Lord of the Flies — a beautiful, haunting and confusing adaptation
Written by Jack Thorne, the first TV take on William Golding’s classic prizes artfulness over clarity
Starmer apologises for being lied to by Mandelson
‘He promised he was telling the truth’
FT Crossword: Number 18,287
US government to fund Maga-aligned think-tanks and charities in Europe
State department grants to spread ‘American values’ are part of Washington’s 250th anniversary celebrations
Starmer on borrowed time as MPs weigh up how to mount leadership challenge
Prime minister’s handling of Mandelson scandal has left Labour party simmering with resentment
White House to launch TrumpRx as drug companies warn of sales hit
Weight-loss and fertility medicines sold by Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, EMD and others will be included on the discount medicine site
UK to scrap more than £250mn in planned physics project funding
Cern particle accelerator led by British scientist among institutions affected by wider research shake-up
Amazon shares sink as it prepares $200bn AI spending blitz
Capital expenditure forecasts for 2026 were a third higher than Wall Street’s expectations
Puma’s new Chinese backer will give Nike a run for its money
Anta’s sales have grown on average 17 per cent a year for the past five years, with the US maker of the famous swoosh managing 4 per cent
FirstFT: Donald Trump endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi ahead of election
Also in today’s newsletter: Chinese provinces set lower growth targets for 2026, and Big Tech shares slide again
Norway investigates former PM on suspicion of corruption over Epstein ties
Oslo probes late sex offender’s links to Thorbjørn Jagland, who also led the Council of Europe and Nobel Committee
Shares of private capital giants sink on worries AI risks hitting growth
Ares, Blue Owl and KKR warn on outlook for 2026 as concern about exposure to software investments weighs on sector
Big Tech shares slide for third day with AI stocks under pressure
Nasdaq drops as recent high-flying companies pull market lower
Trump calls for new nuclear treaty with Russia as New Start expires
US president says the two countries should seek a ‘modernised’ treaty instead of extending current agreement
The triangle of confusion
Why do markets, sentiment and data seem to say different things?
Prediction market Kalshi seeks US approval to offer margin trades
Initiative highlights rapid evolution of events betting from quaint origins offering wagers on Oscars and elections
Trump rows back his criticism of UK’s Chagos Islands deal
But US president says he retains right to ‘militarily secure’ American base on Diego Garcia
US job cuts surge to highest January total since 2009
Numerous new data points to further weakness in labour market
UK think-tank close to Labour paid firm to identify source of leaks to media
Labour Together, previously run by Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, commissioned APCO Worldwide
Bitcoin falls below $65,000 to wipe out ‘Trump rally’
Cryptocurrency returns to November 2024 level as it is swept up in tech stock sell-off
Cuba ready for US talks ‘with no preconditions’ as energy squeeze bites
President Miguel Díaz-Canel insists regime is not ‘close to failing’ and promises details of plans to boost energy sector
Trump endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi ahead of general election
US president says prime minister deserves ‘powerful recognition’ in snap poll
FT quiz: the week in news
Ten topical questions to test your news nous
Novo Nordisk hits out at rival Hims & Hers over cheaper weight-loss pill
US telehealth group will sell product for $49 a month, a third that of its Danish competitor