Can Vance square his Catholicism with Trump’s Republican Party?
The vice-president’s new book criticises the hypocrisy of the old religious right
US economy grew less than expected at 1.5% rate in second quarter
Slowdown comes amid continued impact from Middle East war
US borrowing costs at their highest in almost two decades
Also in today’s newsletter, more economic fallout from an intensifying Iran war
Antwerp cocaine gangs sentenced in ‘exceptionally large’ case
Belgian authorities tighten security at major port which is a key point for drug to enter Europe
Fifa not ‘selling the World Cup’ in $20bn commercial plan, says adviser
Greg Maffei defends contentious proposal he helped shape as body’s move to bring in outside investors is hit by backlash
Saudi economy shrinks as Middle East conflict takes heavy toll
GDP contracted by 4.8% in second quarter compared with same period in 2025
Trying to make sense of Warsh
Abdicating responsibility or fortifying the markets with anti-fragility serum?
Château Rouge — Amit Chaudhuri’s vivid vignettes of living in Paris
In a non-linear novel ripe with wit and writerly ambition, profound insights emerge amid evocations of the prosaic
NYSE owner to buy bond platform MarketAxess in $5.7bn deal
Acquisition marks significant step by Intercontinental Exchange into fixed-income trading
Has the market lost its mind over AI? You asked, we answered
Lex head John Foley and tech comment editor Elaine Moore replied to reader questions
Albanians don’t want their islands sold off to Trump and Kushner
Ivanka and Jared won’t let snakes, landmines or the region’s tortured past get in the way of Balkan real estate deals
11 uplifting ways to spend it in August
Run with Mo Farah, fall in love with Franz Kafka, drink wine on the Riviera – and more
Bank of England holds rates amid volatile energy prices
Majority of rate-setters are ready to respond in either direction, depending on what happens to oil and gas costs
How autonomous are AI agents?
What the Hugging Face cyber attack and a remote work index can tell us about risk vs reward
Dogme 95 and Carol Ann Duffy inspire two Proms premieres
Mark-Anthony Turnage’s ‘Festen’ Suite and Brett Dean’s ‘The World’s Wife’ offered virtuoso moments
Blue Owl’s private credit fundraising falls to slowest pace in three years
Demand for data centre investments helped bolster group as redemption requests weigh on credit arm
BAE lifts profit and sales guidance following surge in orders
UK defence group benefits from higher military spending amid ‘highly volatile’ picture on global threats
France allows some wildfire evacuees to return as blazes stabilise
More than half of those affected have been permitted to go home in sign that worst fires in decades are under control
KKR profits soar as it cashes in record amount of private equity bets
Private capital giant weathers turmoil that has curtailed asset sales and fundraising by other players
Biggest fusion start-up taps institutional investors as it eyes first commercial plant
No company has yet proved it can build a commercially viable power plant
Why is everyone hanging ‘absurdly small’ art?
Teeny-tiny artworks are making curiously outsized statements
A stop-and-search shatters a childhood friendship in the quietly spectacular Ish
Imran Perretta’s debut follows a pair of 12-year-old boys whose lives are upended by an incident of racial profiling
Deep Water — Ben Kingsley and Aaron Eckhart embark on a nightmare flight in trashy thriller
Big-shot ’90s director Renny Harlin is in his element with this deeply foreshadowed pulp fest
Meta shares tumble as Zuckerberg tries to sell his vision for AI ‘agents’
Social media chief defends strategy based on personalised bots as costs rise and revenue projections disappoint