Aug 12 (Reuters) – The following are the top stories in the Financial Times. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

Headlines

– BHP urged to run down not sell its fossil fuel assets https://on.ft.com/3AuLENC

– UK government urged to aid universities struggling with record student numbers https://on.ft.com/3lWfx5q

– Johnson poised to backtrack on mid-2030s gas boiler ban https://on.ft.com/3jOCXY0

– Germany arrests Briton on suspicion of spying for Russia https://on.ft.com/2Xp7Pa5

Overview

– BHP Group Plc has been urged to run down rather than divest its fossil assets by shareholder activist group Market Forces, to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement.

– Education leaders have called on the UK government for more support to universities, as higher education institutions are struggling to accommodate a larger number of students following a surge in top A-level marks.

– Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to cut down plans to ban the sale of new gas boilers in the UK from mid-2030, over concerns from ministers and Conservative Party lawmakers about the cost to consumers of transitioning to net zero emissions.

– German prosecutors on Wednesday said that they have arrested a British man working at the UK embassy in Berlin on suspicion of passing documents to the Russian intelligence service.

(Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)