Wall Street giants partner with Nvidia on $500bn AI financing deal
Apollo, Blackstone and Goldman Sachs are among groups working with chipmaker to raise capital for data centre boom
Iran’s supreme leader tightens grip with top appointments
A raft of senior military and regime moves come as Tehran hardens its rhetoric over deal with US
Burnham to crack down on vape and betting shops in bid to boost high streets
Councils will be given extra powers to curb unwanted retailers and ‘bring town centres back to life’
FirstFT: Wall Street giants partner with Nvidia on $500bn AI funding package
Also in today’s newsletter: yen sinks as effect of US-Japan intervention fades and China’s ‘Ice Silk Road’
Yen sinks as effect of US-Japan intervention fades
Currency gives up roughly half its gains from joint action with investors citing lack of ‘unified voice’ among central banks
Colombian earthquake kills at least 111
7.4-magnitude earthquake flattens buildings in the cities of Cali, Pereira and Manizales
Glencore-backed group looks to rescue cobalt refiner Sherritt
New consortium is the second major investor aiming for control of North America’s only cobalt refinery
AI will boost oil and gas production more than green energy, report finds
Debate over tech impact on greenhouse gas emissions stoked by latest study
Ukraine needs more help in the battle of the sky
Kyiv is short of interceptors to withstand Russia’s ballistic missile attacks
FanDuel and DraftKings hedge their bets with a predictions pivot
Branching into predictions has charms for sportsbook operators that aren’t just defensive
Jacaranda by Gaël Faye — after the genocide
An award-winning novel moves between France and Rwanda to explore a national trauma through exile, silences and family secrets
The Galloping Cure — Missy Mazzoli’s dreamlike opera confronts America’s opioid crisis
Set in small-town America, a euphoric merry-go-round becomes an allegory for addiction at Edinburgh International Festival
Marine heatwaves strike as climate change plays out ‘in front of our eyes’
Sea temperature records broken for month of July, Copernicus report reveals
Jeff Bezos investor group closing in on Liverpool FC stake
Consortium led by son-in-law of steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal nears deal that could value club at over $6bn
The ICC is all the women of Afghanistan have left
Trump’s vow to dismantle the international court will inaugurate a new era of impunity
Shein IPO pitched to investors at sub-$30bn valuation
Fast-fashion retailer has suffered a roughly 70% drop in valuation over past four years
Comms trouble
Criticism of the Fed’s new communications strategy has been pointed
Wildfire smoke threatens to cloud the ‘Pure Michigan’ brand
The blue skies of the American Midwest are likely to be hit by fleeting but powerfully unhealthy air every summer
Shreyas Royal, 17, becomes youngest ever British Champion
Puzzle: can you win like Boris Spassky?
Reform vows to deport all foreign prisoners from British jails
Pledge comes as Andy Burnham faces criticism over government’s early-release scheme
Just how big is the hidden leverage of AI hyperscalers?
Very
Record 230 people cross Channel in single boat
People smugglers are using larger vessels as pressure from French authorities makes it more difficult to launch crossings
How the UAE won over Washington
The Gulf state has deployed a mixture of cash and charm to become one of America’s most important Middle East allies
Trump and the failure of the Fafo doctrine
The president’s flawed decision-making is finally catching up with him