| Hello from the FT newsroom, where we have been following the latest boardroom drama at BP. On Tuesday, the UK oil major ousted its chair Albert Manifold after less than a year in the job, citing “serious concerns” over his behaviour. People familiar with the matter told the FT there were “multiple” whistleblower complaints of “bullying” — allegations Manifold denounced as “lies”. Several large BP shareholders told us they found the former chair “challenging”. Manifold’s surprise exit marks the latest episode in a chaotic period for BP, which has now replaced two chief executives and two chairs in the past three years. Our chief UK business columnist John Gapper argues that BP should never have made Manifold chair. After all, “it was no secret that the former chief executive [ . . .] was a dominant leader accustomed to being in full control”. Something for BP’s board to ponder, then, as it begins the search for his replacement. For investors, the big concern is what Manifold’s departure means for the business. After a mismanaged pivot towards renewable energy left BP trailing its competitors, the Irish businessman had engineered a turnaround. Our reporters spoke to people close to the company and to Manifold to bring you the inside account of the scandal and what comes next. 
Albert Manifold was ousted by the BP board including CEO Meg O’Neill, left, after less than a year as chair © FT montage/Bloomberg/Reuters/Getty Images Just months ago, Ukraine’s war effort had hit a nadir. Now, Ukrainian officials and western experts believe the country’s military is stronger than at any time since Donald Trump’s return to office. Our reporters explain how mass drone production came to the rescue. It has been a decade since an estimated 1mn people were swept up in China’s crackdown on the Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang. Reports of “re-education” camps and forced labour led to an international outcry and in 2019 Beijing announced the closure of the camps. But an FT analysis suggests that the campaign of oppression has just entered a new phase. Ferrari is betting on a polarising new strategy. One online commentator called it “an insult to the marque”. Another said it was “hideously underwhelming”. Find out why the Italian group’s new electric vehicle model is causing such a stir. Former UK Labour minister Alan Milburn’s landmark report on youth joblessness came with a stark warning this week: without urgent action, Britain is at risk of creating a “lost generation”. As our editorial board argues, it is a warning that deserves to be heeded by whoever leads Labour. In financial terms, Tim Cook’s tenure as Apple’s chief executive is one of the greatest success stories in business history. But fierce competition and legal challenges are threatening its profitability, while its search for an AI hit has so far proved unsuccessful. Can new boss John Ternus set the tech titan on a new course? Trump has described the Board of Peace as one of the “most consequential” international organisations created. Yes, as our reporters reveal, the board’s financial fund is empty — with no money flowing to projects in Gaza. “I spent years feeling smug, criticising the Trump administration for blowing up the rules-based trading system,” writes Soumaya Keynes. No more. In her latest column, Soumaya explains why Europe must move beyond principled complaining and embrace tariffs. The Delhi Gymkhana Club has survived two world wars, the partition of India and a constitutional commitment to socialism. But now the 113-year-old club is facing a sudden eviction as Narendra Modi’s government targets a bastion of the colonial-era establishment. Our reporters were first to reveal that the EU is preparing a sweeping push to loosen its dependence on US technology by backing European alternatives. Here are more exclusive details on the plan, which marks a significant shift in the bloc’s approach to Big Tech. The UK’s restaurant culture is rightly famed for its frenetic diversity. But alongside all the Thai bistros and Middle Eastern live-fire grills, there’s another compelling story: the British love affair with French food and the French restaurant. In this week’s magazine cover story, FT restaurant critic Jay Rayner explains why the best British food is actually French.
OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, xAI and Meta all want to be the world’s leading AI company. Who will come out on top? On the latest season of Tech Tonic, the FT’s technology news editor Murad Ahmed explores the battles between Silicon Valley’s frontier AI labs and the personal rivalries driving them. In the fourth and latest episode, Murad asks: will SpaceX’s giant IPO turbocharge Elon Musk’s AI ambitions? Have a great weekend, Roula |
