Good morning. Today we’re covering:

• Thailand’s cash handout programme

• How Israeli spies penetrated Hizbollah

• The chaos and glory of Hong Kong’s Chungking Mansions

But we start in Japan, where Shigeru Ishiba’s election as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic party is expected to put pressure on the country’s stocks this morning.

Ishiba, a former defence and agriculture minister who is set to take over as prime minister on October 1, is a China hawk who has vowed to prevent the nation from falling back into deflation.

The new LDP leader has said he supports the Bank of Japan’s plan to normalise monetary policy. But investors are concerned about his support for heavier taxes on companies and investment income.

Before the winner of the leadership race was announced on Friday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index had rallied 2.3 per cent and the yen had fallen, suggesting the market was positioned for a win by economic security minister Sanae Takaichi. Takaichi supported stock market-friendly “Abenomics” policies of ultra-low interest rates and fiscal stimulus.

Nikkei 225 futures traded in Chicago fell sharply after the LDP election result announcement.

“The futures market tells us it’s going to be very ugly on Monday,” said a trader at one of Japan’s largest investment banks. Read the full story.

• FT View: To succeed as the leader of a divided party, Ishiba will need to show a strong streak of pragmatism, rather than pursue his own, long-held political projects, writes our editorial board.

• More Japan: Six decades after the first bullet train left Tokyo Station, Leo Lewis celebrates the shinkansen — an icon of speed, style and national identity.

Here’s what else I’m keeping tabs on today:

• Economic data: S&P Global reports September manufacturing and services PMI data for China. Japan publishes August preliminary industrial production and retail sales figures.

• United Nations: The UN General Assembly debate concludes in New York.

Five more top stories

1. Thailand has begun rolling out a $14bn stimulus programme this week to distribute cash to millions of citizens, pitching it as the centrepiece of an economic plan to boost growth. But the much-anticipated scheme may not be enough to turn around south-east Asia’s second-largest economy. Here’s why.

2. Israel has launched a wave of air strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, dramatically widening its offensive against Iranian-backed militants. The strikes came just two days after Israel assassinated Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon. Here’s the latest.

3. Rescuers are still searching for survivors after heavy rain and wind from tropical storm Helene devastated south-eastern US, leaving more than 60 people dead, destroying homes and causing power outages for millions. The storm could result in up to $34bn in losses from property damage and reduced economic output, according to Moody’s.

4. Austria’s far-right Freedom party was on course to win a historic electoral victory yesterday, in a result that will consolidate pro-Russian, anti-establishment forces in central Europe. The FPÖ, which has never come first in a national election before, was projected to win just under 29 per cent of ballots cast. The result bolsters the claim of its firebrand leader Herbert Kickl to become Austria’s next chancellor but he still needs coalition partners to form a government.

5. A recent string of indicators pointing to the Eurozone’s slowing growth will probably lead to a 0.25 per cent interest rate cut by the European Central Bank next month, economists predict. The long-standing consensus among economists had been that the ECB would wait at least until December before deciding on a further rate cut. Here’s what changed that view.

News in-depth

In the past few weeks, the Israeli military and security establishment has delivered a steady drumbeat of devastating blows to Hizbollah, culminating in the assassination of its leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday night. But the successful attacks on one of its biggest regional rivals belie an uncomfortable truth: in nearly four decades of battling Hizbollah, only recently has Israel truly turned the tide. What changed, said current and former officials, is the depth and quality of the intelligence that Israel was able to lean on.

We’re also reading . . .

• Bacha Coffee: The Singapore-based coffee brand is embarking on an aggressive expansion as it launches a store on the Champs-Elysées in Paris and other locations across Europe.

• The UniCredit-Commerzbank tussle: Banks getting bigger may be attractive, but there are significant drawbacks, writes Simon Samuels, especially for the taxpayer.

• Green business rethink: An overdue push to reshape markets, not just individual companies, is under way at last, writes Pilita Clark.

Chart of the day

Paint manufacturers are pushing for a rethink of EU anti-dumping measures against Chinese exports of titanium dioxide, a key raw material, saying they will lead to factory closures and further erosion of the region’s industrial base.

Take a break from the news

Since opening in 1961, Hong Kong’s Chungking Mansions have been synonymous with chaos, its name a byword for transience, petty crime and low-end trade. But in the wake of Beijing’s political crackdown on the city, perceptions of the dense and decrepit warren of flophouses and eateries have shifted, the FT’s Orla Ryan writes in a must-read for FT Magazine.

AUTUMN is here and with it comes an amazing offer to take the family to visit one of the UK’s incredible UK heritage sites for free.

