Letter: Europe must fight the false narrative of US Big Tech
From Francisco Mingorance, Secretary General, CISPE (Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe), Brussels, Belgium
Letter: ‘Buffett indicator’ valuation model may be past its best
From Mohammad Hossein (Marco) Ashrafi, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Letter: New mines are not the only source of critical minerals
From Tom Voege, Policy Director, PRO Circularity Alliance, Brussels, Belgium
Correction:
There were three bidding groups for NHS England’s Federated Data Platform contract, not two as wrongly reported in an article on June 19. Oracle Cerner, the healthcare arm of the US software company, was also a bidder, alongside bids from a consortium led by Palantir, which won the contract, and IBM
US and Iran conduct tense peace talks in Switzerland
Oil prices rise as Trump threatens new strikes if Tehran does not rein in Hizbollah in Lebanon
Rightwing populist ‘El Tigre’ wins Colombia election
Trump-loving political outsider Abelardo de la Espriella narrowly beats leftist continuity candidate
FT Crossword: Number 18,406
UK, US and global politics: what students should know
Read FT articles picked by our teacher advisers
School politics class: UK defence ministers resign as row over military spending escalates
PM and executive
FirstFT: US and Iran hold high-stakes talks in Switzerland
Also in today’s newsletter: Philippines warns over Chinese military activity around Scarborough Shoal, and Keir Starmer’s premiership in doubt
IB Geography class
Read a selection of FT articles and classroom questions
School IB Geography class. From human urine to worm manure: unusual fertilisers boosted by Gulf conflict
Global resource consumption
School IB psychology class: Couples navigate their new money dynamics
Enculturation
India plays ‘whack-a-mole’ with online financial influencers
Regulator targets scammers who give stock tips under guise of financial education as ranks of retail investors grow
Philippines fears China may move to seize full control of disputed atoll
Defence secretary warns of heightened Chinese military activity around Scarborough Shoal
Building materials group CRH nears its biggest-ever deal to buy Arcosa
Irish company closes in on purchase of Dallas-based construction firm with market capitalisation of almost $7bn
UK statistics agency admits fresh error over key jobs data
ONS warns of ‘level of reduced quality’, in setback to efforts to restore confidence in closely watched figures
Warsh’s push to axe Fed guidance may lift US borrowing costs, investors warn
Traders see more volatility ahead as new central bank chair declines to give dot plot on future path of interest rates
Wars trigger $12bn venture capital rush into defence tech
Funding this year has already surpassed 2025 total as soaring valuations fuel fears of a hype cycle
A nation still divided 10 years on from the Brexit vote
UK braced for leadership challenge, the US updates its growth estimate, and chip designer Cerebras reports earnings
Starmer retreats to Chequers to mull podium moment
Prime minister goes ‘dark’ on colleagues as he spends weekend discussing his political future with wife, Victoria
Back-stabbing myths are driving the US and Europe further apart
Competing narratives of abandonment — from Iran to Greenland — could lead to Nato’s permanent unravelling
Starmer on brink of quitting as UK prime minister
US President Donald Trump says Starmer will resign after failing ‘badly’
Ed Miliband would be ‘noose around neck’ of job creation as chancellor, union boss warns
Comments by Sharon Graham come as Burnham team explores key government appointments