Addiction experts say Covid-19 could tip heavy drinkers into full-blown alcoholism

President says restrictions will apply to green card applicants aiming for permanent residency

Elite university comes under fire for taking $9m in assistance while having a huge endowment

US president assessing need for further moves to reduce immigration

Soaring fees, worthless degrees and dicey investments have hurt the economy

US students and institutions of higher learning are facing uncertain futures

Over decades the Republican party has reconfigured itself into the party of the white and the South

In America, lawsuits are the way we make up new rules in a crisis

Rising number of low-paid staff are contracting Covid-19 or leaving posts as death toll mounts

Longest expansion in modern American history is also the weakest

Rally in Greece’s sovereign bonds comes after election victory for centre-right party

Agreement raises spending by $320bn but has limited offsetting budget cuts

Local news sites are experiencing a resurgence and streaming is more popular than ever

Mortality statistics show 122,000 deaths in excess of normal levels across 14 countries analysed by the FT

From business closures to movement restrictions, some countries’ policies show first signs of easing

Find any country in the customisable version of the Covid-19 trajectory charts

Putting up barriers to travel is proving much easier than taking them down

Donald Trump’s claims that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was source of outbreak belie scientific evidence

Many in Washington say Trump’s mini-deal with Beijing was a vehicle for political boasts

After months of lockdown, citizens are keen to move around but not across borders

Beijing edits European opinion piece published in Chinese state-controlled media

Factories reopen but economy still faces challenges from weak services sector

Arbus in Aberdeen, Long in Lakeland - Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota talks to FT arts editor Jan Dalley about next year’s Artist Rooms programme of touring exhibitions. In its past two years, the scheme has drawn tens of thousands of visitors in towns throughout the UK to shows by Beuys, Ruscha, Woodman, Hirst and others – but how easily can the model be replicated elsewhere? Jan Dalley interviews Sir Nicholas Serota in his office at Tate.  

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“The cultural bore of the autumn is the lover of Mad Men.” So wrote FT arts writer Peter Aspden in his weekly culture column, provoking a storm of reader responses – some grateful, others outraged. As it enters a fourth series, has Mad Men made the fatal mistake of falling in love with itself? Is the series losing its sense of time and place, and are the characters becoming stale? We look at Mad Men's plot, historical significance and, crucially, its impact on fashion – the skinny ties, hourglass figures, and excessive drink consumption. Has it influenced our own sense of style? In this week’s arts podcast, FT columnists Peter Aspden, John Lloyd and Nicola Copping are in the studio with arts editor Jan Dalley. Produced by Rob Minto and Griselda Murray Brown  

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Shadow Catchers, the latest exhibition at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, is a showcase for ‘camera-less’ photography – where images are captured directly on photographic paper without the use of a camera. Deputy arts editor Neville Hawcock and Francis Hodgson, the FT’s photography critic, discuss the ideas behind the exhibition, and the works of the five contemporary artists on show, with the show’s curator, Martin Barnes.  

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From formaldehyde sheep to giant horses, Simon Schama - in this recording of his FT Frieze week lecture - traces contemporary animal attractions to great works in the history of art  

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As the final object is revealed, FT arts editor Jan Dalley talks to Peter Aspden about the significance of the BBC Radio 4 series 'A History of the World in 100 Objects' presented by Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum.  

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It's been a big week for contemporary British art. First the opening of the British Art Show 7 in Nottingham, then the second instalment of Newspeak at the Saatchi Gallery in London. To round it off, on Sunday Channel 4 will show “Modern Times”, the fifth in its series The Genius of Britain, this time presented by Janet Street-Porter. Peter Aspden, FT arts writer, and John Lloyd, FT television columnist, discuss art and celebrity: Charles Saatchi, Damien Hirst and the inimitable Janet Street-Porter. FT art critic Jackie Wullschlager reports on the British Art Show. Does it really represent the art of the nation? Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Is the operatic tradition defunct? Where and how should new operas be put on? And which are the great modern operas? On the opening of Alexander Raskatov's A Dog's Heart at the Coliseum in London, Jan Dalley, FT arts editor, puts these questions to Andrew Clark, the paper's chief classical music critic, and Nicholas Payne, former director of The Royal Opera, the English National Opera and Opera North. Plus, Martin Bernheimer, the FT's classical music critic in New York, discusses what he sees as the conservatism of American opera-goers.  

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Slapstick; sexual jealousy; and mistaken identity. At its best, farce can be sublime – its intricate plotting and sheer silliness combining to blissful comic effect. But should we take farce seriously, or is is mere lowbrow entertainment? What makes a good farce, and how should a director approach it? On the opening of Georges Feydeau’s 1907 farce 'A Flea in Her Ear' at the Old Vic in London, Jan Dalley puts these questions to its distinguished director, Sir Richard Eyre, who was artistic director of the National Theatre for a decade, and to Sarah Hemming, the FT's theatre critic. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown.  

