Long-term sickness may be smaller problem for UK than thought, says ONS
Statistics agency’s new labour market survey shows lower levels of economic inactivity due to ill health
Former Syrian dictator Assad sentenced to death in absentia
Damascus court issues first ruling against ousted president since he fled to Russia in 2024
Ari Emanuel buys theatre group ATG for £4.5bn
Deal by Hollywood mogul’s new venture Mari represents a big bet on continued demand for live events
Why Washington views Abu Dhabi as one of its most capable Middle East allies
Also in today’s newsletter, progressives gain ground as a Democratic socialist leads Wisconsin governor’s race
Democratic socialist leads Wisconsin race in new threat to party leadership
Primary victory would pit leftwing gubernatorial candidate against Trump-backed Republican in November midterms
Humans cannot remain passengers in the back of the AGI car
A sense of fatalistic inevitability about the technology’s evolution is triggering something close to despair
China tightens grip on Europe’s car supply chain
Acquisitions of local parts makers amid resistance to Chinese exports have worried EU officials
Volatility tumbles as markets shrug off Middle East risks
Investors warn of complacency as Vix ‘fear gauge’ falls to prewar levels even as oil rises back to about $90 a barrel
How to stop Warsh becoming a lame duck
The Federal Reserve chair needs to assert his authority or others will usurp his natural role
For prisons to work, we need to look at what is happening inside them
The row over early releases ignores the fact that many will soon return without proper educational funding
Intel investors are banking on a comeback — and then some
The spillover of AI mania has transformed demand and pricing
How a darling of the clean energy transition stumbled
BlocPower, a green loan and building retrofit provider that drew in a Who’s Who of elite investors, is at risk of collapse
SpaceX’s ‘very achievable’ $100bn revenue run rate target
DB❤️SPCX
Sky City by Jacqueline Crooks — tuning into trauma
Pirate radio offers solace for a troubled young north London woman in the follow-up to Crooks’s acclaimed debut, ‘Fire Rush’
Possession — Jamaica-set thriller confronts the ghosts of the past
Gugu Mbatha-Raw leads this ambitious inheritance-dispute drama which takes on the legacy of colonialism
FirstFT: EU border checks double waiting times
Also in today’s newsletter: Chinese humanoid robot company prepares for IPO and Colombia earthquake death toll rises above 100
Seven great new road bikes
Reset your cycle, from hi-tech superbikes to practical all-rounders
Burnham vows to stop early release of PC Harper’s killers
PM says he is ‘increasingly confident’ prison space can be freed up to keep more serious criminals in jail
Deutsche becomes first European clearing bank for renminbi
China seeks to increase international use of its currency
Trump warns ditching Infantino would be ‘terrible mistake’
Comments come as Fifa president faces pressure to resign over private fundraising fiasco
Goldman staff named as suspects in Brazil investigation
Probe concerns shareholder dispute over cancer specialist Oncoclínicas
Chinese robot maker’s IPO 5,500 times oversubscribed by retail investors
Unitree raises $900mn ahead of Shanghai listing expected later this month
Tony Blair’s son seeks funding for defence tech start-up
Nick Blair in talks to raise roughly $200mn for new venture called Pyra
How investors killed AstraZeneca’s $400bn megadeal
Tie-up with US rival Bristol Myers would have marked return to big pharma mergers