues that market forces are not enough to slow down global warming as evidence grows that people do not want to pay the price of the green transition. Some busines…

For up-to-the-minute news updates, visit our live blog Good evening. France’s leftwing parties spent today jockeying for position to lead the government after winning an unexpected victory in yesterday’s election run-off, thwarting Marine Le Pen’s attempts to bring her far-right Rassemblement National to power. The results leave European leaders and investors scratching their heads at what it means for the bloc’s second-largest economy and EU decision making. With most votes counted, the left…

For up-to-the-minute news updates, visit our live blog Good evening. Much has been written about the potential of artificial intelligence to transform our working lives and wider society, but the rapidly growing sector is also feeling the heat over competition and its impact on the environment. We report today that Microsoft has given up its seat as an observer on the board of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, following noises from regulators about Big Tech’s plans. Apple, which plans to in…

For up-to-the-minute news updates, visit our live blog Good evening. As China’s leadership gathers for its quinquennial policy plenum, signs are flashing red over the country’s faltering economic growth and its impact on the population, piling pressure on policymakers to intervene. New GDP data this morning showed growth slowing in the second quarter to a weaker than expected 4.7 per cent as the world’s second-largest economy struggles with poor consumer demand and a lingering property slowdo…

Also in this newsletter: the largest IT outage in history, transatlantic travel boom, science round-up

For up-to-the-minute news updates, visit our live blog Good evening. Global luxury stocks took a dive today after industry bellwether LVMH reported slower than expected sales, increasing investors’ concerns about a sector slowdown amid waning demand from China. LVMH, owner of Louis Vuitton, Dior and Tiffany, is closely watched by analysts because of its size and the fact that its more than 75 companies span luxury segments from watches and bags to travel. The disappointing second-quarter upda…

Also in this newsletter: Olympic rail sabotage, the Taylor Swift effect, science round-up

Also in this newsletter: Mars mega-deal, Musk revives tussle with OpenAI, army takeover in Bangladesh

Social media in the crosshairs of global regulators