Amazon workers at a warehouse in New York have rejected efforts to form a union, the US Federal Reserve is poised to make its first half-percentage point rise since 2000, and Danish turbine maker Vestas reported bigger than expected losses and confirmed the impact of the war in Ukraine on the industry.  Mentioned in this podcast:Amazon union dealt a setback as it loses vote at second NY warehouseFed reaches for its ‘hatchet’ as it attacks galloping inflationVestas warns war in Ukraine will add to wind industry slowdownShipping heavyweight Japan tables carbon tax proposal for the industryThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon and Marc Filippino. The show’s editor is Jess Smith. Additional help by Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva, and Gavin Kallmann. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Italy’s tough new approach to Russia marks one of the biggest foreign policy shifts in Europe in years, Germany has called for a phased-in ban on Russian oil imports into the EU, and investors have written to the boards of leading food companies to show shareholder concern about nutrition and obesity.Subscribe to the FT News Briefing on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyMentioned in this podcast:EU steps up action on Russian oil sanctions Revulsion at Ukraine War ends Rome’s old amity with Moscow Investors push Nestlé and Kraft Heinz to set new health targetsArcelorMittal successfully tests use of green hydrogen at Canadian plantThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon and Marc Filippino. The show’s editor is Jess Smith. Additional help by Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva, and Gavin Kallmann. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Tech Tonic, how a mysterious death in Belgrade prompted Serbia to embrace Chinese surveillance technology, raising concerns among Serbian human rights and privacy activists. They’ve been fighting back against the Serbian government’s use of Huawei facial recognition tech in public spaces. But Serbia is just one of many countries around the world that’s adopted this cutting-edge Chinese mass monitoring equipment. What does it tell us about the spread of Chinese influence around the world?Presented by James Kynge, this episode features interviews with Danilo Krivokapic (director, Share Foundation), Andrej Petrovski (director of tech, Share Foundation), Stefan Vladisavljev (programme co-ordinator, Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence), Wang Huiyao (director, Beijing Center for Globalisation) and Wawa Wang (director, Just Finance).Presented by James Kynge. Edwin Lane is senior producer. Josh Gabert-Doyon is producer. Manuela Saragosa is executive producer. Special thanks to Marton Dunai and Bojan Radic. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.Read James Kynge, Valerie Hopkins, Helen Warrell and Kathrin Hille’s previous reporting on Chinese surveillance tech in the Balkans: https://www.ft.com/content/76fdac7c-7076-47a4-bcb0-7e75af0aadabNews clips credits: PBS, CNBC, CGNT, DW, Moconomy, BBCCheck out stories and up-to-the-minute news from the FT’s technology team at  ft.com/technologyFor a special discounted FT subscription go to https://www.ft.com/techtonicsaleAnd check out FT Edit, the new iPhone app that shares the best of FT journalism, hand-picked by senior editors to inform, explain and surprise. It’s free for the first month and 99p a month for the next six months. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This weekend, we think about morality in the age of social media. According to writer Dan Brooks, we're great at pointing out where good is missing, but we’ve forgotten how to be good people. Then, Yale professor Jing Tsu tells us the story of how China standardised its complex language of 80,000 characters into something that could fit on a keyboard. It wasn’t easy, but it helped make the country the global digital superpower that it is today.--------------Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. Email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap. --------------Links and mentions from the episode: – Dan Brooks’ FT Magazine piece, ‘What we need now that social media has fully weaponized morality’: https://on.ft.com/3LyIE9c –The dreaded tweet that inspired Dan’s piece: https://twitter.com/mimismartypants/status/1498332885362823170 –Jing’s book is called Kingdom of Characters. The FT’s review is here: https://on.ft.com/3nJqzey –Jing’s 2020 piece for the FT, ‘Why sci-fi could be the secret weapon in China’s soft-power arsenal’: https://on.ft.com/3y2WbBF –Dan Brooks is on Twitter @dangerbrooks, and Jing Tsu is at @tsu_jing. –Tech Tonic Season 3, about the US/China tech race, is available now. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or at https://www.ft.com/tech-tonic –Select coverage of the war in Ukraine is free to read at https://www.ft.com/freetoread—-------------Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.--------------The first US FT Weekend Festival is on Saturday, May 7 in Washington, DC! To attend virtually or in person, buy tickets at http://ft.weekendfestival.com – use the discount code FTFriends2022 for 50% off.--------------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Tommy Bazarian.