I’ve just bagged a family day pass at a National Trust site, thanks to a little-known offer that often pops up at this time of year.

4

4

Advertisement

And it gets even better because my nearest National Trust estate, Calke Abbey in Derbyshire, is the perfect place to get in the Halloween spirit.

This is because it always decorates its darkest tunnels for the spooky season and also has an impressive pumpkin display in its garden.

If you’re looking for frightful fun for free, you can claim your family pass online, just by popping it in your basket on the National Trust website.

I’ve used the free passes before and it’s always a brilliant way to get a day out for next to nothing.

But you’ll need to be quick to claim as the free passes, which cover two adults and three children, won’t take long to be snapped up by other bargain hunters.

There are a few things you need to look out for if you want to use this offer. 

First of all, there are some sites that are exempt, so you need to check the list of where you can’t use your pass before you set off with the car all loaded up with kids!

There are 200 houses, gardens and even castles included, so you should be able to find something not a million miles away to visit.

The National Trust only operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, so if you’re in Scotland, you’ll have to head over the border to use your pass.

Some places also need you to book in advance and you can do this on the National Trust website by selecting the free member ticket option and use the code AUTUMN24.

Just make sure to have your day pass ready to scan when you arrive.

If you happen to miss out on the free online offer, there’s a cheeky little way you can sometimes get around it.

A lot of local newspapers often print a pass inside their pages around the same sort of time, so you can just buy a participating paper for a couple of quid instead.

Or you could ask your local library to save its copy of the local paper once it’s no longer being read and it’s gone on the recycling pile, so you get the pass that way.

The single-use pass covers a family of five, but obviously you can use it as a single adult or a couple as well.

It runs out on October 18, so it won’t be valid over the half-term holidays.

That being said, it’s worth checking out what your selected site is doing in the run-up to Halloween.

Because there may be events running over the weekends beforehand, so you might get some extra activities thrown in free if you time it right.

Last year, my favourite National Trust place to visit was Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire, which was the perfect backdrop for bats, spiders, pumpkins and lots of spooky props.

It was definitely a top haunt for Halloween and one we’d return to next time we’re in that neck of the woods. 

So if you fancy seeing what the National Trust has to offer near you, why not pick up a pass and head down to get your fix of fresh air, history and family fun?

To download your free autumn pass and for more info on any of the National Trust sites, see nationaltrust.org.uk.

What’s it like to visit a National Trust site?

EARLIER this year, travel writer Hope Brotherton visited Birmingham’s Back to Backs after they were named the country’s number one hidden gem attraction. Here’s what she thought…

“Located on the corner of Hurst Street and Inge Street, the Back to Backs are hidden behind a wooden shop front that houses a tiny reception area where visitors check into their guided tour.

Advertisement

“My family and I were then led through to a brick courtyard where we were introduced to John, our informative and friendly tour guide.

“For the 90 minutes, John expertly guided our small group through two interconnected houses, which showcased what life would’ve looked like for working-class families in the 1860s and 1930s.

“Each of the eight rooms we explored were tiny, showing visitors just some of the cramped conditions families lived in 150 years ago.

“All of the rooms were decorated with everyday objects, including tins, scales and other artefacts from the past, with John pointing out the most interesting or relevant items, including an old tin of Bird’s Custard, which was produced in the city’s Custard Factory.  

Advertisement

“According to our tour guide John, some of the former residents even worked in the Back to Backs with their tools on display, including the likes of a locksmith and a jeweller from the Jewellery Quarter.

“Birmingham Back to Backs also houses the only collection of work by a Caribbean tailor in the UK.

“George Saunders operated a successful tailor’s shop from the Back to Backs for many years, even leaving some of his items to the National Trust to preserve this last living link to the houses.

“At the end of the tour, we were led back to the brick courtyard where we were shown how the laundry rooms operated and given the chance to take photos.”

Advertisement

Meanwhile, these are the best UK attractions with free annual pass upgrades.

And these are the best free days out in the country.

4

4

Advertisement

Israel’s continuing air strikes may have already forced as many as one million people from their homes across Lebanon, the country’s prime minister has said.

“It is the largest displacement movement that may have happened,” Najib Mikati said.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported more than 50 people killed in Sunday’s strikes – two days after Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. Meanwhile, Hezbollah fired more rockets into northern Israel.

In a separate development, Israel said it had carried out “large-scale” air strikes on military targets of the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen.

Hezbollah confirmed on Sunday that top military commander Ali Karaki and a senior cleric, Sheikh Nabil Qaouk, had also been killed in the Israeli air strikes.

