Ft News

Bangladesh central bank governor Atiur Rahman has stepped down after the bank lost $81m through a cyber attack in one of the world's biggest ever bank robberies. Victor Mallet, the FT's South Asia bureau chief tells Patrick Jenkins what happened.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A large car bomb in Ankara has killed at least 37 people, underlining the threat to Turkish stability posed by Kurdish separatists and Islamic state militants. The FT's Mehul Srivastava reports.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How do you go about negotiating a pay rise or a promotion at work? Maggie Neale teaches the art and science of negotiation at Stanford Business School. She talks to Emma Jacobs about the secrets of getting more of what you want.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lee Sedol, world champion of the Chinese board game Go, has just been beaten by a computer. Murad Ahmed explains how Google's DeepMind AlphaGo programme did it, and why its victory is significant for the world beyond the Go board. Music by David Sappa  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Europe’s top five investment banks are now making less than half as much revenue as the top five US operators, which beat their European rivals on almost every financial measure last year. Patrick Jenkins, FT financial editor, asks Laura Noonan, FT investment banking correspondent, what's behind the numbers. Music by Kevin MacLeod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Three years after the UK government began slashing welfare benefits, Financial Times reporters looked at the impact of the cuts on some of the poorest parts of the country. Barney Thompson discusses the results of their research with Sarah Neville and John Murray Brown. Picture credit: Charlie Bibby  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Harnessing the electronic signals of the human nervous system to treat diseases has been described as the next great frontier in medical science. Andrew Ward discusses the possiblities and risks with Clive Cookson, FT science editor. Music: David Sappa  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Women activists played a prominent role in Iran's recent parliamentary elections, campaigning on social media and urging women to come out and vote. Minou Khaleghi, one of 14 newly-elected women MPs, says her priority will be to push for for changes in the area of family law, maternity rights and employment rights for women. The FT's Najmeh Bozorgmehr reports.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The US economy added an unexpected 242,000 jobs in February, exceeding economists' forecasts significantly and easing market concerns of a recession. But clouds remain over a lack of wage rises. The FT's Shawn Donnan explains how the underlying figures indicate why some Americans have become enraged about the US economic recovery and made it a major policy issue for potential White House nominees such as Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

EU leaders are preparing for an emergency summit against a grim backdrop: desperate scenes at the Greece-Macedonia border, where crowds of migrants are being beaten back from storming a fence with salvos of tear gas. Alex Barker, FT Brussels corrrespondent, looks at German chancellor Angela Merkel's attempt to establish a common refugee policy.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Deutsche Börse is seeking to merge with the London Stock Exchange, potentially creating an important bridge between the London and Frankfurt financial centres. But it is not the only prospective bidder. Patrick Jenkins, FT financial editor, discusses the development and its implications for investment banks with Lee McCormack, market infrastructure expert, and Laura Noonan, FT investment banking correspondent. Music by Kevin MacLeod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who heads Poland's Law and Justice Party, is leading a conservative counter-revolution that some see as anti-democractic. Henry Foy, the FT's Warsaw correspondent, was granted a rare interview. He talks to Gideon Rachman and Neil Buckley about the encounter.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Iranians go to the polls on Friday in the first major test of public opinion since last summer’s nuclear accord. President Hassan Rouhani is seeking a mandate to press on with long-promised reforms. Najmeh Bozorgmehr, FT Tehran correspondent, talks to voters about their intentions.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Would a vote to leave the European Union be good for Britain's economy? John Redwood, Conservative politician, and Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator at the Financial Times, discuss the question in the third and final of a series of FT debates on Brexit. To read more on Britain's referendum on Europe, go to ft.com/eu-referendum  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Would a British vote to leave the European Union be a disaster for the City of London? Howard Shaw of investment bank Shaw Capital and Gina Miller of investment managers SCM Private discuss the question in the second of a series of FT debates on Brexit. To read more on Britain's referendum on Europe, go to ft.com/eu-referendum  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Would a UK vote to leave the European Union this year benefit Europe? Peter Mandelson, the Labour politician, and Daniel Hannan, a Conservative member of the European parliament, discuss the question in the first of a series of FT debates on Brexit. To read more on Britain's referendum on Europe, go to ft.com/eu-referendum  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

China's appetite for acquiring overseas companies was dealt a major setback this week as regulatory fears hindered two potential takeovers. How will this affect the $44bn ChemChina deal to acquire Swiss agribusiness Syngenta and other large-scale deals? US M&A correspondent James Fontanella-Khan explains.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What are the justifications for the call from Federal Reserve of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari that the major banks should be broken up, and are his motivations political or in the best interests of society and investors? Lex US editor Sujeet Indap and US banking editor Ben McLannahan discuss. Music by Kevin MacLeod.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Apple has taken a stand against a US court order that it must help the FBI unblock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. Ravi Mattu discusses the FBI request and Apple's response with Sam Jones, FT defence and security editor, and Tim Bradshaw, San Francisco correspondent. Music by David Sappa.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The diversified mining group is targeting an extra $3bn to $4bn of asset sales this year as it seeks to recover from the commodities rout. Matthew Vincent asks James Wilson, FT mining correspondent, what's behind Anglo's plan and whether it can succeed.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.