FT News Briefing

French immigration reforms put Emmanuel Macron’s leadership to the test, Pisa rankings show sharp decline in student attainment in maths and reading since 2018, India’s stock market is set to take Hong Kong’s spot among world’s largest, and Shohei Ohtani signs a record $700mn baseball contract with Los Angeles Dodgers. Mentioned in this podcast:UK students fall behind on core skills post-pandemicEY to cut a further 150 UK jobs as Big Four firms grapple with waning demandShohei Ohtani signs record $700mn baseball contract with Los Angeles DodgersIndia’s stock market set to take Hong Kong’s spot among world’s largestFrench immigration reforms put Emmanuel Macron’s leadership to the testCredit: MLB.com The FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Joanna Kao, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva, Gavin Kallmann, and Zach St. Louis. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

The EU is set to pave the way for completely ending gas imports from Russia and Belarus, and a record supply of oil from the US is complicating Opec+ maths. Plus, the FT’s Jennifer Hughes explains why the price of gold and bitcoin are both booming in the same week.  Mentioned in this podcast:EU paves way for total ban on Russian gas importsOil market caught by surprise as US output surgesGold price hits all-time high as traders bet on interest rate cutsThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Michela Tindera, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Moody’s Investors Service advised staff in China to work from home ahead of its cut to the outlook for the country’s sovereign credit rating, Palestinians in Gaza are running out of places to evacuate to, and oil prices have fallen to their lowest level in five months. Plus, the FT’s Christopher Miller explains what would happen on the ground in Ukraine if western aid dries up. Mentioned in this podcast:Moody’s advised staff to work from home ahead of China outlook cutJoe Biden says Republican refusal to fund Ukraine is a ‘gift’ to Vladimir PutinKyiv’s political feuds cause cracks in Ukrainian unityShattered Israel-Hamas truce leaves Gaza’s civilians with nowhere left to runRepublicans tell Joe Biden US aid to Kyiv depends on immigration curbsEU budget dispute threatens €50bn war lifeline for UkraineOil slumps to lowest in five months despite Opec+ production cutsThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Leading economists say the Federal Reserve will hold off on interest rate cuts until at least July 2024, and the US Supreme Court heard a case that could shut down Democrats’ attempts to impose a wealth tax. Plus, the FT’s Europe editor, Ben Hall, explains why Ukraine is cracking down on oligarchs and what it means for the country. Mentioned in this podcast:Economists see Fed keeping rates at 22-year high until at least July  How the US Supreme Court could thwart a prospective wealth taxUS Supreme Court appears wary of upending tax law in closely watched caseThe crackdown on Ukraine’s oligarchsThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hot Money is back with a brand new season. On the first episode of Hot Money: The New Narcos, a Dutch crime reporter makes an unbelievable discovery, and a small-town murder case begins to look like an international assassination plot.Subscribe to Hot Money: The New Narcos

The UK will make it harder for employers to hire overseas staff in an attempt to reduce record immigration by 300,000 a year, a Venezuelan referendum lays claim to two-thirds of neighbouring Guyana, and the White House says the US is set to run out of funds to aid Ukraine by the end of the year. Plus, we get a preview of the new Hot Money season, which dives into the European cocaine trade.Mentioned in this podcast:UK government unveils measures to cut immigration by 300,000 a yearVenezuela says voters back claim to oil-rich swath of GuyanaUS funding for Ukraine set to run out by end of the year, White House warnsSubscribe to Hot Money: The New NarcosThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Edith Rousselot, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Israel has ordered Palestinians in Gaza to evacuate a large area of land in the south of the strip, South Korea has become a top 10 defence exporter since the start of the war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party has won a series of resounding victories in India’s state polls, and wealthy Argentines are moving to Uruguay to avoid high taxes. Mentioned in this podcast:Israel pounds southern Gaza after US warning on civilian deathsSouth Korean defence industry rides global order wave‘Leaving without leaving’: Argentines are flocking to Uruguay to avoid a high tax burdenNarendra Modi’s BJP triumphs in India state electionsThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hot Money is back with a new season that begins with a mysterious murder in a small town and leads to a cocaine super cartel and a secret proxy war between democracies and dictatorships.Follow Hot Money: The New Narcos here.

Washington is aiming to halve Russia’s oil and gas revenues by the end of this decade, and markets turned things round and had a great November. Plus, the FT’s Nicholas Megaw explains how investors use AI to decode what executives say on earnings calls. Mentioned in this podcast:US aims to halve Russia’s energy revenues by 2030, says officialInvestors use AI to glean signals behind executives’ soothing wordsMarkets in 2024: Investors bet on déjà vu all over againThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com