As a new collection of his writing is published, Rebecca Solnit remembers her friend, the late activist and anarchist who believed ordinary people had the power to change the world

David Graeber was a joyful, celebratory person. An enthusiast, voluble, on fire with the possibilities in the ideas and ideologies he wrestled with. Every time we met – from New Haven in the early 00s to London a few years before his death in 2020 – he was essentially the same: beaming, rumpled, with a restless energy that seemed to echo the constant motion of his mind, words tumbling out as though they were, in their unstoppable abundance, overflowing. But he was also much respected in activist circles for being a good listener, and his radical egalitarianism was borne out in how he related to the people around him.

He was always an anthropologist. After doing fieldwork among traditional peoples in Madagascar, he just never stopped, but he turned his focus to his own society. Essays such as Dead Zones of the Imagination : On Violence, Bureaucracy, and ‘Interpretive Labor’ and his book Bullshit Jobs came from using the equipment of an anthropologist on stuff usually regarded as boring, or not regarded at all – the function and impact of bureaucracy. His 2011 bestseller on debt reminded us that money and finance are among the social arrangements that could be rearranged for the better.

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German opposition leader, Friedrich Merz, opposes timetable laid out by chancellor in news conference

Germany’s centre-right opposition leader has called for an immediate vote of confidence to be held in parliament, after Olaf Scholz’s ruling coalition collapsed.

Friedrich Merz, chair of former chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), stands to profit most from the bombshell developments in Berlin, one day after Donald Trump’s election as US president upended the global political landscape.

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One supports Zionism and the other is horrified by what is happening in Gaza. Could moving on to the climate crisis bring them closer together?

Maria, 5 3, Manchester

Occupation Recruitment director

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Spat between Sexton and Ioane has added another layer of intrigue to first meeting since 2023 quarter-final

In Ireland we have a curious custom of thanking the bus driver when he or she pulls up at our stop. No one knows how or where it started, but this salute on your step out the door is widespread, and has endured. So, you’re asking yourself, maybe Rieko Ioane was getting in on the action when Ireland’s designated quarter-final stop arrived at last year’s World Cup , the last time these teams met. The Kiwis were driving the bus at the time. Maybe he was asking Johnny Sexton had Ireland’s departing legend forgotten his manners.

Not according to Sexton’s account. That little poisonous interplay between them has hurried this fixture along, even if Ireland’s fly-half is involved now only in the background as coach to the 10s in the squad, and won’t be on site for this. For sure though there’ll be something in the air.

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Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as BoE says the higher bus fare cap and adding VAT to private school fees will push up CPI inflation

• City analysts overwhelmingly predict Bank of England interest rate cut
• Wall Street and bitcoin soar to record highs as Trump wins US election

Mark Haefele , chief investment officer at UBS Global Wealth Management, predicts more market turbulence as Donald Trump’s policy proposals take shape:

Markets have started to digest Trump’s victory, with the initial response pointing to expectations of stronger growth, higher inflation, a slower pace of interest rate cuts, and trade tariffs.

As more detailed policy proposals emerge from the Trump transition team, investors should brace for further swings ahead. We advise investors to be ready to use any outsized market reactions to build stronger long-term portfolios.

The net worth of billionaires led by Tesla’s Elon Musk , the world’s wealthiest person, surged by $63.5 billion on Wednesday, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Musk alone added $26.5 billion to his pot. Amazon.com’s Jeff Bezos and Oracle’s Larry Ellison were also among the top gainers. It’s the biggest daily increase since Bloomberg’s wealth index began in 2012.

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Runcorn and Helsby MP, 55, to appear in court at later date

Mike Amesbury, the MP suspended by Labour pending an investigation, has been charged with assault after an incident following a night out.

Amesbury, 55, was suspended by the party and lost the Labour whip on 27 October after a clip was published by MailOnline.

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Chief executive says increase in national insurance contributions could mean more expensive groceries

Food sales at Sainsbury’s have been boosted by a return to the office and fewer people dining out in restaurants, as the retailer warned of possible price rises as a result of having to pay £140m more next year in national insurance contributions [NICs].

The supermarket chain’s pre-tax profits were £356m for the six months to mid-September, up 4.7% on the same period last year, driven by a 5% increase in sales in its grocery business.

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Partner in company due to receive shipment arrested after 13 tonnes of drug discovered at port of Algeciras

Spanish police and customs officers have intercepted the largest consignment of cocaine ever to reach the country, seizing more than 13 tonnes of the drug, hidden in a cargo of bananas shipped from Ecuador.

Spain’s Policía Nacional said the seizure was the second largest recorded in Europe and one of the largest anywhere in the world.

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Borrowing costs reduced for second time this year and Fed expected to cut US rates later today

The Bank of England has cut interest rates for a second time this year in a closely watched decision following the UK government budget and Donald Trump’s election as US president.

In a decision widely expected in financial markets, the Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) voted by a majority to reduce the base rate from 5% to 4.75%.

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