The Importance of Being Earnest — surrealist comedy opera is larger than life
Garsington’s production, complete with smashed plates and kangaroo cameos, is a love-it-or-hate-it affair
Global stocks fall as Asian memory chipmakers hammered
Oil jumps as US-Iran hostilities escalate and investors go into ‘risk-off’ mode
Ukraine’s drone swarms test Moscow air defences
Kyiv intensifies deep-strike campaign against Russia after attacks on refineries sparked fuel crisis
De Beers halts output at South African diamond mine as weak prices weigh on sale
Anglo American looking to sell diamond business as competition from lab-grown stones intensifies
The banned liquor that’s back, what your socks say about you – and other hit HTSI stories
Check out our most-read articles from last week
Legal sector regulator in England and Wales has ‘lost its way’, review finds
Report into Legal Services Board follows a number of high-profile law firm collapses in recent years
When the ducks are quacking, feed them
Memory mania redux
EU moves towards social media ban for children under 13
Brussels will propose gradual access for different ages in response to concerns over child safety online
Olly Robbins takes legal action over sacking in Mandelson scandal
Former Foreign Office chief says Keir Starmer’s actions were ‘unlawful’ and ‘unreasonable’
FirstFT: Stocks tumble on Iran and AI fears
Also in today’s newsletter: Western companies turn to Chinese AI models and the ruthless remake of Citigroup
And the FTAV chart quiz winner isn’t . . .
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Free T
The best of TV and streaming this week
A gripping new ‘Little House on the Prairie’, lively documentary ‘How to Get Filthy Rich’ and more. Reviews by Rebecca Nicholson
A bold, unpopular Budget could pay off
Getting big and controversial reforms out of the way can reap dividends for governments closer to election time
Moneybox picks London’s Pisces market for employee share sale
£45mn offering gives further boost to private markets platform after Wayve became first big company to use it
A global supermarket chain remains retail’s great white whale
Tesco’s retreat is sensible
Nippon Paint offers €7.5bn for Akzo unit in attempt to gatecrash rival deal
Japanese group makes bid for decorative coatings business that includes Dulux brand
US launches more strikes on Iran as ceasefire teeters
Fighting escalates as Trump insists Strait of Hormuz remains open while Tehran says it is closed
In defence of . . . prediction markets?
Turning everything into a wager can get ugly, but has its upsides
FTAV’s further reading
Hong Kong; change; Montenegro; Albania; housing; hell
EU urged to follow its own rules and ban trade with Israeli settlements
Also in this newsletter: No ‘single measure’ will protect kids online, says justice commissioner
Why global investors are tussling over UK companies
Plus, Japan pension fund urged to invest at home, investors cut back on Asian chipmakers and Roy Lichtenstein: Like New
Dimon pressed over whether he lobbied UK government on Epstein’s advice
US Senator Elizabeth Warren demands JPMorgan boss explain any links with paedophile over proposed tax on bankers’ bonuses
Transcript: Citigroup’s ruthless remake
Saffeya Ahmed talks to Akila Quinio and Ortenca Aliaj
A life-changing bond and a pulpy space opera — our new graphic novels round-up
A bond forms between a girl and a man dying of Aids in The Nightingales, and culture flourishes in a Nazi concentration camp in Sophie Herxheimer’s Ode to Joy