FT News Briefing

Hot Money is back with a brand new season. On the first episode of Hot Money: The New Narcos, a Dutch crime reporter makes an unbelievable discovery, and a small-town murder case begins to look like an international assassination plot.Subscribe to Hot Money: The New Narcos

The UK will make it harder for employers to hire overseas staff in an attempt to reduce record immigration by 300,000 a year, a Venezuelan referendum lays claim to two-thirds of neighbouring Guyana, and the White House says the US is set to run out of funds to aid Ukraine by the end of the year. Plus, we get a preview of the new Hot Money season, which dives into the European cocaine trade.Mentioned in this podcast:UK government unveils measures to cut immigration by 300,000 a yearVenezuela says voters back claim to oil-rich swath of GuyanaUS funding for Ukraine set to run out by end of the year, White House warnsSubscribe to Hot Money: The New NarcosThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Edith Rousselot, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Israel has ordered Palestinians in Gaza to evacuate a large area of land in the south of the strip, South Korea has become a top 10 defence exporter since the start of the war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party has won a series of resounding victories in India’s state polls, and wealthy Argentines are moving to Uruguay to avoid high taxes. Mentioned in this podcast:Israel pounds southern Gaza after US warning on civilian deathsSouth Korean defence industry rides global order wave‘Leaving without leaving’: Argentines are flocking to Uruguay to avoid a high tax burdenNarendra Modi’s BJP triumphs in India state electionsThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hot Money is back with a new season that begins with a mysterious murder in a small town and leads to a cocaine super cartel and a secret proxy war between democracies and dictatorships.Follow Hot Money: The New Narcos here.

Washington is aiming to halve Russia’s oil and gas revenues by the end of this decade, and markets turned things round and had a great November. Plus, the FT’s Nicholas Megaw explains how investors use AI to decode what executives say on earnings calls. Mentioned in this podcast:US aims to halve Russia’s energy revenues by 2030, says officialInvestors use AI to glean signals behind executives’ soothing wordsMarkets in 2024: Investors bet on déjà vu all over againThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Nato’s secretary-general is warning the west not to underestimate Russia, Cigna is in talks to merge with Humana in a deal that would create a US health insurance giant worth $140bn, and an audio essay by the FT’s Najmeh Bozorgmehr explores Iranians’ complicated feelings about the Israel-Gaza conflict.Mentioned in this podcast:Russia has stockpiled missiles for winter attack on Ukraine, says NatoCigna and Humana in deal talks to create US health insurance giantWhy Nato’s reassurances to Ukraine are starting to ring hollowIranians see both sides of the Israel-Gaza conflictAmerican diplomat Henry Kissinger dies aged 100The FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

A record number of Chinese people have defaulted since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, a court ruling in Germany has opened up a huge €60bn hole in the country’s budget, and the FT’s Christine Murray explains why Mexico is benefitting from companies rethinking their foreign investments.Mentioned in this podcast:Chinese people default in record numbers as economic crisis deepens‘A house of cards’: court ruling leaves Olaf Scholz’s legacy in tattersThe city where Mexico’s nearshoring hype is becoming realityBerkshire Hathaway’s Charlie Munger dies aged 99The FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Qatar said mediators had secured a deal to prolong the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas by two days, Chinese fast-fashion group, Shein, has filed confidential paperwork for an initial public offering with the US securities regulator, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is experiencing a bit of culture shock as he fights against union action in Sweden. Plus, the value of rare whiskies sold at auction has recorded the steepest fall in a decade other than during the pandemic.Mentioned in this podcast:Israel-Hamas truce extended by 2 days, says QatarChinese fast-fashion retailer Shein makes confidential filing for US IPOTesla wins interim decision against Swedish state over car number plates Premium whisky prices slump as weak global economy hurts taste for luxury The FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Turkey’s exports to Russia of goods vital for Moscow’s war machine have soared in 2023, and nations at this year’s COP28 summit will revisit a proposal to phase out fossil fuels. Plus, the FT’s Madhumita Murgia explains how one patient in need of a new liver exposed major flaws in the UK’s organ transplant system. Mentioned in this podcast:Future of fossil fuels leaves nations at odds ahead of UN climate summitTurkey’s exports of military-linked goods to Russia surgeAlgorithms are deciding who gets organ transplants. Are their decisions fair?Tech Tonic podcast: Superintelligent AIThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva, Gavin Kallmann, and Josh Gabert-Doyon. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com