FT News in Focus

The north of England voted heavily against membership of the European Union in last month’s Brexit poll. Many said they had not seen the economic benefits of EU membership and felt their jobs were threatened by European migration. Economist Jim O’Neill has been central to UK efforts to boost development in the region as minister for city devolution and infrastructure. He spoke to Andrew Bounds about how business and the government should respond to the poll result. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Israel is a world-class expert at building fences and walls, starting with its controversial, decade-old security barrier that seals off the occupied Palestinian West Bank and East Jerusalem from Israel proper. In this report, FT correspondent John Reed describes how Israel is now extending its system of high-tech barriers to enclose all of its external borders, providing a model that US presidential candidate Donald Trump famously says he wants to learn from. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scottish voters emphatically backed the campaign for the UK to remain in the EU and are deeply dismayed at the prospect of being force to leave. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's first minister, has launched a diplomatic campaign to secure Scotland's European status. Mure Dickie, FT correspondent in Edinburgh, reports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An exhibition at London’s British Museum this summer tells the story of Sicily, showing how successive waves of conquest and settlement from northern Europe, Africa and the Middle East shaped the Mediterranean island’s history. In collaboration with the Financial Times, the museum invited Tom Holland, historian, Ian Goldin, economist, and journalists Roula Khalaf and Daniel Trilling to discuss the exhibition and how migration continues to shape our modern-day societies. The discussion was chaired by broadcaster Zeinab Badawi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spain’s second election in six months has delivered a surprisingly clear victory to Mariano Rajoy, the veteran prime minister, whose conservative Popular party won 33 per cent of the vote. However, he will still need the support of coalition partners to form a government. Joshua Chaffin discusses Mr Rajoy’s options with Tobias Buck, the FT’s Madrid correspondent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

International banks have used London as a pivot into the European single market, but are likely to lose these so-called "passporting" rights to operate in the EU once Britain is no longer a member. Patrick Jenkins discusses what impact this will have on the City of London with Martin Arnold, the FT's banking editor and Simon Gleeson, a partner at law firm Clifford Chance. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Britain's political parties are in disarray after last week's vote to leave the European Union, and this has been accompanied by market turmoil and a steep slide in sterling. But what is the impact of all the uncertainty on companies around the world? Matthew Vincent puts the question to the FT's Companies editor Brooke Masters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British expats and others from Dubai to New York voice their feelings about the EU referendum results. Visit FT.com/Brexit for more. Contributions from Patrick McGee in Frankfurt, Adam Thomson in Paris, Simeon Kerr in Dubai and Gregory Bobillot in New York. Additional clips courtesy of Reuters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Tesla boss wants to create a trillion-dollar company by piecing together his different businesses to make a sustainable energy conglomerate. Ravi Mattu asks Richard Waters, the FT's West Coast editor, and Ed Crooks, the FT's US energy editor, why Wall Street is not convinced. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the shadows of the Lava Jato probe into graft activity at state oil company Petrobras, prosecutors in Brazil are tackling another corruption investigation that could implicate dozens of Brazilian companies in allegations of tax evasion. All of those named or charged have denied wrongdoing or, in the case of distributor MMC Automotives, have declined to comment. The FT's John Paul Rathbone talks to Samantha Pearson in Sao Paulo about the latest developments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The personality of bankers is a far bigger risk factor than pay or bonuses, an analysis of more than 1,500 top bankers has found. Patrick Jenkins talks to Sascha Steffen, one of the authors of the study, and Laura Noonan, the FT's investment banking correspondent, about the findings. Music by Kevin MacLeod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Virginia Raggi, a 37-year old lawyer, has become the first female mayor of Rome after an election that delivered a resounding victory to the populist Five Star Movement and a blow to Italy's centre-left prime minister Matteo Renzi. Joshua Chaffin discusses what the result means for Rome and for the Renzi government with FT correspondent Rachel Sanderson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final days of the referendum campaign on Britain's European Union membership, Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, spoke to former prime minister Sir John Major about why he is campaigning to stay in the EU. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

