John Leyton's 1961 "death disc" was born out of a séance and banned by the BBC but still reached Number 1. Cathi Unsworth tells the song's eerie tale and follows the trail of tears it left behind. Credit: Puzzle Productions/DMI; Goldenlane Records; Caribe Sound; EMI  

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This song has its roots in an ancient refugee crisis and the more recent struggle for racial equality. Over the years, it's been adopted by Fats Waller, The Four Lads and the rapper M.I.A. Written by Helen Brown and read by Anna Metcalfe. Credit: Hit Wonder, Document Records, Diamond Coast, Sinetone AMR and XL Recordings.  

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Is the abundance of information in the age of Google and Facebook storing up problems for future generations? Richard Ovenden, who as Bodley's Librarian is responsible for the research libraries of the University of Oxford, talks about the opportunites and concerns of the digitisation of memory with John Thornhill, the FT's innovation editor.  

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Ben Lerner is one of the most highly praised and unconventional writers of his generation. The 37-year-old recently met John Sunyer, a commissioning editor on FT Weekend, to talk about why he's 'doomed to write more novels'. Here, he reads one of his favourite poems.  

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Retirement property has a reputation for being a rip off, but several large operators claim to have reinvented the model. The FT's Money Mentor columnist Lindsay Cook joins Claer Barrett to discuss the issues. Next up, is your mobile phone a drain on your finances? Guy Anker from MoneySavingExpert tells us how. And finally, listeners hear from the FT's Rich People's Problems experts about the controversy surrounding his local tennis club.

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If ever there was a word that needed to be retired it's 'retirement'. The kind of images this word conjures up is sunny beaches and no longer having to set an alarm clock, or a stressful feeling about how much longer you will need to work to afford such a lifestyle. This week author Don Ezra talks to FT Money editor Claer Barrett about how best to get to and enjoy what used to be called retirement. Next up, if you're heading off on holiday soon then listen to our top tips on how to get the best deal on your holiday money. 

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It's financial planning week and this year's theme is retirement planning. As part of the initiative, thousands of certified planners are offering a free hour-long session to people wanting help with setting their financial goals. FT Money deputy editor James Pickford talks to the FT's pensions correspondent about retirement planning. Plus we hear from Jackie Lockie, head of financial planning with the CISI, and Patrick Connolly of Chase de Vere, about how best to plan for retirement.

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Claer Barrett and Lucy Warwick-Ching discuss covert and overt ways to interest children in learning about money, and columnist James Max reveals that his biggest problem during the lockdown has been keeping his house clean without his regular cleaner. 

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World leaders call for an urgent debt moratorium and unprecedented health and economic aid packages

Experience with other outbreaks could compensate for poor healthcare infrastructure

Middle-income countries plead for assistance as investors face pressure to negotiate

Coronavirus hit to global economy depletes vital source of finance for poor nations

Use of community health workers to identify cases draws heavily on experience battling tuberculosis and HIV

How much sleep do we need to get the most out of our waking hours?

Putting women on boards was just the first step

We need to do more to get the disabled into work

Stable, extroverted, agreeable people tend to like their jobs, irrespective of their salaries

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

Unanimous decision finds that two former Chris Christie aides did not commit a federal crime

English football’s top division wrote to US government over Saudi’s alleged illegal screening of matches

Facebook and Google show resilience through the crisis thanks to uptick in ‘direct response’ ads

Study shines light on ‘near impenetrable’ £100bn market

Tax authority switches focus to supporting businesses and individuals via job retention scheme 

Claer Barrett and Daniel Thomas hear readers’ experiences of accessing job retention scheme 

Mel Stride, former Treasury minister, calls for help for business owners who pay themselves in dividends

Disputes backlog in ‘under-resourced’ lower court reached 27,280 last quarter

Savvy shoppers game the system to collect the maximum amount of points

Light-touch regulation continues to fail retail investors

A move to donate universal benefits to charity could turn up the political heat  

The chancellor’s support package is welcome, but many self employed people are excluded 

Her bestselling novel showed South Korea’s everyday sexism — and struck a chord around the region

Supply disruptions expected to increase as governments impose lockdowns 

An occupied home has utility no empty shop can match

Finance minister Paulo Guedes has had his liberal economic agenda sidelined by emergency measures

Former justice minister had accused president of political interference in police work

Bondholders weigh deal with Macri against negotiating with likely successor Fernández

Jeremy Corbyn defends party's processes for dealing with racism after Ephraim Mirvis's criticism. Conservatives put opposition to independence at heart of Scottish campaign. Sterling slips as Labour makes inroads on Tories' polling lead.

The Conservatives vowed to bring in a new state aid system to protect British industry after Brexit, as the party finesses its message to Leave voters ahead of election day.

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn spar in a televised debate just six days before the general election.

More than 20m lose their jobs in April as lockdowns choke world’s largest economy

LGIM to hold businesses to account for their stakeholder responsibilities during pandemic 

Popular funds’ performance woes compounded by coronavirus market sell-off

With its candidate favourite to win, Law and Justice party was insisting poll should go ahead on May 10

Dutch and French trade ministers say Covid-19 has focused minds on global trade and climate change

The US president holds ownership interests in golf resorts in Scotland and Ireland

Maker of Budweiser and Corona to cut costs by renegotiating contracts such as sponsorship deals

The coronavirus outbreak has accelerated the decline of America’s favourite shopping institution

The high-street fashion empire of Philip Green is on the rocks. The UK retail tycoon has secured creditor support for a complex three-year overhaul that will involve rent reductions, store closures and a halving of the company’s pension deficit reduction payments. But will this be enough to save the business? Matthew Vincent discusses this question with Jonathan Ford and Jonathan Eley.

Contributors: Suzanne Blumsom, executive editor, Matthew Vincent, Lombard editor, Jonathan Ford, City editor, and Jonathan Eley, retail correspondent. Producer: Fiona Symon

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The race for the US Democratic presidential nomination is hotting up with a huge field of 23 candidates all hoping run against Donald Trump in 2020.  Courtney Weaver has focused in on one of the candidates, Kamala Harris, and she talks to Neville Hawcock about how the campaign for the Democratic nomination is shaping up. Read Courtney's article here

Contributors: Josh Noble, weekend news editor, Neville Hawcock, acting deputy editor, FT Weekend Magazine, and Courtney Weaver, Washington correspondent. Producer: Fiona Symon

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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

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