“We need to keep hitting Hezbollah hard,” Israel’s military chief of staff Herzi Halevi said.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Mikati said the air strikes had forced people to flee from Beirut and other parts of the country, including the southern border areas.

The local authorities are struggling to assist everyone in need, with shelters and hospitals under growing pressure, BBC correspondents in Lebanon report.

Aya Ayoub, aged 25, told the BBC she had to flee her house in Beirut’s southern Tahweetet al-Ghadir suburb with her family of six as it was too dangerous to stay.

Around her house, she said, “all the buildings are completely destroyed”, and she was currently staying with another 16 people in a house in Beirut.

“We left on Friday and had no place to go. We stayed until 02:00 in the streets until a group of people helped us get into a residential building that was under construction. We are living on candles at night, and have to get water and food from outside”.

Sara Tohmaz, a 34-year-old journalist, told the BBC she had left her house near Beirut with her mother and two siblings last Friday.

It took them almost 10 hours to reach Jordan through Syria by car, she said.

“I think we are lucky enough to have a place to stay in Jordan, where my mother’s relatives are based. We don’t know what will happen next, and don’t know when we will be back,” Tohmaz added.

The previously sporadic cross-border fighting escalated on 8 October 2023 – the day after the unprecedented attack on Israel by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip – when Hezbollah fired at Israeli positions, in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Since then hundreds of people, including many Hezbollah fighters, have been killed, while tens of thousands have also been displaced on both sides of the border.

Also on Sunday, Israel said it carried out air strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, striking power plants and a port in Ras Isa and Hudaydah.

Footage later emerged showing a huge explosion at the port.

Israel says it targeted the sites in response to recent missile attacks from the Houthis, as well as to destroy facilities being used to transport Iranian weapons.

The Houthis, a Shia group controlling large areas of Yemen, condemned the Israeli strikes as a “brutal aggression”.

They said four people were killed and 33 injured, vowing revenge.

There are mounting international fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Washington warned Israel against an all-out war with Hezbollah or Iran, saying a major conflict would leave Israelis unable to return to their homes in the north.

Stay informed with free updates

Simply sign up to the Artificial intelligence myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.

California governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a controversial attempt to regulate artificial intelligence, citing concerns that the bill could stifle innovation after intense pressure from tech firms.

Newsom, a Democrat, waited until the eleventh hour to announce his decision after the bill passed through the state legislature at the end of August.

The bill would have forced those developing the most powerful AI models to adhere to strict rules, including implementing a kill switch, to prevent catastrophic harm.

Leading AI companies, including Google, OpenAI and Meta, all opposed the bill and lobbied heavily against it, complaining that premature legislation could stifle the development of AI and threaten California’s leading role in the development of the technology. Amazon-backed Anthropic and Elon Musk, who owns start-up xAI, supported the legislation.

In a letter to the state senate, Newsom defended his veto of the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Systems Act, known as SB 1047, on Sunday.

He said the framework could “curtail the very innovation that fuels advancement in favour of the public good”, noting that California was home to 32 of the world’s leading AI companies.

In particular, he said targeting models by size — the bill would require safety testing and other guardrails for models that cost more than $100mn to develop — was the wrong metric. It could give “the public a false sense of security about controlling this fast-moving technology” when “smaller, specialised models may emerge as equally or even more dangerous”.

Senator Scott Wiener, who put forward the bill, said it “requires only the largest AI developers to do what each and every one of them has repeatedly committed to do: perform basic safety testing on massively powerful AI models”.

But Newsom insisted that: “While well-intentioned, SB 1047 does not take into account whether an AI system is deployed in high-risk environments, involves critical decision-making or the use of sensitive data.”

“Instead, the bill applies stringent standards to even the most basic functions — so long as a large system deploys it. I do not believe this is the best approach to protecting the public from real threats posed by the technology.”

In the past 30 days, Newsom has signed bills covering the deployment and regulation of generative AI technology — the type that creates text or imagery — including on deepfakes, AI watermarking and misinformation.

Experts on the technology have also partnered with the state to help to develop “workable guardrails” for deploying generative AI backed up by empirical and scientific evidence, he said.

The Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute, a think-tank, called the governor’s veto “misguided, reckless and out of step with the people he’s tasked with governing.”

“Newsom had the opportunity to serve as a leader on regulation of democratic governance of AI development — a path he has taken on other industries — but has chosen to take our hands off the wheel, potentially allowing AI development to veer uncontrollably off the road,” said executive director Daniel Colson.

“Newsom and lawmakers must return to Sacramento next session to come to an agreement on a set of measures that will install sensible guardrails on AI development.”