French scientists have carried out the first human trial of an ultrasound device that pushes drugs through the “blood-brain barrier”, potentially clearing a big obstacle to using chemotherapy on brain tumours. Clive Cookson, the FT's science editor, tells John Murray-Brown how it works. Music by David Sappa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bill Winters, chief executive of Standard Chartered, tells the FT's Patrick Jenkins and Martin Arnold about the steps he has taken to stamp out a “cancer” of complacency and lax controls that he blames for recent misconduct among senior staff at the emerging markets bank. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Microsoft has struck a landmark deal to acquire LinkedIn for $26.2bn, its largest acquisition ever, as chief executive Satya Nadella seeks to transform one of the world’s best-known companies. Matthew Vincent discusses the risks and benefits of the deal with the FT's US West Coast editor Richard Waters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The FT's Barney Jopson reports from the attacker's home town of Fort Pierce, Florida, as details emerge about what happened at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Visit FT.com for more on the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A trial in London promises to give a rare glimpse into Goldman Sachs's dealings with one of world’s richest investors. The Libyan Investment Authority claims that Goldman exploited the sovereign wealth fund’s financial inexperience in 2008, forcing it into risky and ultimately loss making derivative trades. Goldman denies this. Matthew Vincent discusses the case with Jane Croft, the FT's law courts correspondent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Omar Mateen, the gunman who left 50 dead when he stormed a gay nightclub in Orlando on Sunday, was an employee of the private security company G4S. What could or should the company have known to alert it to the risk that this individual would turn into a mass killer? John Murray Brown puts the question to the FT's Gill Plimmer and Jonathan Guthrie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andres Schipani, the FT's Andes correspondent, talks to Jonathan Wheatley, deputy emerging markets editor, about the challenges facing Peru's president-elect Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Britain's North Sea oil infrastructure is being dismantled, rig by rig, after falling oil prices made the industry unprofitable. Many in the north of Scotland hope decommissioning can provide a lifeline for a local economy. Matthew Vincent asks FT oil correspondent Kiran Stacey and Lex writer Alan Livesy who will foot the bill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Britain's Aldeburgh music festival was founded after the second world war by the composer Benjamin Britten and the singer Peter Pears. Britten used to take “composing walks”, drawing inspiration from the birdsong he heard in the surrounding countryside and this year, birdsong forms the centrepiece of the festival, as artistic director Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and chief executive Roger Wright, told FT critic Hannah NepilMusic: Biber, Sonata Representativa: II. Nightingale, Romanesca; Williams, The Lark Ascending, Hugh Bean; Messiaen, Catalogue d'oiseaux / Book 3 - 6. L'Alouette Lulu, Pierre-Laurent-Aimard Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British voters will decide this month whether to remain in the European Union. Ahead of the vote Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence party and one of the most vocal Brexit campaigners, tells Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, why he thinks Britain would be better off outside the EU. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FT Alphaville writers Cardiff Garcia and Matt Klein discuss the latest US employment report, what it says about the economy, and how it might affect Federal Reserve policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Uber has just received a $3.5bn investment from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, making it the best backed start-up in the world. Ravi Mattu asks Leslie Hook, the FT's San Francisco correspondent, and Simeon Kerr, Gulf correspondent, what the investment means for Saudi Arabia and for Uber's ambitions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hissène Habré, the former president of Chad, has been convicted of crimes against humanity, the first time an ex-leader has been tried in an African Union-backed prosecution in another African country. William Wallis asks John Aglionby, the FT's East Africa correspondent, if the case could set a precedent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some of the leading names in the US peer-to-peer lending industry have been hit by governance problems as well as a withdrawal of some of the big institutional investors. Martin Arnold, FT banking editor, asks Rhydian Lewis, chief executive of UK-based RateSetter, whether the bubble is bursting and how the US model differs from its UK counterpart. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The boss of Gunvor, one of the world’s biggest oil traders, has awarded himself a bumper $1bn dividend to sever his ties to a former Russian business partner who is the subject of US sanctions. Neil Hume, FT commodities editor, tells Emiko Terazono the story Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

US-backed forces this week launched an attack on Raqqa in Syria, close to the de facto capital of the Islamic State, as the Iraqi government launched its own attack on Fallujah. Siona Jenkins asks the FT's Middle East correspondent Erika Solomon if the two assaults on Isis-held territory were related. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Barack Obama used a visit to Hanoi this week to announce that the US was ending a 50-year arms embargo on Communist Vietnam, in the latest push to strengthen opposition to China's territorial ambitions in Asia’s seas. Michael Peel, the FT's Bangkok correspondent, reports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Volkswagen has put $300m into Israeli taxi start-up Gett on the same day Toyota announced an undisclosed investment in US ride-hailing app Uber. Matthew Vincent asks the FT's motor industry correspondent Peter Campbell what's behind these moves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bayer, the German aspirin to week killer conglomerate has made a $62bn all cash offer for Monsanto, the US agribusiness. If agreed, the deal would create a huge global company providing farmers with everything from seeds to crop chemicals. Matthew Vincent asks FT Berlin correspondent Guy Chazan and Chicago correspondent Lindsay Whipp, to assess what chance the megadeal has of going through. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Motorists in France are facing long queues for petrol after unions opposed to the government's labour reforms tightened their blockade of the country's oil refineries. Joshua Chaffin asks the FT's Paris bureau chief Anne-Sylvaine Chassany why the unions are so angry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

