The dark side of Japanese convenience stores
Rising wages and an ageing workforce put pressure on existing staff
Has Modi’s big tax reform worked?
Also in this newsletter: Bihar readies for elections, and T V Narendran’s mantra
Letter: Artificial intelligence may not be amenable to détente solutions
From Robert Holloway, Paris, France
Letter: One niggling omission in your Argentina analysis
From Leslie Lipschitz, Boston, MA, US
Palantir lifts 2025 sales outlook after posting strong quarterly growth
Peter Thiel’s data intelligence group says US involvement in global conflicts will create ‘opportunities’
Letter: Birmingham’s audit fiasco misses watchdog’s wary eye
From David Walker, Former Managing Director, Communications and Public Reporting, Audit Commission, London NW3, UK
China offers tech giants cheap power to boost domestic AI chips
Beijing introduces grants that slash energy bills by up to half for some of country’s largest data centres
Letter: Rake’s progress?
From Dora Henry, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, UK
Letter: Unbearable lightness of FT lunch guest’s thinking
From Sandro Macchietto, Professor of Process Systems Engineering, Director of Enterprise, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College, London SW7, UK
Starbucks to sell majority stake in China business to Boyu Capital
Hong Kong-based private equity group to own up to 60% of new joint venture valued at $4bn
The Washington DC home that helped shape a nation
Beautifully preserved federal-style home of John F Kennedy hosted political gatherings during his presidential campaign
Starmer fuels expectations of income tax rise in the Budget
Prime minister tells Labour MPs he will reduce Britain’s national debt without making deep spending cuts
Call for ban on forever chemicals in UK drinking water
‘In the end it was evolve or die’
FT Crossword: Number 18,204
FirstFT: Singapore plans to turn Lee Kuan Yew’s residence into national monument
Also in today’s newsletter: OpenAI strikes deal with Amazon, and Israeli military’s former top lawyer arrested
Ørsted to sell half of world’s largest offshore wind farm to Apollo in $6.5bn deal
Investment in project off UK’s coast boosts Danish developer battling rising costs and political challenges
Inside Black Cube: how notorious intelligence firm rakes in client fees
Deposition with Black Cube co-founder details how firm profits from placing stories and prompting regulatory investigations
Fed’s Cook signals December rate cut is not a foregone conclusion
Central bank governor makes first public remarks since Donald Trump’s move to fire her
Kimberly-Clark risks migraine with Kenvue deal
A merger would create a consumer goods business with $32bn a year in sales
What are Rachel Reeves’ tax options in the Budget?
Chancellor examining wide range of measures in bid to fill fiscal hole of between £20bn and £30bn
UK welfare reform is unavoidable
Reforming the benefits system is vital to avoid ever-rising taxes
Police look at train attack suspect’s possible link to other knife crimes
Cambridgeshire officers were alerted on three occasions about man with knife in Peterborough before mass stabbing
Pfizer files second lawsuit to block Novo Nordisk’s $9bn Metsera bid
Novo and Metsera deny Pfizer’s arguments