Ft News

China’s HNA Group is Deutsche Bank's biggest shareholder. But as the Financial Times discovered, very little is known about the structure of HNA or its owners. Patrick Jenkins discusses what this means for the German lender and its investors with the FT's Robert Smith and Laura Noonan.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

US cable operator Comcast's bid for Sky threatens Rupert Murdoch's takeover of the UK broadcaster as well as his plans to sell all of 21st Century Fox — except his rightwing US news channel and primary sports network — to Walt Disney. Naomi Rovnick unravels the details of the rival bids and what they signify for the global media industry in conversation with the FT's Matt Garrahan and Arash Massoudi  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A group of teenagers who survived a US school shooting have taken command of the national debate over gun control, one of the most contentious issues in American life. But will their efforts have an effect on legislation? Shannon Bond discusses.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

China is wooing tribal separatists in Pakistan's Balochistan province in order to secure key trade projects in the region. Jyotsna Singh discusses how Beijing's One Belt One Road initiative is forcing it to adopt a more interventionist foreign policy with the FT's Farhan Bokhari, Kiran Stacey and James Kynge.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

US officials have accused Latvia’s third-largest bank of laundering money that helped fund North Korea’s missile programme. To make matters worse, the country’s central bank governor is the subject of a bribery probe. Elaine Moore discusses what’s behind the banking crisis in the Baltic state and why the European Central Bank failed to spot the problem with Claire Jones, Martin Sandbu and Neil Buckley.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A group of businessmen, acting with the connivance of staff at a Mumbai branch, obtained nearly $2bn in trade loans without going through proper approval processes, Mumbai reporter Simon Mundy tells Patrick Jenkins, the FT's financial editor.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's been five months since Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, devastating an island whose economy was already struggling under an untenable $120bn of debt and pension obligations. Ricardo Rosselló Nevares, governor of Puerto Rico, joins the FT's Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson to discuss the state of the recovery.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mada Masr, an online newspaper, is one of the few Egyptian media outlets that dares to challenge the status quo amid the repressive political climate that has taken hold since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took power in 2013. Heba Saleh spoke to chief editor and founder of the news site Lina Attala at the news site's offices in Cairo.Listen to FT News on iTunes or Stitcher.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

India's thriving books market has spawned scores of literature festivals across India’s big and small cities where multiple events are held throughout the year. Jyotsna Singh discusses what's behind India's love of books with the FT's Victor Mallet and Nilanjana Roy.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Why did Norway's oil fund vote against pay proposals at Alphabet, JPMorgan and Volkswagen last year? Attracta Mooney discusses moves by the influential investor to try to rein in pay packages regarded as over generous or overly complex with Richard Milne, the FT’s Nordics correspondent, and Jonathan Guthrie from the FT’s Lex team.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Barclays Bank has been charged a second time by UK authorities over its 2008 emergency fundraising when it took cash injections from Qatari investors to avoid a government bailout. Martin Arnold discusses the charge and its implications for the bank with the FT's Barney Thompson and Laura Noonan.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

China is backing feature towns that excel in producing one product, such as drones, lingerie or poetry. Many are located in poor regions left behind by China’s rapid industrialisation. Jyotsna Singh talks to the FT's Gabriel Wildau about the aim of the initiative and whether it can succeed in reviving some of the country's rural backwaters. Music by David Sappa  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What is it about music that has proved so effective in improving the lives of people suffering from dementia? Darren Dodd discusses the growing use of music therapy to treat the disease with Sally Bowell, of the International Longevity Centre UK and Sarah Metcalfe from Playlist for Life.Links:Commission on Dementia and MusicPlaylists for Life  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We are constantly bombarded by statistical claims but how do we know when they're true and when they're fake news? And how to we avoid becoming unwittingly complicit by spreading misinformation on social media? Economist Tim Harford rides to the rescue in conversation with the FT's Sarah O'Connor.Read Tim Harford's guide to statistics on a postcard  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

US stocks staged a late rebound on Tuesday after a three-day global sell off. John Authers explains what triggered investor fears.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Shares in Wells Fargo have fallen sharply after the Federal Reserve imposed unprecedented sanctions on the lender in response to “widespread customer abuses”. Patrick Jenkins discusses the unusual nature of the sanctions with the FT's Laura Noonan and Martin Arnold. Music by Kevin MacLeod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Microsoft and Google are expected to make announcements soon that could mean we are closer than ever to using the properties of quantum mechanics to speed up computing. Ravi Mattu discusses what this potential breakthrough would mean with the FT's Richard Waters and Clive Cookson.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

India’s prime minister Narendra Modi has fallen short of the goals he set himself in 2014 when he promised to spur the economy and create millions of jobs. He has now switched tack with a pre-election budget that aims to placate the rural poor and address chronic underfunding of healthcare. Jyotsna Singh discusses how realistic his latest plans are with the FT’s Amy Kazmin and Kiran Stacey.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Developed economies are theoretically wealthier than ever but people don't seem to feel better off. Some of the gap between the data and our perceptions may be down to the limitations of gross domestic product as a gauge, says the FT's David Pilling. He talks to Gemma Tetlow about his new book, The Growth Delusion. The Growth Delusion is published in the UK by Bloomsbury and in the US by Tim Duggan Books  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After the White House abandoned plans to nominate a leading Korea expert as US ambassador to Seoul, what will be the next step in the president's strategic approach to Pyongyang?  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.