Author: Arabian Media staff

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the UK energy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.Britain’s household energy bills are set to fall in the summer after regulator Ofgem lowered the price cap by 7 per cent, in a boost to Sir Keir Starmer’s government as it tries to tackle the high cost of living. Ofgem on Friday set the price cap for July to September at a level that would mean a typical household pays £1,720 per year, down from £1,849 at present, following a fall in wholesale gas prices.It is the first reduction in the…

Freshfields knew when it stood up for the besieged US law firm Perkins Coie last month that it risked putting a target on its own back. Perkins Coie was fighting an executive order from US President Donald Trump that banned it from government business and properties because it had represented Trump adversaries including Hillary Clinton and George Soros. London-founded Freshfields became the only one of the world’s top 20 law firms by revenue to put its head above the parapet by signing a court filing — known as an amicus brief — supporting Perkins Coie. It later doubled down, signing briefs…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The trade war between the US and China is putting south-east Asian countries under increasing pressure to pick sides between the world’s two biggest economies, government ministers have warned.“China is looking and watching,” Malaysian trade minister Zafrul Aziz, who is leading tariff negotiations with Washington on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, told the Financial Times.“They are saying, ‘Whatever you give to the US, we want the same because whatever you give to the US is at our expense,’” Zafrul…

Image credit: WAM/Website To enhance traffic flow and achieve smoother mobility in Dubai, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is undertaking a major project to develop key intersections along Hessa Street. These include intersections with Sheikh Zayed Road, First Al Khail Road, Al Asayel Street, and Al Khail Road, covering a distance of 4.5 kilometres. Read-Use public bus service in Dubai? Here’s what you should know Additionally, the number of lanes on Hessa Street will be increased from two to four in each direction, boosting the street’s capacity from 8,000 to 16,000 vehicles per hour per direction. This development project…

One scoop to start: Former UK prime minister Lord David Cameron is in talks to join the law firm and lobbyist DLA Piper as a consultant. He would advise it and its leaders on geopolitical risks, though details of the role are not yet finalised.And another scoop: Microsoft-backed Builder.ai collapsed after an internal investigation found evidence of potentially bogus sales and the company revised down revenues to just a quarter of prior estimates.Welcome to Due Diligence, your briefing on dealmaking, private equity and corporate finance. This article is an on-site version of the newsletter. Premium subscribers can sign up here…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Japan’s core inflation rate climbed at its fastest rate in more than two years in April, piling pressure on the Bank of Japan as it seeks to normalise the country’s interest rates and the unpopular government of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Core inflation, which excludes fresh food but includes energy prices, rose 3.5 per cent on a year earlier last month, official data showed on Friday, exceeding the 3.2 per cent pace of growth in March and the fastest rate since January…

Image: Getty Images/ For illustrative purposes Saudi Arabia’s booming tourism sector is poised to deliver a record-breaking SAR447.2bn economic boost this year, as global travel and tourism reach historic highs, according to the latest data from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The WTTC forecasts that international visitor spending globally will hit an all-time high of $2.1tn in 2025 — surpassing pre-pandemic levels by $164bn. This growth is part of a broader global surge, with the sector’s total economic contribution expected to reach $11.7tn, making up 10.3 per cent of the world’s GDP. Travel and tourism-related employment is also…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Cyber attacks, such as that carried out on Marks and Spencer (M&S), are not uncommon. They are events that are increasing in number and sophistication, making them a big challenge for businesses — and what’s an issue for companies, is an issue for investors. The risks posed are enormous, from theft, disruption to trade and ruined reputations to significant financial losses and potential lawsuits when customers’ personal data is hacked. Failure to notify customers of a breach can mean a fine of…

This article is an on-site version of our Unhedged newsletter. Premium subscribers can sign up here to get the newsletter delivered every weekday. Standard subscribers can upgrade to Premium here, or explore all FT newslettersGood morning. The House of Representatives narrowly passed Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” yesterday, leaving the Senate as the final hurdle. As it stands, the bill will add to the already large US fiscal deficit. The bond market moved little on the news. Perhaps fiscal profligacy was priced in. Email us: unhedged@ft.comRetail results How is the US consumer holding up? And what will be the effect…

Image credit: Getty Images US President Donald Trump’s trade negotiators are pushing the EU to make unilateral tariff reductions on US goods, saying without concessions the bloc will not progress in talks to avoid additional 20 per cent “reciprocal” duties, the Financial Times reported on Friday. Read-Trump’s Saudi Arabia visit unlocks $600bn in investment deals US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is preparing to tell European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic on Friday that a recent “explanatory note” shared by Brussels for the talks falls short of US expectations, the newspaper said citing unnamed sources. The FT added that the European Union…