Uefa doubles down on World Cup boycott in effort to oust Infantino
Europe’s football governing body reiterates threat despite Fifa ditching plan to sell stake to external investors
90-second power cut to Manchester train signalling centre causes chaos
Hundreds of trains cancelled in northern England as backup systems slow to kick in at critical facility
California sues DuPont over alleged effort to avoid ‘forever chemicals’ liabilities
State’s attorney-general says lawsuit involves ‘first-of-its-kind’ litigation
AI creates first synthetic viruses
Genomic language model has huge potential to redesign organisms such as bacteria
Airtable’s cut-price sale is just the start for software also-rans
Once high-flying start-up is selling itself to Bending Spoons for just under $2.3bn
The shrinking space for democracy in Africa
Authoritarians are gaining ground in an era of more transactional diplomacy
Honeywell Aerospace shares plunge on failure to overcome supply snarls
Group slashes outlook as bottlenecks limit ability to convert strong demand for advanced parts into sales
Google seeks a sharper focus in AI after Hassabis move
New role for the DeepMind co-founder comes as the competitive frontier in the technology is shifting
EasyJet agrees to £5.7bn Apollo takeover as Castlelake backs away
Two US private capital groups had vied to buy low-cost carrier in months-long battle
Diageo boss Dave Lewis stakes revival on canned cocktails and Guinness
New chief unveils plans to restore growth along with suite of cost cuts
Trump allowed to delay release of financial details in $10bn BBC defamation case
US court agrees with emergency stay requested by lawyers acting for president’s investment trust
The hidden financial world of ancient Rome
How ordinary people survived Roman Egypt’s brutal economy
Six films to watch this week
Stranger-than-fiction tale ‘A Child of My Own’; ‘Love Me Tender’ stars a brilliant Vicky Krieps; surreal, animated feature ‘Bouchra’; Glenn Close is a twinkly grandmother in ‘The Summer Book’; Tom Holland dons his suit for ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’; spectacular childhood tale ‘Ish’. Reviews by Dan
Middlemen by Laura B McGrath — literature’s power brokers
An insider’s look at publishing argues that literary agents have shaped genres, global reputations and the economics of modern fiction
The Summer Book — a twinkly turn from Glenn Close in Tove Jansson adaptation
The actor has fun as a placid powerhouse in this atmospheric but uneventful film
Love Me Tender — Vicky Krieps is brilliantly restrained as a mother fighting for custody
Constance Debré’s 2020 novel, inspired by her own experience of coming out, has been adapted into a sober drama about motherhood and self-liberation
Bouchra — a deeply personal meditation on identity, starring a lesbian coyote
Meriem Bennani and Orian Barki’s animated feature follows a canine film-maker trying to reconcile with her mother
Congress should hold Trump’s feet to the fire on chips
The US urgently needs to broaden its export control regime if it’s serious about winning the AI race
Rheinmetall cuts sales outlook after Germany scraps warship project
CEO says moving into naval was still ‘the right decision’ but admitted to have been ‘astonished’ the F126 project was dropped
Today’s retro revival is more than a longing for the past
Gen Z’s nostalgia for a world they never experienced is a quiet revolt against dominant narratives about the future
Kevin Warsh to stick with lean Fed messaging despite market backlash
US central bank chair remains confident that sweeping reforms will win over key investors
Mike Ashley says Harvey Nichols is in a ‘death spiral’
Sports Direct founder casts doubt over department store chain’s prospects even as he vies to acquire it
Abdul El-Sayed delivers significant victory for progressive Democrats
Also in today’s newsletter, a wide-ranging exclusive interview with Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger
Carlos Acosta: Myths and Modern Masters — a display of the star’s enduring powers
Dancers showed a total command of time and space in this well-selected line-up at London’s Royal Opera House