Playrix billionaire to fund International Booker Prize
Daria and Dmitri Bukhman, who founded gaming app, to back award for translated fiction
FT Crossword: Number 18,415
White House accelerates plans for AI model standards
Guidance to be announced as soon as next week after government intervention in Anthropic and OpenAI rollouts
Harry Kane’s England heroics show the value of having one true superstar
Thomas Tuchel’s team survive a spirited challenge from DR Congo and will need more quality to beat Mexico
FirstFT: Megadeals drive record $2.8tn in M&A
Also in today’s newsletter: the Chinese carmakers designing AI chips, and new Fed chair vows ‘no changes’ to US central bank independence
Trump made up to $1.4bn in stock purchases in 2025
FT analysis shows US president declared more than 22,000 share transactions last year
KNDS postpones IPO after investors balk at €12bn-plus valuation
Franco-German tank maker says it will wait for ‘more favourable’ market conditions
Shares in Uber-backed Lime climb after it raised $167mn in IPO
Bike and scooter group’s shares were initially priced at $25 in deal underwritten by Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Jefferies
AOL and Eventbrite owner Bending Spoons soars 40% on Nasdaq debut
Italian tech group behind Vimeo and Evernote raises $1.68bn in one of Europe’s biggest technology IPOs this year
Mega takeovers drive record $2.8tn in dealmaking
Companies and investors turn to M&A as they adjust to economic shifts driven by the rise of AI
World Bank to phase out China lending
Decision from global development institution follows years of pressure from the Trump administration
US opts not to renew Trump’s trade deal with Mexico and Canada
Washington will instead hold annual reviews on terms of commerce with its biggest trading partners
Supreme Court checks Trump, but empowers the presidency
Despite losses on tariffs and birthright citizenship, the executive has emerged stronger
Zelenskyy urges EU to sanction Russian-owned alumina plant in Ireland
Call on the opening day of Dublin’s EU presidency adds to pressure over Aughinish Alumina smelter
Millennium and Point72 gain as hedge funds rebound from Iran war
Izzy Englander and Steve Cohen’s firms post double-digit returns in first half of year
This is how we can make AI safe for everyone
The labs develop the technology, but citizens and their elected representatives must make the rules
Saks’ retail rebirth depends more on Gucci than Wall Street
Retailer has had to repair not only the balance sheet but also the rift with luxury brands it stocked
Building a better future for Black founders
A growing ecosystem offers education, support and funding for start-ups and scale-ups
By attacking immigrants, South Africa is destroying itself
The latest outbreak of xenophobic violence is a betrayal of the nations that aided its freedom struggle
Syria’s president Sharaa appoints new parliament
New body set to start replacing Assad regime legislation and clearing backlog of bills
Russell Tovey gives a tour de force performance in sweaty-palmed chiller The Guilty
The actor plays a police control room operator in a claustrophobic movie adaptation at London’s Donmar Warehouse
Kevin Warsh confident AI will generate ‘productivity-based growth’
New Fed chair offers thoughts on AI and hints of reform at Sintra while avoiding steer on near-term rate path
Kevin Warsh vows ‘no changes’ to Fed independence
New chair tells central bankers price stability will be focus regardless of potential pressure from White House
Burnham should beware uncanny echoes of the 1930s on defence
The UK’s new plan for military spending does not match up to the risks in an unstable world