Ft News

With a UK general election only eight months away, the main political parties were keen to come up with a winning formula at their party conferences. James Blitz is joined by Michael Stott and Kiran Stacey to discuss how well they did.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

India’s prime minister has grabbed the headlines with high profile meetings with leaders of the US, Japan and China, and announcing a successful satellite mission to Mars. Many see him as the best hope India has had for years to transform the country into an industrial power. Victor Mallet, South Asia bureau chief, talks to Fiona Symon about Mr Modi's ambitions and the things that stand in his way.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Peter Harwood’s job at Acas has given him an insider’s view of the transformation of industrial relations in Britain over the past three decades. He spoke to Sarah O'Connor about how the service has changed since he joined it 28 years ago.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Two women are leading this year’s presidential election contest in Brazil – the incumbent Dilma Rousseff and an upstart candidate Marina Silva. Ms Silva shot to the top of the polls after she became Socialist Party candidate last month following the death of its previous presidential hopeful, Eduardo Campos. Joe Leahy, FT correspondent in São Paulo, discusses the two rival candidates with Fiona Symon.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The US says air strikes launched this week against Islamists in Syria with the backing of Arab allies mark the beginning of a sustained campaign that could last for years. Sam Jones, FT defence and security editor, talks to Fiona Symon about the risks associated with the campaign.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Afghanistan’s two presidential candidates have agreed to share power, drawing a line under a contested election that has dragged on for almost six months. Ashraf Ghani, former finance minister, becomes president and Abdullah Abdullah, ex-foreign minister, takes over the newly created position of chief executive officer. Fiona Symon spoke to May Jeong, FT correspondent in Kabul, about the deal.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Thousands of Hong Kong students have begun a week-long protest against China’s framework for electoral reform. Fiona Symon discusses their grievances with Demetri Sevastopolou, the FT's Hong Kong Bureau chief.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Researchers at Israel's Weizmann Institute have found that consuming non-calorie sweeteners such as saccharin instead of sugar may paradoxically promote obesity. The research is controversial because it comes as public health campaigners are exerting growing pressure on the food and drinks industry to cut the sugar content of their products. Fiona Symon spoke to Clive Cookson, FT Science correspondent, about the findings  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sweden is facing a period of political instability after an inconclusive election toppled the centre right government of Fredrik Reinfeldt, but left his centre left opponent Stefan Löfven significantly short of a majority in parliament. Fiona Symon spoke to Richard Milne, FT Nordics correspondent, about the result  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Emilio Lozoya, the turnaround champion charged with transforming Mexico's hulking oil monopoly Pemex into a nimble 21st century competitor speaks to Jude Webber about his plans for the company.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

While politicians in Islamabad vie for control of Pakistan, they do little to tackle the country's population explosion - a problem that is likely to stunt prosperity for future generations. Victor Mallet, FT Asia Bureau Chief, spoke to Fiona Symon about the looming crisis.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The European Union is poised to tighten sanctions on Russia in response to the crisis in Ukraine. Courtney Weaver, FT Moscow Correspondent, spoke to Fiona Symon about how the moves are being viewed in Russia.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, regarded by scientists as the biggest driver of global warming, has surged at its fastest rate in 30 years. Pilita Clark, FT Environment Correspondent, spoke to Fiona Symon about the implications.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Iraq's squabbling political class has formed a new government under Haider Abadi amid pressure to present a united front against the Islamist militants threatening to break up the country. Borzou Daraghi, the FT's Middle East correspondent, tells Fiona Symon how the deal was done.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nearly a month ago, astronomers announced a remarkable discovery: the strongest evidence so far for the theory of cosmic inflation, the hyper-rapid expansion following the Big Bang. This was joyful news for Andrei Linde, the cosmologist who had played a key role in developing inflation theory in the 1970s and '80s. Clive Cookson, FT science editor, spoke to professor Linde from his home at Stanford University in California.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What are the political and personal finance consequences of the George Osborne’s UK Budget announcement? Jonathan Eley, FT personal finance editor, and Robert Shrimsley, editor of FT.com, join Matthew Vincent for the reaction to the Budget.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the G20 pledges to crack down on multinational tax avoidance, the Financial Times looks at how and why governments help companies reduce their tax burden. Orla Ryan talks to taxation correspondent Vanessa Houlder, Matt Steinglass in Amsterdam and James Fontanella Khan in Brussels about why tax is rising to the top of the political agenda.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Professor Eswar Prasad of the Brookings Institution talks users through the latest edition of the Brookings Institution-Financial Times economic tracking index, which shows the global economic recovery is at risk of stalling. Visit www.ft.com/tiger to view the index  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Chris Cook is joined by Jonathan Eley, Martin Sandbu and Sarah Neville to discuss the political, economic and personal finance consequences of the UK Budget announcement.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

FT Alphaville's Joseph Cotterill and David Keohane had a quick chat about Cyprus, its bailout and the depositors being bailed in, the Russian connection and whether there is really a risk of contagion.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.