The Royal Opera’s Ring cycle continues with a first-class Siegfried
Director Barrie Kosky takes Wagner’s ecological message and delivers it with flair
No FT, no alpha
Your most reliable source for US biotech M&A, apparently
Summerfolk — Gorky’s slow skewering of Russia’s first middle class
A terrific cast lifts a vast production at London’s National Theatre that emerges from Chekhov’s shadow to reach a magnificent climax
How can the UK shield households from higher energy bills?
Keir Starmer has made clear the government is unlikely to intervene at scale until higher prices hit consumers
Kirkland defies private equity downturn with record $11mn partner pay
Chicago-founded law firm becomes first to break $10bn barrier for annual revenues
How the world learned to love the bomb
Nuclear proliferation could be the way of the future
A guide to Hong Kong’s best under-the-radar art spaces
From pop-ups and residencies to cross-gallery ‘knots’, an alternative scene thrives alongside the city’s blue-chip galleries
Recession by Tyler Goodspeed — a myth-busting guide to economic contractions
A former head of the Council of Economic Advisers explores how and why downturns happen
Can AI help me find a home?
New technology is transforming house-hunting — but will Machine vision and Gaussian splats replace portals and estate agents?
Trump’s war will boost the clean energy sector he detests
Turmoil in oil and gas markets is pushing governments to seek alternatives
Should AI companies have the power to decide if chatbots live or die?
The final episode of our podcast series examines whether can AI help us cheat death, and if chatbots have a lifespan too
Hospital attack in heart of Kabul shatters hopes of peace
Many fear escalation as China-brokered shuttle diplomacy fails to ease tensions
Transcript: Artificial intimacy — The day your chatbot dies
Cristina Criddle speaks to Anett Bommer, Robert LoCascio, Dorian Mister and Linn Vailt
Cyborg cockroaches are coming to a pipeline near you
The remote-controlled insects are equipped with cameras to search disaster zones and check for infrastructure damage
Holy jewels are trending. Will you be converted?
Religious crosses and symbols are attracting new devotees
Four challenges for BHP’s incoming chief
World’s biggest miner taps ‘safe pair of hands’ to navigate copper shift, M&A speculation and tough China environment
A fashion getaway in Mexico City
Raise the temperature in strong stripes, bright colours and ruffled textures
FirstFT: Joe Kent resignation highlights Maga divisions over Iran war
Also in today’s newsletter: Microsoft considers legal action against OpenAI and Amazon
‘Steroid Olympics’ company to start selling peptides after Kennedy signals deregulation
Enhanced Games, backed by Donald Trump Jr and Peter Thiel, is moving into consumer products
What Reeves misses in pursuit of ‘securonomics’
UK is too slow to boost defence spending while underfunding areas of comparative advantage
Rayner warns Starmer his government is ‘running out of time’
Former deputy prime minister’s intervention comes ahead of local election in May
FTAV’s further reading
Chips; VAT; war debt; mine sweeping; Zambia; the Pope; Trump; and ChatGPT
UBS dusts off cowbells as it completes transfer of Credit Suisse clients
Swiss bank hails milestone as it moves 1.2mn customers of former rival on to its systems
Transcript: Best of — How the diamond industry lost its sparkle
Michela Tindera talks to Leslie Hook and Eleanor Olcott