A rate rise for Christmas, Obama chats with Jack Ma and a century away from equality

This article is published in collaboration with FirstFT.

French police stormed an apartment in northern Paris in a bid to seize the suspects behind Friday’s terror attacks, leading to a shootout, explosions and the killing of at least two people that authorities said were preparing another assault .

Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the man who allegedly planned the attacks, was not among those arrested. But authorities said they were not immediately able to tell whether he or Salah Abdeslam, another suspect still at large, were among the dead given the state of the bodies and the heavy damage to the building.

Meanwhile, US-led strikes on Isis-held oilfields in eastern Syria have become so intense that locals say production could drop sharply, threatening the jihadi group’s most important revenue stream. (FT)

In the news

A rate rise for Christmas Most policymakers at the US Federal Reserve’s October meeting said it would be appropriate to lift rates in December provided economic data continued to improve, according to minutes from the meeting. (FT)

Isis claims it bombed Russian airliner with a drinks can The militant group has published an image of a Schweppes Gold can and what appears to be a detonator and a switch for animprovised explosive device in the latest issue of its magazine, Daqib. The October bombing killed 224 people. (Foreign Policy)

Obama chats with Jack Ma The US president interviewed the billionaire Alibaba founder about his views on government and business on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila. The president asked how the public and private sectors can work together. The billionaire’s answer: “Government is simple — just reduce tax, or no tax.” (Reuters)

A century away from equality Women now earn what men did a decade ago, according to the World Economic Forum, underlining the sluggish global progress made in bridging the gender divide. Over the past 10 years, the economic gap narrowed by just 3 per cent, suggesting it will take another 118 years to achieve equality. (FT)

BlackRock to shutter $1bn fund The investment management group has become the latest investment house to close a macro hedge fund after its $1bn vehicle suffered its worst-ever performance and investor outflows. The world’s largest asset manager said it was returning money to investors within its Global Ascent fund, which makes bets on bond and currency markets. (FT)

It’s a big day for

Central banks Following a big day for the Fed, the Bank of Japan announced it will keep its massive easing programme as is for November, and the European Central Bank publishes minutes from its October monetary policy meeting. (fastFT)

Food for thought

George Lucas on the new Star Wars In a rather standoffish interview, the creator who sold his franchise to Disney for billions of dollars talks about why he’s done directing the blockbuster movies. A grateful geek nation thanks him. (Vanity Fair)

Why Isis cannot win Terrorism does exactly what its planners want — it fosters fear in excess of the danger it presents. But set against natural events, such as earthquakes, even large attacks are economically minor, writes the FT’s John Gapper. “Beneath the scathing rhetoric about ‘targeting the capital of prostitution and vice’ in Paris, Isis recognises a reality: that it would like to destroy the French economy but it cannot.” (FT)

The cracks beneath Jeremy Corbyn When the Labour leader rose to his feet in the House of Commons on Wednesday, there was no jeering or heckling — just sullen silence from the ranks of Labour MPs who believe their leader is taking them into a political abyss. “I just don’t know how much longer I can do this,” said one shadow minister. “It’s truly terrible.” (FT)

The lessons of Mumbai France has responded to the Paris attacks in part by declaring war on Isis. But bombs in Raqqa will not protect France from further assaults, “especially when they are planned in neighbouring Belgium”, writes Amana Fontanella-Khan. Instead, France should learn from India’s restrained to response to the 2008 attacks on Mumbai that seemed to have provided the blueprint for the carnage in Paris. (The Guardian)

The reckless gene Researchers at the University of Helsinki in Finland have identified a genetic mutation that renders carriers susceptible to particularly impulsive and reckless behaviour when drunk. The research took advantage of the unique Finnish data on impulsive sufferers of alcoholism and their relatives. (ScienceDaily)

Video of the day

How Abaaoud links Isis to Paris The so-called mastermind was the main target of the raid and is the key link between the jihadi group and the terror plot. (FT)

Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.

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Author: FirstFT is the Financial Times’ editors curated free daily email of the top global stories from the FT and the best of the rest of the web.

Image: A woman walks on the esplanade of La Defense, in the financial and business district in La Defense, west of Paris, April 10, 2014. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes.