On holiday in Greece, the FT’s arts writer travels to some out-of-the-way ancient sites and wonders whether they still hold lessons for 21st-century visitors – or are just another aspect of vacation kitsch  

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The received wisdom is that contemporary art is just what a regenerating city needs, a stimulant for minds and economies alike. But are the wilfully puzzling tropes of the avant-garde really what the public wants?  

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As London's National Gallery prepares to open a blockbuster exhibition of the artist's late works, art historian Bendor Grosvenor looks at the chaotic world of Rembrandt connoisseurship.  

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The FT’s arts writer enjoys the troupe’s dance extravaganza at the Barbican – and explains why the fusion of hip-hop and martial arts might just conquer the world  

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As pop star Swift, 24, takes a stand against Spotify and dancer Guillem, 49, announces her retirement, Peter Aspden reflects on two very different divas  

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How a legal dispute over the use of a John Lennon song in a sneaker advert paved the way for today’s cultural mash-ups – and put paid to the notion of artists “selling out”  

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By focusing on the personal rather than the political, Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski created a quietly subversive masterpiece, Peter Aspden says  

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Here today, washed-up tomorrow: that’s supposed to be the career trajectory for musicians in the pop age. But, as two recent projects show, great artists will always find ways to keep their signature work fresh and relevant  

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In lending one of its Parthenon sculptures to Russia, the British Museum has provoked Greece and exposed the hollowness of so-called ‘cultural diplomacy’  

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Politicians love to keep things simple, at least in their public pronouncements. Artists, by contrast, embrace complication, nuance and imagination – so who better to tackle slippery questions of national identity as the UK prepares for a general election?  

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Peter Aspden visits the basement treasure-house where recordings of Florence Nightingale, 1940s electronica and other rarities are stored alongside some equally exotic audio technology  

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The Belgian artist has been found guilty of plagiarism. But intellectual property law is a poor fit with contemporary art's mash-ups, multiples and reworkings, says the FT's arts editor  

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As two recent biopics come under fire from those depicted, the FT’s arts editor ponders what compels movie-makers to embellish ‘true stories’  

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Greek culture taught the rest of us how to live ‑ and it’s not time to write off that particular debt yet, says Peter Aspden  

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David Cheal traces the journey of ‘Guantanamera’, from a 19th-century Cuban national hero to a 21st-century recycling campaign, via Celia Cruz and the peace movement of the 1960s. Credits: RCA Victor, Bravo Hit, Universal Music AB, Columbia  

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From Billy Paul’s adulterous original in 1972 to Amy Winehouse's gender-bending twist on the song 30 years later, Ludovic Hunter-Tilney gets to grips with 'Me and Mrs Jones'. Credits:Philadelphia International, 143, Island  

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From a heavy metal hit to its use in the Abu Ghraib tortures, Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ strikes some sinister chords with Ludovic Hunter-Tilney. Credit: Elektra  

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Herbie Hancock's soul jazz classic 'Watermelon Man' originally drew on his 1940s Chicago childhood but went on to be given funk, disco, ska, pop and hip-hop makeovers, says Mike Hobart. Credits: Roslin Records, Columbia/Legacy, Salt & Pepper, History Of RnB Records  

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Podcasts have existed for more than 10 years but have recently seen a surge of interest, spurred by the success of the true crime drama Serial, which has been downloaded more than 70m times. What is driving the so-called “podcast renaissance”? How are they different from radio shows? And do they pose a threat to traditional broadcasting? FT technology editor Ravi Mattu is joined by literature professor Sarah Churchwell, veteran podcaster Helen Zaltzman and Mark Friend, who is responsible for BBC Radio online. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown and Lily Le Brun  

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“I had to phone someone so I picked on you-hoo-hoo”: David Cheal on the song that gave David Bowie his breathrough moment. Credits: Parlophone UK, RCA Records, EMI Records  

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A Motown classic and Beatles favourite that went on to become perhaps the first postmodern pop song: David Cheal on the many lives of 'Money (That's What I Want)'. Credits: Motown Records Inc., EMI, Simitar.  

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This much-loved Christmas Carol uses words published by Cecil Sharp in 1911. But to what extent did he graft Christian elements onto a very different original? FT arts editor Jan Dalley traces the gender shifts which define the song’s evolution. Credit: Universal-Island Records Ltd; Warner Classics  

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A ballad as much about reunions as separations, Auld Lang Syne can signify everything from the year's end, to closing time in Japanese department stores. David Cheal explores the many incarnations of this sentimental Scottish song. Credit: Culburne Records; Lismor Recordings; Anti/Epitaph  

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How did Bill Withers' little blues inspire a 1990s R&B hit and a Simon Cowell-produced football anthem? Ian McCann charts its history. Credit: Columbia, Legacy, Sony, Ministry of Sound, Syco  

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Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" has been used in the campaigns of George HW Bush, Obama and, most recently, Bernie Sanders. Richard Clayton investigates the colonial overtones and contested legacy of America's alternative national anthem. Credit: Smithsonian Folkways Recording, Daptone Records, Delta, North Face and Jib Jab.  

