Israel may not have big enough bombs to take down Iran’s most secure nuclear facility, and Nippon Steel’s bid to take over US Steel is finally moving forward. Plus, gold has surpassed the euro as the second most-popular reserve asset, and the UK’s overseas intelligence agency has appointed its first female chief. 

Mentioned in this podcast:

Gold overtakes euro as global reserve asset, ECB says

Silver and platinum prices soar as investors seek ‘gold alternatives’ 

The nuclear mountain that haunts Israel

Donald Trump approves Nippon Steel’s $15bn takeover of US Steel

Britain’s overseas spy agency MI6 promotes ‘Q’ to be first female head 

Today’s FT News Briefing was produced by Sonja Hutson, Ethan Plotkin, Kasia Broussalian, and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Alexander Higgins and Peter Barber. Our acting co-head of audio is Topher Forhecz. Our intern is Michaela Seah. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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