David Pilling takes us on a tour of the African ghetto he visited with Bobi Wine, the rap singer turned politician, who has confirmed he will challenge Yoweri Museveni for the presidency of Uganda in 2021.

Contributors: Alec Russell, editor of FT Weekend, and David Pilling, Africa editor. Producer: Fiona Symon. Music clip: Kyarenga by Bobi Wine

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Roula Khalaf talks to Alec Russell about her meeting with Hatice Cengiz, fiancee of the murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who is now campaigning for his killers to be brought to justice. 

Contributors: Alec Russell, editor of FT Weekend, and Roula Khalaf, deputy editor.  Producer: Fiona Symon

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The London Stock Exchange group has confirmed that it is in advanced talks to buy Refinitiv in a $27bn deal that would turn it into a global exchanges and data powerhouse. Patrick Jenkins discusses the proposed deal with Arash Massoudi, the FT’s corporate finance and deals editor.

Contributors: Patrick Jenkins, financial editor, Arash Massoudi, corporate finance and deals editor. Producer: Fiona Symon

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What will the world look like when machines are cleverer than we are? Fred Studemann, Literary editor, and John Thornhill, Innovation editor, discuss how different writers have imagined the future in response to the advance of artificial intelligence.

Contributors: Fred Studemann, Literary editor, and John Thornhill, Innovation editor. Producer: Fiona Symon

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We have seen a historic day for British politics as the Supreme Court ruled that Boris Johnson’s decision to prorogue parliament for five weeks was unlawful. Siona Jenkins discusses what the ruling means for Brexit, for the prime minister, and for British democracy, with Jane Croft, law courts correspondent, and Neil Buckley, leader writer. 

Contributors: Siona Jenkins, news editor, Jane Croft, law courts correspondent and Neil Buckley, leader writer. Producer: Fiona Symon and Persis Love

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John Ruskin was a towering figure in the Victorian era: an art critic, social reformer and all round thinker who had a huge influence on British society. After his death he fell out of favour. Yet much of what he wrote about the nature of work and the importance of protecting the environment is relevant today. James Pickford discusses his legacy with Sandra Kemp, an academic who oversees the Ruskin collection at Lancaster University and Andrew Hill, management editor.

The Ruskin: Museum of the Near Future

Contributors: James Pickford, deputy FT Money editor, Sandra Kemp, director of the Lancaster University’s Ruskin Library, and Andrew Hill, management editor. Producers: Fiona Symon and Persis Love

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Many US Democrats had pushed for an impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump after the Mueller probe into Russian meddling in the last US election released its findings. But it took a July telephone conversation between Mr Trump and Ukraine’s new president to persuade Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US house of Representatives, that it was time to act. Katie Martin discusses what happens next and what we know so far with Demetri Sevastopulo, Washington bureau chief.

Contributors: Katie Martin, capital markets editor, and Demetri Sevastopulo, Washington bureau chief. Producer: Fiona Symon

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Will PSA’s Carlos Tavares prove to be a better merger partner for Fiat Chrysler than Renault and help create the world's fourth-largest carmaker? Katie Martin discusses the terms of the proposed mega merger and the characters behind the deal with Peter Campbell, motor industry correspondent, and David Keohane in Paris.

Contributors: Katie Martin, capital markets editor, Peter Campbell, motor industry correspondent, and David Keohane, Paris correspondent. Producers: Fiona Symon and Persis Love

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How does Generation Z date? Why are they more politically engaged than the generation before them and what is the digital psyche? Flora Macdonald Johnston asks John Burn-Murdoch, Rebecca Watson and Madison Darbyshire to explain what's driving the next generation.

If you want to read more about the NextGen, click here. For Flora's article, click here. For John's article, click here. For Rebecca's article, click here. For Madison's column, click here.

Contributors: Flora Macdonald Johnston, acting deputy fashion editor, John Burn-Murdoch, data visualisation journalist, Madison Darbyshire, multimedia journalist and Rebecca Watson, assistant arts editor. Producer: Persis Love

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A sleep loss epidemic is making its mark on the workplace, but what are its causes and what should businesses do to ensure their fatigued employees get a good night’s kip? Louise Aston and James Wilson talk to Darren Dodd about where employers are going wrong and what needs to be done.

This podcast forms part of FT Health at Work magazine, supported by Vitality. 

Business in the Community's Sleep and Recovery Toolkit for employers can be found here, and their responsible business podcasts, here. James Wilson’s website is available here.

Contributors: Darren Dodd, editor of FT Health at Work magazine, Louise Aston wellbeing director at Business in the Community and, James Wilson, sleep specialist. Producer: Persis Love

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As the UK general election approaches, all parties are stepping up their rhetoric on climate change. What are their manifesto pledges and are they even realistic? Jim Pickard and Nick Butler talk to Leslie Hook about what a new government could spell for the environment and the need for an international approach to tackling the climate crisis.

