Global news with consequences attached.
FT World Weekly turns major foreign affairs stories into focused newsroom conversations. Its presenters and FT colleagues move from the latest trigger to the institutional, economic, and geopolitical pressures underneath it.
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FT World Weekly is a foreign affairs programme with the habits of a serious newsroom. It works from the premise that a headline is only the start of the story. The format is usually direct: a presenter frames the issue, then FT colleagues or named participants explain the pressures around it. The pace is quick. The thinking is layered. Episodes move comfortably from immediate crisis to the longer argument beneath it, whether that means European fiscal measures during coronavirus, Hong Kong's democratic protests, or a tanker seizure in the Gulf. The show is strongest when several forces collide at once. A question about Italy becomes a question about the European Central Bank, medical supplies, China, and trust inside the EU. A report from Hong Kong widens into police violence, trade privileges, the WTO, and the political meaning of autonomy. The Iran episode treats maritime security as a practical problem for Britain and a diplomatic problem for Europe. Its South Africa coverage follows corruption allegations into the deeper damage done to institutions, state companies, investment, and public trust. The EU leadership episode is not just about appointments. It asks what power those appointments actually give Emmanuel Macron, Christine Lagarde, Ursula van der Leyen, and the broader European project. The G20 discussion is similarly unsentimental about summits, communiques, trade language, and climate commitments. The Balkan episode brings the same method to enlargement, migration, courts, borders, and fragile institutions. The show rarely lingers on colour for its own sake. It prefers comparison, precedent, and consequence. That restraint gives it authority. It also means the listener gets demanding material in a manageable form. FT World Weekly is best for people who want global news explained by people close to the reporting, without cable-news heat or academic distance.
Made for: For listeners who follow international politics, markets, diplomacy, and institutions, and want context that moves faster than a long read but deeper than a bulletin.
What sets it apart: The show combines field reporting, editor-level analysis, and pointed follow-up questions, so major events are treated as systems under stress rather than isolated breaking news.
Each week, we focus on one of the major international stories making headlines, drawing upon the Financial Times's team of foreign correspondents and analysts to make sense of world events. Presented by Gideon Rachman and produced by Hannah Murphy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hong Kong's streets, then its trade status: Gideon Rachman takes your curiosity past the placards.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A focused account of how Italy's coronavirus crisis tested European solidarity and national unity.
"Introducing: The Rachman Review" turns quickly to the coronavirus crisis as Gideon Rachman frames the emergency through Italy's experience, with Miles Johnson in Rome describing the country's mood.
A clear reported guide to Hong Kong's widening protest movement and the political pressures around it.
Hong Kong's protests come through as a movement that has moved beyond the extradition bill that first sent people into the streets. The episode sets widening demands for an inquiry, concern over police violence, and fully democratic elections against sharper clashes and mainland…
A clear, sober look at South Africa's corruption inquiry and the long institutional repair it demands.
World Weekly treats South Africa's corruption inquiry as more than a courtroom or party-political story. It frames Jacob Zuma's summons before a commission of inquiry as a test of whether Cyril Ramaphosa can rebuild institutions damaged by state capture and by allegations tied…
A diplomatic humiliation opens onto Britain's weak hand in Washington.
Sir Kim Darroch's resignation turns into a broader study of power, dependence, and trust in Anglo-American relations. Gideon Rachman, Edward Luce, and Jeff Dyer weigh whether the relationship has reached one of its lowest post-war moments, while resisting an easy Suez…
A measured World Cup preview on Russian organisation, football's changing spectacle, and the long distances between stadiums.
Russia's World Cup opens under familiar pressure: worries over hooliganism, stadiums and practice pitches, lower visitor numbers, and the bigger question of whether international football still commands the same attention beside the club game.
Colombia's day, compressed into a hard news bulletin.
This episode analyzes US trade tensions with the EU and China, focusing on Trump's tariff policies and their implications.
The FT World Weekly panel discusses the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, examining concerns about hooliganism, political symbolism for Vladimir Putin, and the tournament's diminished appeal compared to club football.
This episode examines the escalating crisis in Venezuela following the US recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate president.
Gideon Rachman introduces changes to the podcast to focus on the coronavirus crisis, then interviews FT correspondents in Italy and Spain about the mood and measures during lockdown.
Gideon Rachman reports from Hong Kong on protests that began in June over an extradition bill to mainland China and expanded into demands for inquiry, police accountability, and fully democratic elections.
This episode analyzes the escalating tensions in the Gulf after Iran seized a British tanker, exploring the geopolitical standoff between Iran and the West.
FT World Weekly with Gideon Rachman and Africa editor David Pilling examines Jacob Zuma's testimony at the South Africa commission of inquiry and the larger battle over "state capture." Joseph Cottrell says Zuma opened with claims about ANC "spies," "foreign spy agencies," and threats to his life, then answered detailed questions with "I don't know" and "I can't remember." Pilling argues the inquiry matters because it could produce evidence, punish Zuma, and help Cyril Ramaphosa purge corruption from the ANC.
Brazil's pension reform requires 308 of 513 votes, while projected savings may fall from 1 trillion to 700 billion reais.
This episode discusses Angela Merkel's surprise decision to step down as leader of the Christian Democrats and the implications for Germany's political future.