Good morning. London commuters brace for a tube strike. France’s prime minister faces a confidence vote. And Tottenham Hotspur owners turn down two suitors. Listen to the day’s top stories.
— Lily Nonomiya
Walkouts by London Underground staff have begun, forcing several main lines on the network to completely or partially shut down on Sunday ahead of the start of the work week. Here’s how London commuters have been bracing for the disruptions.
France’s Prime Minister Francois Bayrou’s will face a confidence motion in the lower house, a vote he called in a bid to pressure lawmakers to back his budget proposals. Here’s a list of things you need to watch as well as our explainer about what happens if the government collapses.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told his new cabinet to step up a gear and deliver for the British people as he seeks to fend off the rise of Nigel Farage’s populist insurgent Reform UK Party. The PM is also reeling after a strategist left Downing Street. Read more about how the loss of Starmer’s top deputy has thrown the government into crisis.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed measures to bolster Ukraine’s defenses on Sunday hours after a Russian air assault that included a strike on a key government building in Kyiv. We reported last week that European leaders are concerned that Moscow will mount a new offensive against Ukraine.
Norway’s elections. Controversial tax hikes on the rich, oil and gas drilling and how the world’s biggest sovereign wealth fund invests its money could all be shaken up by the outcome of the polls on Monday. Labor Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is bidding to retain power in what is likely to be a tight contest. Read more about how Norway’s $2 trillion wealth fund has become an election football.
In Dubai, fresh fortunes are being minted by the day as new talent and capital flock to the region. But many of the big gains in individual wealth are being driven by some of the city’s longest-standing visitors.
A select group of Indian entrepreneurs are transforming the retail gold market in the booming United Arab Emirates city, turning a once-fragmented sector into empires of glitzy showrooms and vertically-integrated supply chains.
From the Gold Souk to high-end malls, names like Malabar Gold & Diamonds, Joyalukkas India and Kalyan Jewellers—all owned by India’s ultra-wealthy—dominate the region’s landscape of jewelry for the middle class. That’s helped their founders amass total wealth of $9.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Rachel Reeves is out in the cold after Keir Starmer's cabinet reshuffle, Rosa Prince writes. It would be unsettling to fire a chancellor just before a budget, and in that respect the timing of Angela Rayner’s departure was unfortunate. But once the November statement is out the way, Reeves’ days could very well be numbered.
Daniel Levy. Photographer: Robin Jones/AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth
Tottenham Hotspur said the family of billionaire Joe Lewis turned down two suitors that expressed interest in acquiring the London-based football club. The sudden departure of longtime Tottenham executive chairman Daniel Levy last week sparked speculation that a takeover bid may be imminent.
