SoftBank’s stakes in Intel and ByteDance help it beat expectations
Masayoshi Son’s group posts 18% fall in net profit for three months to June
WPP shares jump 25% as overhaul begins to bear fruit
Improved results follow London-listed advertising group’s root-and-branch review to streamline its businesses
Rheinmetall cuts sales outlook after Germany scraps warship project
Tank maker expects €300mn hit this year from cancelled programme but revenues have still grown as defence spending booms
Partners Group nears €2bn deal for beauty group Aroma-Zone
French asset manager Eurazeo in talks to sell stake in group that sells face serums and food supplements
Wizz Air swings to loss as Iran conflict drives up jet fuel costs
Low-cost carrier reports loss of almost €200mn between April and June
FTAV’s further reading
Andy Burnham; Stephen Bartlett; Gianni Infantino; Nicholas Brady; gambling; monetary policy; and lovely horses
SpaceX makes a splash and China scores a memory win
The inside story on the Asia tech trends that matter, from Nikkei Asia and the Financial Times
OpenAI says Apple’s trade secrets lawsuit aims to stop employees leaving
ChatGPT maker seeks to dismiss blockbuster case as it prepares to launch its own AI device
Is the AI trade back?
Plus, looking ahead to the jobs report
Insurance and bank stocks slide amid China tax crackdown fears
Move to impose levy on returns from policies that serve as investment products causes consternation in Hong Kong
More moaning about UK monthly GDP
Sorry, we can’t let this one go
FirstFT: US law firms weigh stake sale to private equity
Also in today’s newsletter: DeepMind CEO Hassabis steps down and golden visas
The trends in central bank research papers
Research appears reactive rather than proactive, but at least our AI readers think quality is rising
Transcript: How Ukrainian drone expertise is helping Colombian narcos
Victoria Craig speaks to Lauren Fedor and Joe Daniels
BP North Sea exit presents wake-up call on Scottish energy
Blow to oil and gas industry comes as renewables projects are faltering
Transcript: India’s cockroach rebellion
Gideon Rachman talks to Mukulika Banerjee, professor at the London School of Economics
The Shards — Bret Easton Ellis’s glamorous horror novel gets the Ryan Murphy treatment
This Disney/Hulu series follows a rich teen clique in 1980s LA, where a serial killer has begun to target young people
Citadel ‘makes a killing’
Ken Griffin’s hedge fund made billions last week after it bought the bulk of Situational Awareness’s stock book
At least half a dozen senior NHS leaders linked to Palantir
Extent of ties revealed as scrutiny grows of US tech company’s contract to build new data platform
Get ready to endure an act of penance at Salzburg’s Saint François d’Assise
This festival staging is as if the director underestimated the magnitude of Messiaen’s work, and then panicked
Iceland demands fisheries control in any EU membership deal
Foreign minister sets red lines ahead of referendum this month on reopening talks to join bloc
Virginia governor urges Democrats to unite on affordability to win in midterms
Centrist dismisses suggestions of civil war in her party after progressive candidate wins Michigan primary
Despot or conquering hero? Revisiting the rule of India’s last great Mughal emperor
Reviled by Modi, revered in Pakistan — Aurangzeb ‘Alamgir left a legacy that Munis D Faruqui now re-examines with the help of rare contemporaneous accounts
Who needs consultants in the age of AI?
Getting a company to implement recommended changes is a contact sport that only humans can play