London's Tate Modern is the world's most popular museum of modern and contemporary art, with 5m visitors a year. Only 20 years ago it was the shell of a defunct power station on the banks of the Thames. Now it is expanding with a £260m extension that opens next month. Edwin Heathcote, the FT's architecture critic, previews the new building with one of the architects, Jacques Herzog, and Tate director Nicholas Serota. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Suspicion that a terrorist act may have brought down the Egyptian airliner that plunged into the Mediterranean last week delivers another blow to Egypt's already desperate tourism industry. Arrivals have collapsed, hotels shut down and many workers have lost their jobs. The FT's North Africa correspondent Heba Saleh reports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did ads for Citigroup, IBM and Microsoft appear on the website of a designated terrorist? Robert Cookson, the FT's digital media correspondent, tells Ravi Mattu how an Indonesian jihadi website came to profit from ads paid for by big western brands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could the US presidential election affect Federal Reserve policy this year? Will the Fed shy away from further rate rises, for example, as it avoids taking risks during an increasingly heated period. The FT's Sam Fleming looks at how the central bank behaved in previous election years to see if there is a historical precedent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela's unpopular president, has declared a state of emergency as his foes seek to remove him by collecting enough signatures for a recall referendum. Andres Schipani, the FT's correspondent in Caracas, reports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cyber risk is in the news following a series of attacks on Asian banks, and New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance is in London to talk about a transatlantic co-operation deal to tackle the risk. Patrick Jenkins asks Caroline Binham, the FT's financial regulation correspondent, and Martin Arnold, banking editor, what banks are doing to combat the threat. Music by Kevin MacLeod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The issue of sexual harassment in the corridors of power in France burst into the open at the weekend when 17 prominent women, all serving or former ministers, published a letter vowing to make public “all sexist remarks, inappropriate gestures and behaviour”. Joshua Chaffin asks Ann-Sylvaine Chassany, the FT's Paris bureau chief, how bad the problem is. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Norway's oil fund is taking legal action against Volkswagen over the German carmaker's emissions testing scandal. It is a further sign that the fund is flexing its muscles as an active investor, coming weeks after it said it would start cracking down on executive pay levels. Matthew Vincent discusses the growing influence of the world's largest sovereign wealth investor with Richard Milne, the FT's Nordic and Baltics correspondent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Saudi Arabia's deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has shaken up expectations about the world's biggest oil exporter with his ambitious plans to wean the kingdom off its dependence on hydrocarbons. Ben Hall talks to the FT's oil correspondent Anjli Raval and Gulf correspondent Simeon Kerr about the proposed reforms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Facebook-owned messaging app has been blocked and unblocked several times in recent months in Latin America's biggest economy. The company was not pleased and nor were its customers. Ravi Mattu asks the FT's Samantha Pearson in São Paulo and Hannah Kuchler in San Francisco what's behind the disruption. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Philippines has elected a political outsider as president, a man with no experience of national level politics and who has said little about his plans for the economy. John Murray Brown asks the FT's Avantika Chilkoti, who covered the election campaign in Manila, what we know about the president elect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shares in Lending Club plunged on Monday when the company announced that chairman and chief executive Renaud Laplanche would step down amid allegations of a lapse in business practices. The FT's Ben McLannahan and Alistair Gray discuss the potential ripple effects for the industry. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Long known as the sick man of Asia, the Philippines has been transformed over the past six years under President Benigno Aquino. Growth has accelerated and investment has poured in but, with elections on Monday, Filipinos are demanding change. The FT's Avantika Chilkoti reports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Creative and freelance positions are the fastest growing sector of the white collar economy in the US and many of these workers choose to share a space with others, rather than work in isolation. Richard Greenwald has studied this phenomenon over the past decade and he shares his insights with the FT's Emma Jacobs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What kinds of things will robots do in future and what jobs will be left for the humans? The FT's Maija Palmer puts the question to three London-based roboticistsFor more articles, videos and podcasts on living with robots, go to the FT's special series at www.ft.com/robot-week Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How will robots and advanced computer technology affect the role of managers in the workplace? Andrew Hill, the FT's management editor, puts the question to Julia Kirby, co-author of 'Only Humans Need Apply', a book on the rise of automation, and Hamid Mughal, director of global manufacturing for Rolls-Royce, the engineering group. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UK financial watchdog has found “systemic” failings in relation to financial crime at Deutsche Bank after a review of its UK unit last year. Patrick Jenkins, the FT's financial editor, discusses the findings and how shareholders have reacted with James Shotter, the FT's financial correspondent in Frankfurt. Music by Kevin MacLeod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.