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Sam Cooke's political lament, released after his untimely death, went on to become a civil rights anthem. Sue Norris charts its history. Credit: Universal Music Group International, Rhino Atlantic, Time Life Music, RCA  

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Bob Dylan’s cryptic number is one of the signature songs of the 1960s, signalling a shift in his career. It helped launch The Byrds to stardom and was pivotal in the development of indie rock. Richard Clayton follows its history. Credits: Columbia, Legacy, Spectrum, Naxos  

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Janis Joplin achieved a posthumous No.1 hit with a rueful tale of love and loss, written by her old flame, Kris Kristofferson, which in turn helped launch him to stardom. Richard Clayton follows the song's bittersweet success. Credits: Columbia/Legacy, UMC, Top Town Records, Rhino/Warner Bros, Play Digital, Ricordi  

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David Honigmann looks at how a sleeping Keith Richards dreamt up a riff that would later develop into a number one hit for Rolling Stones and become one of the most recognisable rock anthems of all times. Credits: ABKCO Records Inc, Universal International Music B.V, Rhino Atlantic, Virgin Records Ltd.  

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Billie Holiday’s 1939 'Strange Fruit' was called 'the first significant protest in words and music, the first unmuted cry against racism'. Other singers attempted it, from Nina Simone and Diana Ross to Jeff Buckley and Kanye West. But could any match the power of the impassioned original? FT pop writers David Cheal, Fiona Sturges and Helen Brown discuss the song's origins and afterlife.

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Set against a backdrop of protest and upheaval, the songs released in 1968 represent a turning point in music. FT pop writers David Cheal and Peter Aspden are joined by author Tot Taylor to debate the year's most important songs and artists, from Tyrannosaurus Rex, The Beatles and Pink Floyd to Joni Mitchell and Tim Buckley.

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From the unstoppable rise of hip-hop to the 'millennial whoop', what does today's new music sound like? And how has social media changed the relationship between artists and fans?

Harriet Fitch Little, India Ross and Griselda Murray Brown discuss Drake, Cardi B and DJ Khaled - in particular 'Wild Thoughts' ft. Rihanna and Bryson Tiller from 2017, which leans heavily on the melody and mood of Santana's 1999 hit 'Maria Maria', the coming-of-age soundtrack for the oldest cohort of millennials. 

Warning: this podcast contains a live 'millennial whoop'.

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Fears over health systems prompt states to take early preventive measures

Thousands affected as many flights cancelled and airports closed because of coronavirus pandemic

A history of coffee and its role in global capitalism is fact-filled and entertaining if occasionally over-caffeinated

The continent is facing an humanitarian and economic catastrophe, reports David Pilling

Social distancing curbs mean August vote cannot be held, says electoral commission

Instructing people to stay at home is to confine millions to cramped housing

Tidjane Thiam lends voice to call for private sector to join debt moratorium 

Macron also backs calls for debt relief as he seeks to be seen as champion of continent’s interests

UN official warns mass deportations risk spread of coronavirus to the region

Do you find yourself stumped by questions about how much to put towards your mortgage payment versus your investments? It may be time for a midlife financial MOT. Presenter James Pickford talks to FT reporter Lucy Warwick-Ching about why advisers are targeting people in their forties and fifties. Next, we speak to a woman who cleared credit card debt to the tune of £16,000. And finally, we discuss what's behind Britain's growing tax gap. 

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Facebook plans to shake up the finance world with a new digital currency called Libra - we hear about its pros and cons. Next up, we discover what Moll Flanders, the literary anti-heroine, can tell us about modern day bank fraud. And finally we find out how smaller shareholders can stand up for their rights. 

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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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Inheritance tax rules are due for a shake up - FT Money editor Claer Barrett asks whether efforts to simplify the system can ever shake off its claim to be "Britain's most hated tax"? Next, experts discuss whether the IR35 tax rules are flawed or not. And finally, Alan Livsey, the FT's wine buff talks about an investment that is literally liquid - fine wine.

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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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Presenter Claer Barrett and guests explore how under 40s are using the Lifetime Isa to save for a property, or invest for the future. What strategies are younger investors taking? Plus the new rules on automatic compensation when broadband goes down, and the six ways pensions scammers are most likely to try and con you - would you fall for it? 

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As research shows modern couples are more likely to keep their finances separate, presenter Claer Barrett and guests debate how women in particular are managing their money. Plus, ahead of the new university term we reveal finance tips for students and their parents, and ask what could emerge as the next consumer misselling scandal after PPI.

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What are the biggest barriers to managing our money? Special guests Martin Wolf, Bobby Seagull and Justin Urquhart Stewart tell presenter Claer Barrett what they would banish to ‘Room 101’ to improve the nation’s finances. This week's podcast comes to you from the FT Money tent at the FT Weekend Festival at Kenwood House. 

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Having a baby is one of the best things that could happen in your life - but sadly it could also be the worst thing that could happen to your finances. We discuss the effects of the gender pay gap. Plus FT Money editor Claer Barrett talks to guests about what kind of investor Adrian Mole could have grown into. And what could happen to the 'best buy' lists used by fund supermarkets in the wake of the Woodford scandal?

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