Contributors: Leslie Hook, environment and clean energy correspondent, Jim Pickard, chief political correspondent and Nick Butler, energy commentator. Producer: Persis Love

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Paul Volcker, who died at the weekend, was one of the most influential monetary policy makers of the 20th century. The FT’s Gillian Tett spoke to the former central banker at his home in New York last year about his views on good government, regulating finance and US China relations. In this podcast, she shares some excerpts from the conversation.

Contributors: Katie Martin, markets editor, and Gillian Tett, chair of the FT editorial board (US). Producers: Fiona Symon and Aimee Keane

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Last week Boris Johnson lead the conservative party to its biggest victory in over 30 years on a promise to “get Brexit done”. What should the UK expect from its new government and how has business reacted to the election? George Parker and Adam Samson talk to Siona Jenkins about what the next five years could bring.

Contributors: Siona Jenkins, editor, UK news, George Parker, political editor and Adam Samson, global head of Fast FT. Producer: Persis Love. Photo credit: Leon Neal/PA

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Questions about the future of fossil fuels are putting new pressure on companies and financial institutions. How are they responding and should they be doing more? Pilita Clark talks to Huw van Steenis, chair of the sustainable finance committee at UBS and a former adviser to Bank of England governor, Mark Carney, and Billy Nauman, reporter for the FT’s Moral Money. 

Contributors: Huw van Steenis, chair of the sustainable finance committee at UBS, Pilita Clark, business columnist and Billy Nauman, reporter and producer, moral money. Producer: Persis Love. Photo credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty

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The FT News Briefing is a rundown of the global business stories you need to know for the coming day, from the newsroom of the Financial Times. If you enjoy it, subscribe to the FT News Briefing wherever you get your podcasts, or listen at FT.com/newsbriefing.

Friday, March 20

Republicans in the US Senate have introduced legislation to inject more than $1tn of fiscal stimulus into the economy as it grapples with the coronavirus outbreak. Sir Paul Tucker, the former deputy governor of the Bank of England and current chair of the Systemic Risk Council, says it’s time for policymakers and bankers to prepare for a wartime setting if conditions deteriorate. Plus, the only US drugmaker that makes a potential treatment for the coronavirus raised the price nearly 100 per cent in January as the outbreak wreaked havoc in China. 

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Even before Covid-19 struck, the country’s debt trajectory was out of control

Biggest creditors attack government’s proposal to restructure $65bn of foreign debt

Finance minister tells FT that government has rejected counter-offer from BlackRock-led group of creditors

US-led trial shows positive results in hastening recovery time for coronavirus patients

Pharma and its critics agree government has a big role to play in ensuring fair access to Covid-19 remedies

Schemes to look at cutting emissions in sectors such as transport in push to meet 2050 ‘net zero’ target

Group says 230 jobs will be lost at Selby site at it looks to beat 2025 fossil fuel deadline

Climate campaigners say measures lack ambition to tackle crisis

Energy, water and other utility groups keep services going despite lockdowns and cuts

Suffolk residents cry foul as French group seeks to continue process despite lockdown  

A collapse in demand is reducing prices even as central banks print money

Singapore’s second wave of infections and US meat packers offer cautionary tales

Economic woes go well beyond the coronavirus crisis

Grounding of aircraft around the world due to coronavirus crisis takes toll on UK aero-engine maker

Aircraft parts manufacturers pull plug in first big deal to collapse due to coronavirus pandemic

Big-name investors such as Elliott and Caxton act on concerns over debasement of money

Eight-and-a-half-hour day is needlessly long, say customers

NYSE owner did not ‘lose its mind’, says Jeffrey Sprecher

SEC sets out proposal to provide investors with faster, broader trading figures

MEMX is hoping to disrupt the US equities market when it launches in July

Platforms report soaring activity after coronavirus outbreak spooks investors

US Treasury secretary floats idea of shorter trading hours as staffing hit by virus

Industry associations demand detail to manage risk of trading from home

Business being bought from Blackstone-led consortium has lost ground to Bloomberg

Arca in San Francisco and Box in Chicago will throw open their doors on Monday

John Malone shows his adroitness in deal between Liberty Global and Telefónica

Private banks are fighting to advise billionaires who want a lot for their money

The US is in danger of lurching from lax oversight of vaping to banning it unwisely

In a polarised time, the broadcaster has won listeners by embracing confrontation

Lockdowns have elevated the sector that some analysts thought would fall furthest in a recession

Liberty Steel to modernise European plants in effort to become carbon neutral

Henrik Adam outlines ‘urgent priority’ to boost performance as he cuts 1,250 jobs

Thousands of jobs at risk as coronavirus pandemic leads to a fall-off in demand

Chinese producer moves to offload some of its majority holding in Australia’s Greenbushes project

Priority status as grid suppliers helps Orsted and Iberdrola weather drop in demand