FT News in Focus

Naspers, a publisher once condemned as a mouthpiece of the apartheid regime in South Africa, has quietly become one of the world’s biggest internet investors thanks to a stake in China’s Tencent. On 11 September it will list its global internet assets on the Amsterdam bourse, becoming Europe's biggest consumer internet company overnight. Arash Massoudi discusses how it got there with Joseph Cotterill in Johannesburg.

Contributors: Arash Massoudi, corporate finance and deals editor, and Joseph Cotterill, Southern Africa correspondent. Producer: Fiona Symon

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Many of us own a keyboard, which sounds more or less like a piano, but is not quite the same. Thomas Hale, Alphaville reporter, thought he’d like to buy the real thing, so he went looking in London. He tells James Pickford what he found. Read Thomas's article here

Contributors: James Pickford, deputy editor of FT Money, and Thomas Hale, Alphaville reporter. Producer: Fiona Symon.

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Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate activist, opted to sail to the US from Europe this month, rather than catching a plane.  Her choice reflected a growing recognition that air travel carries a heavy cost to the environment. Sylvia Pfeifer, acting industry editor, discusses how airlines are responding to the challenge with Janina Conboye and Leslie Hook.

Contributors: Sylvia Pfeifer, acting industry editor, Janina Conboye, industry reporter, and Leslie Hook, environment correspondent, Producer: Fiona Symon

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A new book about Koch Industries has shed light on the way this company, led by Charles Koch, shaped modern America. Frederick Studemann, literary editor, discusses Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America with Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, US business editor. Read Andrew’s review here.

Contributors: Frederick Studemann, literary editor, and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, US business editor. Producer: Fiona Symon

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Saudi Arabia's state oil company Aramco is making a high stakes investment in India as the world’s largest crude oil exporter seeks to deepen its ties with the fastest growing energy consumer. Tom O’Sullivan discusses the proposed investment, announced by Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, with Benjamin Parkin and Anjli Raval.

Contributors: Tom O’Sullivan, deputy analysis editor, Benjamin Parkin, Mumbai correspondent, and Anjli Raval, senior energy correspondent. Producer: Fiona Symon

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Tens of thousands of Russians have taken to the streets this summer to express their disaffection with a government that has failed to deliver economic growth or improve living standards for much of the past five years. Adrienne Klasa discusses this new mood of rebellion and how Russian president Vladimir Putin has responded with Henry Foy, Moscow bureau chief, and Russian sociologist Greg Yudin.

Contributors: Adrienne Klasa, creative producer, world news, Henry Foy, Moscow bureau chief, and Greg Yudin, Professor of Political Philosophy at the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences. Producer: Fiona Symon

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Falling interest rates, weak trading volumes and automation have led to an exceptionally brutal summer for global investment banks, which have shed tens of thousands of jobs, particularly on trading desks. Stephen Morris, European banking correspondent, discusses the bleak outlook for bankers with Robert Armstrong, US financial editor.

Contributors: Stephen Morris, European banking correspondent, and Robert Armstrong, US financial 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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The disputed Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir is in lockdown after India revoked its special status following a long running insurgency that led to thousands of deaths. Jyotsna Singh discusses what India plans to do next, and how neighbouring Pakistan, which also claims the territory, has reacted, with Amy Kazmin the FT's South Asia bureau chief.

Contributors: Jyotsna Singh, Delhi reporter, and Amy Kazmin, South Asia bureau chief. Producers: Jyotsna Singh and Fiona Symon

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US allegations that China is manipulating its currency burst into the open again this week when the renminbi was allowed to fall below seven to the dollar for the first time since 2008. Josh Noble discusses this latest front in the US-China trade dispute and its implications for investors and the global economy with Don Weinland, Beijing financial correspondent, and Michael MacKenzie, senior investment commentator.

Contributors: Josh Noble, weekend news editor, Don Weinland, Beijing financial correspondent, and Michael MacKenzie, senior investment correspondent. Producer: Fiona Symon

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