Frail residents in overwhelmed sector emerge as the hidden victims of the Covid-19 crisis

Studies focus on Bame groups who are over-represented in Covid-19 cases

Killings in Dera’a province are testing Syrian leader’s alliance with Russia

PageGroup and Robert Walters cite Brexit, Sino-US trade war and Hong Kong protests

French transport group says factories coming back online but investors bet company will default

A star-studded cast sang from their own homes in the New York opera house’s four-hour show

The ripples from slowing Chinese production are felt down the supply chain

Move comes after Moody’s predicts £400m blow to transport network’s income

Taipei says foreign visitors will be allowed to enter once a vaccine is discovered

UN official warns that war-ravaged country cannot deal with an outbreak of the disease

A colourful pair can elevate an outfit out of the style doldrums

Policymakers should use this opportunity to broaden, not trim, health benefits

Local news sites are experiencing a resurgence and streaming is more popular than ever

“The cultural bore of the autumn is the lover of Mad Men.” So wrote FT arts writer Peter Aspden in his weekly culture column, provoking a storm of reader responses – some grateful, others outraged. As it enters a fourth series, has Mad Men made the fatal mistake of falling in love with itself? Is the series losing its sense of time and place, and are the characters becoming stale? We look at Mad Men's plot, historical significance and, crucially, its impact on fashion – the skinny ties, hourglass figures, and excessive drink consumption. Has it influenced our own sense of style? In this week’s arts podcast, FT columnists Peter Aspden, John Lloyd and Nicola Copping are in the studio with arts editor Jan Dalley. Produced by Rob Minto and Griselda Murray Brown  

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Hip hop may have started in the Bronx, but today’s rappers are millionaires with business empires that extend way beyond music. Ahead of Jay Z and Kanye West's European tour of their joint album Watch The Throne, Raphael Abraham talks to FT critics Ludovic Hunter-Tilney and Richard Clayton about the evolution and future of rap. With clips from The Sugarhill Gang, Jay Z and Kanye West, Evidence and DJ Shadow. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison's Bret Michaels was the last popular flourish of transvestism in rock. Ludovic Hunter-Tilney discovers what inspired the classic power ballad. Credit: Capitol Catalog, Hollywood Records, Kidz Bop, BMB/Poor Boy Records  

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In a special episode to mark the publication of The Life of a Song book, FT pop critics Helen Brown, David Cheal and Ludovic Hunter-Tilney debate whether a song can really change the world. Hear the stories behind the hits, from Bowie's 'Starman' to Jay-Z's 'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)'.  

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G20 agriculture ministers urge governments not to disrupt global supply chains

Join a live discussion with our FT Money editor at 12pm and 5pm UK time on Wednesday April 8

The economist has long argued that governments should spend whatever it takes. Has her time now come?

Matthew Engel tours Middle England in search of the root of voter disillusionment

The pursuit of novelty is leading to ever-shorter forms of the game

Landlords reject call for 50% reduction, saying hotel group is using Covid-19 crisis to cut costs

Sérgio Moro was the face of nation’s long-running ‘Car Wash’ anti-corruption probe

After reaching intraday record, stocks retreat as new president faces economic challenge

Neither Labour nor the Conservatives have offered a "credible prospectus" for government in the election, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said this morning, in a damning assessment that highlighted the gulf between different political visions for Britain.

Korean electronics group draws on lessons from past epidemics to tackle coronavirus crisis

More than 20m lose their jobs in April as lockdowns choke world’s largest economy

After years of economic pain, Greece is in an upbeat mood. But can the country’s fresh political leadership overcome deep-seated problems holding back growth? Katie Martin discusses this question with Kerin Hope in Athens and Ben Hall, Europe editor.

Contributors: Katie Martin, capital markets editor, Kerin Hope, Athens correspondent, and Ben Hall, Europe editor. Producers: Persis Love and Fiona Symon

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Shares in Elon Musk’s pioneering electric car company Tesla have skyrocketed. Tom Braithwaite discusses whether the company will be able to maintain its current momentum and hold off competition from traditional carmakers with Jamie Powell and Richard Waters.

Contributors: Tom Braithwaite, companies news editor, Jamie Powell, Alphaville reporter, and Richard Waters, West Coast editor. Producer: Fiona Symon

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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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Former deputy set to take over as country faces sharpest economic contraction in decades

Stimulant given as ‘likely’ reason for lower infections but authorities stress health risks

Rial to be changed to the toman after five decades of inflation

Ankara’s banking regulator acts after currency slides below level reached in 2018 crisis

UK interdealer broker forecasts low single-digit revenue growth for the year

Energy companies facing climate protests need to limit the wasteful use of their products

The continent faces a new emissions scandal as family vehicles grow bigger and heavier

Prices rebound from March lows after miner Kazatomprom slashes production

Chief executive Mark Bristow says miner has taken lessons on tackling coronavirus from experience of Ebola outbreak

Eskom will remove 6,000 megawatts of demand to avert total collapse of national grid

Tesla’s decision to buy liability cover from Elon Musk instead of a traditional insurer comes after premiums shot up

Some families of medics who die in service will receive higher payouts than others under current rules

‘Drastic revisit’ of outlook at French bank as dividend cuts and cancellations hit equities trading

UK lender is latest to warn coronavirus-induced economic disruption will hit its clients

Settlement house delays payout and project to let small shareholders cash out

FTSE 250 housebuilder also takes charge for fire safety review after Grenfell tragedy

Coronavirus damage to economy drives eurozone investor sentiment to a record low

Ambitious plans for renewable energy rarely feature in government strategy

Pharma and chemicals group says it will ‘defend itself vigorously’ amid mounting cases