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US dollar surged to its highest level in two decades on Thursday, the US economy contracted unexpectedly in the first quarter, Twitter admits an ‘error’ in audience figures for the past three years, and Amazon shares fell after the company said it expects revenue growth to remain sluggish. Mentioned in this podcast:Falling sales and high costs weigh down Amazon earningsUS economy contracts for first time since mid-2020Dollar surges to highest level in 20 yearsTwitter admits overstating audience figures for 3 years The FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon and Marc Filippino. The show’s editor is Jess Smith. Additional help by Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva, and Gavin Kallmann. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EU leaders accused Moscow of “blackmail” over gas exports, and Spotify tries to distance itself from Netflix after reporting decent quarterly earnings. Plus, the FT’s Owen Walker explains how Credit Suisse shakes up its top executives to shake off mega scandals.  Subscribe to the FT News Briefing on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyMentioned in this podcast:European gas prices soar after Gazprom halts supplies to Poland and BulgariaSpotify chief distances music streaming group from NetflixCredit Suisse overhauls top executive teamThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon and Marc Filippino. The show’s editor is Jess Smith. Additional help by Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva, and Gavin Kallmann. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

US tech stocks fell to their lowest level in more than a year, the Brexit trade deal has caused a “steep decline” in UK trade with the EU, Chinese businesses have scoured the globe for important strips of land including islands in the South Pacific. Mentioned in this podcast:Alphabet earnings decline as online advertising momentum slowsUK-EU trade relationships tumble after BrexitThe Chinese companies trying to buy strategic islandsUS steps up efforts to court Solomon Islands after China security dealPodcast surveyThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon and Marc Filippino. The show’s editor is Jess Smith. Additional help by Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva, and Gavin Kallmann. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EU member states are looking at whether to impose a ceiling on what they would pay for Russian oil as a way to hit Kremlin revenues, Twitter’s board has accepted a roughly $44bn offer to sell the company to Elon Musk that would result in the world’s richest man seizing control of the influential social media platform, and French President Emmanuel Macron faces much tougher challenges in his second term in office. Subscribe to the FT News Briefing on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyMentioned in this podcast:EU weighs cap on price paid for Russian oil as way to hit Kremlin revenuesTwitter accepts Elon Musk’s $44bn takeover offerMacron faces a complex economic juggling actThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon and Marc Filippino. The show’s editor is Jess Smith. Additional help by Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva, and Gavin Kallmann. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emmanuel Macron has been elected for a second term as president of France, the EU will force Big Tech to police content online more aggressively after approving a major piece of legislation, and Sri Lanka is working with the major multilateral agencies on ways to salvage the country from the current economic meltdown Mentioned in this podcast:EU approves groundbreaking new rules to police Big Tech Emmanuel Macron set to be re-elected in FranceUN asks Sri Lanka to negotiate ‘debt-for-nature’ swaps to ease economic meltdownThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon and Marc Filippino. The show’s editor is Jess Smith. Additional help by Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva, and Gavin Kallmann. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest episode of this Tech Tonic season about US-China tech rivalry, the FT’s US-China correspondent Demetri Sevastopulo tells the inside story of his scoop on China’s secret hypersonic weapon test and how it changed geopolitics. We hear about the new space race between China and the US, including powerful satellite-destroying missiles and the pursuit of commercial space capabilities. Could China and the US ever co-operate on space exploration or are we seeing the dawn of a new space race?Presented by James Kynge, the FT’s global China editor, this episode features interviews with US congressman Mike Gallagher; Todd Harrison, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; and Robert Zubrin, president of the Mars Society.Check out stories and up-to-the-minute news from the FT’s technology team at ft.com/technologyFor a special discounted FT subscription go to https://www.ft.com/techtonicsaleAnd check out FT Edit, the new iPhone app that shares the best of FT journalism, hand-picked by senior editors to inform, explain and surprise. It’s free for the first month and 99p a month for the next six months.Hosted by James Kynge. Interview with congressman Mike Gallagher conducted by Demetri Sevastopulo. Edwin Lane is senior producer. Josh Gabert-Doyon is producer. Manuela Saragosa is executive producer. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.