🚨FT EXCLUSIVE: Germany backs UK on EV trade rules🚨 ⚡Berlin pushes EU to cave on "rules of origin" ⚡U-turn comes from 🇩🇪 chancellor Olaf Scholz ⚡Ford Eu boss warns "almost impossible" to meet rules By Andrew Bounds, Laura Pitel, George Parker & me: ft.com/content/5376ce…

Such a fascinating read on Tiananmen protestor turned ultra-capitalist investor Li Lu, from ⁦Eleanor Olcott⁩. What a life. on.ft.com/3R5hSe6

Asked for his views for a 4,000-word piece on whether Rishi Sunak could win the next UK election, YouGov pollster Anthony Wells replied: “What are you going to say in the other 3,999?” Entertaining and illuminating read from George Parker + Lucy Fisher on.ft.com/3Pe2olv

💥SCOOP Axel Springer and KKR are in talks that would lead to a dramatic break up of the media empire that includes Politico, Business Insider and Germany's Bild with the FT team Laura Pitel Arash Massoudi Kaye Wiggins Olafstorbeck.ft.com (on bsky.social) ft.com/content/1d09ac… via @ft

I'm back from maternity leave today and excited to return to my beat at the Financial Times covering German defence, energy, tech, media and more. I’m all ears for story ideas, tips and gossip. Get in touch!

NEWS : After 6 years running 2 of the greatest Financial Times desks, I will replace the brilliant Guy Chazan as Berlin bureau chief starting January. Big shoes to fill. Thrilled to be working with the great Laura Pitel and Sam Jones. DM for tips, intros, meetings & more. Ich freue mich!

💥Volodymyr Zelenskyy interview💥 Ukraine’s president tells me a Nato invitation for Kyiv is “the only way” it can survive Russia’s invasion and stop the war, as he called on western allies to rally behind his five-point ‘Victory Plan’ ft.com/content/4114db… @ft

This brilliant piece from Helen Warrell is so alarming and so sad. on.ft.com/3UD4cYT

Today's Financial Times Europe Express: 🇩🇪🛥️What Germany’s new naval base means for Baltic security - Laura Pitel 🇬🇧💶 UK joins the EU in ponying up for the G7 loan to Ukraine 🇲🇩Breaking down the voting data in divided Moldova Read and sign up 👇 ft.com/content/b8d537… via @ft

Shocked to learn that the The Independent's legendary Kim Sengupta died suddenly in July - I missed the news at the time. He was kind, funny, generous and a great foreign correspondent. He will be missed.

“The Chinese carmakers will have 10 per cent of the European market in a few years. So if the Chinese sell 1.5mn cars, it means the equivalent of seven plants.” Great big read on the woes of VW and co by Kana Inagaki Edward White Sarah White ft.com/content/b95f9a…

Big debate in Germany right now on sickness absence. The average annual number of sick days per worker, according to the biggest public health insurer, is 19.4. More: on.ft.com/3AdPb8S

"After years of lectures from Berlin, the rest of Europe might be forgiven for feeling a touch of schadenfreude. But if the EU’s biggest net contributor is in crisis, the entire bloc suffers." Great big read from Olafstorbeck.ft.com (on bsky.social) Patricia Nilsson Guy Chazan ft.com/content/6c345c…

Home page of one of Germany's biggest weeklies right now

Hours after European leaders called for strength and unity in the face of Donald Trump’s victory, the German government has collapsed. Story via ⁦Guy Chazan⁩: on.ft.com/4hzOeIG

On paper, Friedrich Merz is fully committed to the “debt brake” that places strict caps on German government borrowing. But the man widely seen as the next chancellor could quickly find it too suffocating. More, featuring Jens Südekum Lars P Feld Max Krahé: ft.com/content/8f059f…