Donald Trump wants to reopen meatpacking plants amid fears of food shortages but unions warn of ‘sacrificial workers’

Even without scale, the fake meat industry is challenging the economics of its blood and guts rivals.

Prime minister designate says government could be unable to pay half of the salaries of 3m-strong workforce next month

Shady Habash died in prison aged 22 and had been held without trial for two years

Long studio sessions were once the norm, but design teams are adapting to a new, remote reality

Mortality statistics show 122,000 deaths in excess of normal levels across 14 countries analysed by the FT

War Horse has just won five Tony Awards; last year the RSC put on an acclaimed production of Matilda; and now Punchdrunk are staging their first show for children, The Crash of the Elysium. Is children’s theatre on the up – or is it still the poor relation of “proper” theatre? Where is the new writing among the successful adaptations? And what are the best shows on in Britain this summer holiday? Jan Dalley puts these questions to Tony Graham, artistic director of London’s Unicorn Theatre, Sarah Hemming, FT theatre critic, and Neville Hawcock, deputy arts editor – as well as to four budding young critics. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Arts Podcast remembers Amy Winehouse, the brilliant but troubled British singer who died tragically, at just 27, on July 23. Jan Dalley talks to FT pop critics Ludovic Hunter-Tilney and Richard Clayton about her musical roots and unique appeal; how her increasingly wild lifestyle influenced her songs; and her legacy – what was her impact and who are her successors? Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From shouts of “he’s behind you” at a Christmas pantomime to truly “immersive” productions in which audience members shape the action, audience participation is rife. The radical Belgian theatre company Ontroerend Goed – known for shows that test theatrical as well as moral boundaries – are now staging their latest play, Audience, at London’s Soho Theatre. Sarah Hemming, FT theatre critic, talks to Matthieu Sys, an actor in Audience, Neville Hawcock, the FT’s deputy arts editor, and the critic Suzi Feay about the changing role of the audience. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the winners of the BBC’s Sound of 2012 poll are announced, FT deputy arts editor Neville Hawcock asks three of the judges: who are the real “tastemakers”? What’s more important nowadays, a rave review or hits on YouTube? And how do unsigned artists make it? He is joined in the studio by FT pop critics Ludovic Hunter-Tilney and Richard Clayton, and NME assistant reviews editor and blogger Laura Snapes; music clips from Sound of 2012 winner Michael Kiwanuka, as well as Context, Emeli Sandé and Skrillex. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In 1926, LP Hartley called The Great Gatsby “an absurd story”. Now, it is hard to imagine that F Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel was ever considered less than a masterpiece. And it seems particularly popular in our recessionary times – with the remarkable eight-hour play Gatz having had rave reviews in York, and now about to open in London; and Baz Luhrmann’s film version starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan released later this year. Jan Dalley talks Gatsby mania with Sarah Churchwell, Professor of American Literature at the University of East Anglia; Mark Ball, artistic director of the London International Festival of Theatre; and the critic Matt Trueman. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Where there is a public clamour for explanation, writers and artists should be unafraid to step in, says the FT's arts writer  

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Omnicom/Publicis, Penguin/Random House – the cultural landscape is dominated by ever fewer, ever bigger businesses. Yet artists and audiences alike are finding benefits in shunning their embrace  

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The sheer scale of suffering in the 1914-18 conflict is hard to grasp. As preparations begin for the centenary commemoration, the FT’s arts editor argues that culture has a vital role to play  

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How a legal dispute over the use of a John Lennon song in a sneaker advert paved the way for today’s cultural mash-ups – and put paid to the notion of artists “selling out”  

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Michael Jackson's first foray into rock helped dismantle barriers of genre — and race — in the early 1980s music business. Maria Crawford tells the story. Credits: Epic, Mercury Records.  

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Governments are fighting to keep the coronavirus pandemic at bay and their economies afloat

Pandemic could set back the fight against malaria by 20 years, with Africa hit worst

Continent has limited confirmed virus fatalities but experts warn it is too early to draw conclusions

Secret burials, overflowing hospitals and dead MPs, as president takes refuge in home village

Wales is getting it right on job creation if you ask me and Aston Martin

One thing that almost anyone who has ever changed career direction has done is to retrain

Winemakers are becoming more skilled at coping with rising temperatures

Data give snapshot of shifting battlegrounds ahead of November’s presidential election

Spookily effective savings tips if your money has vanished by the end of the month

Prime minister escalates dispute over Canada-listed group’s licence

In Stoke-on-Trent, Matthew Engel finds a party struggling to answer the simplest questions

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

Owner of some of UK’s biggest shopping malls still faces uphill struggle

Before the world went into lockdown, Rebecca Watson found herself in a very different kind of confinement

Oil price collapse and crumbling health system put Latin American nation at risk

Iron ore giant in second disaster in 3 years after mud and waste surges through valley

Dementia is on the rise, with the numbers affected expected to treble to over 150m in the next 30 years. Clive Cookson discusses the latest treatments with London neurologist Nick Fox, and we hear reports from Edward White and Brooke Fox about initiatives in Taiwan and the US to help improve the lives of sufferers.

This podcast is supported by Home Instead Senior Care, and is part of a wider FT Special Report on Dementia Care found at ft.com/reports/dementia-care

Contributors: Josh Noble, weekend news editor, Clive Cookson, FT science editor, Professor Nick Fox, director of the Dementia Research Centre at University College London, Edward White, Taiwan correspondent, Brooke Fox, New York reporter, Tang Li-yu, secretary-general of the Taiwan Alzheimer’s Association and Kevin Jameson, head of the Dementia Society of America. Producer: Ruth Lewis Coste

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The former boss of Nissan and Renault has performed a stunning vanishing act. Earlier this week, he fled from his house in Tokyo and took a private jet to Lebanon, evading bail conditions, police, prosecutors and private detectives, and avoiding a trial on charges of financial misconduct. How did a man under constant surveillance and with one of the most recognisable faces in the country escape the Japanese authorities? Leo Lewis and Tom Braithwaite discuss the story.

Contributors: Tom Braithwaite, companies editor and Leo Lewis, Tokyo correspondent. Producer: Persis Love. Photo credit: Eric Piermont / AFP

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Research paper published in journal Nature identifies number of alternative treatments

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

London bourse’s transformative acquisition is facing more scrutiny than expected

Pandemic forces rethink of luxury industry after cancellation of fairs

In 16 years of columns on business, the only constant has been disruptive innovation

Remdesivir news moves markets more than economic data or Fed action

UK airport reports slump in passenger demand as calls resurface for expansion to be axed

Virgin Atlantic could be followed by British Airways in abandoning UK’s second-biggest gateway

Willie Walsh points out that expansion plans face bigger challenges due to coronavirus impact

Nikkei 225 average drops 16 per cent over the week amid broad pandemic-linked sell-off

Change in Kospi 200 composition prompts US venues to suspend related derivatives

Regulatory action sought to prevent intervention from having unintended consequences

Survival of coastal city’s vibrant arts scene will depend on community ‘being on the front foot’

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