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As the Royal Ballet rehearses Christopher Wheeldon's 'Alice in Wonderland', its first new full-length ballet in 15 years, Peter Aspden talks to Royal Ballet principal Tamara Rojo, Sadler’s Wells artistic director Alistair Spalding and FT critic Clement Crisp. Does 'Alice' represent a return to traditional values? Are ballet companies doing enough to encourage new work? And, what is the relationship between classical ballet and contemporary work? Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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The launch of Sky Atlantic on February 1 – the result of Sky's exclusive five-year deal with HBO - raises questions about British and American television drama. Is the US - with cult series like The Sopranos, Mad Men and now Boardwalk Empire - enjoying a Golden Age of TV drama? What about Britain? Has its Golden Age been and gone? Jan Dalley, FT arts editor, is joined by Mark Duguid, senior curator of the British Film Institute National Archive, Huw Kennair-Jones, Sky1’s commissioning editor for drama, and John Lloyd, the FT’s television columnist. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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It’s awards season in the music industry, with the Brits in London following hot on the heels of the Grammys in LA. The Brits have been revamped this year – but will they lose the unscripted edginess of previous years? How can they compete with the might of the Grammys? And is Tinie Tempah better than Mumford & Sons? FT pop critics Ludo Hunter-Tilney and Richard Clayton join deputy arts editor Neville Hawcock to discuss the hype and the hopefuls. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown.  

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This year 3D films look set to be bigger and more expensive than ever - with Werner Herzog's Cave for Forgotten Dreams just out in the UK, the latest Pirates of the Caribbean installment on its way, and offerings from Spielberg and Scorsese. But has the novelty worn off? Neville Hawcock, deputy arts editor, puts the question to Peter Buckingham of the BFI and Nigel Andrews, FT film critic. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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What's happening in the world of pop? FT critics Ludovic Hunter-Tilney and Richard Clayton join Neville Hawcock in the studio to look forward to this summer's pop festivals - and to ask whether pop itself has become too backward-looking, as Simon Reynolds argues in his new book Retromania. Are we really addicted to the past? And are YouTube and now the Apple iCloud part of this trend? Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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The Edinburgh Festival – the world’s largest arts festival – is really a collection of different festivals that take place across the Scottish capital every year throughout the month of August. There is the stately International Festival and the so-called “Fringe” festival – a more unruly, sprawling affair with a reputation for experimental theatre and bawdy stand-up. There’s also an acclaimed Book Festival, as well as an Art Festival and even a Festival of Spirituality and Peace. Jan Dalley, FT arts editor, turns her attention to the Edinburgh’s theatrical offerings. She is joined in the studio by Ian Shuttleworth, FT theatre critic, and Matt Trueman, theatre blogger and critic for Time Out. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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War Horse has just won five Tony Awards; last year the RSC put on an acclaimed production of Matilda; and now Punchdrunk are staging their first show for children, The Crash of the Elysium. Is children’s theatre on the up – or is it still the poor relation of “proper” theatre? Where is the new writing among the successful adaptations? And what are the best shows on in Britain this summer holiday? Jan Dalley puts these questions to Tony Graham, artistic director of London’s Unicorn Theatre, Sarah Hemming, FT theatre critic, and Neville Hawcock, deputy arts editor – as well as to four budding young critics. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Postmodernism defined itself against the stifling clarity and seriousness Modernism. It put style before drab functionality. It embraced pop culture and garish colour. But it got a bad rep. “PoMo” was called vacuous and kitsch, and in the 1980s it became associated with corporate culture and consumerism. Now this controversial cultural movement is the subject of a major exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert museum, "Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970–1990". Neville Hawcock talks to Glenn Adamson, co-curator of the show, and to FT columnists Edwin Heathcote and Peter Aspden. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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From shouts of “he’s behind you” at a Christmas pantomime to truly “immersive” productions in which audience members shape the action, audience participation is rife. The radical Belgian theatre company Ontroerend Goed – known for shows that test theatrical as well as moral boundaries – are now staging their latest play, Audience, at London’s Soho Theatre. Sarah Hemming, FT theatre critic, talks to Matthieu Sys, an actor in Audience, Neville Hawcock, the FT’s deputy arts editor, and the critic Suzi Feay about the changing role of the audience. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Margin Call, the latest in a line of films on the crash of 2008, depicts a Wall Street investment bank’s last ditch attempts to save itself from impending disaster. Written and directed by first time feature director J.C.Chandor – and starring Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore and Jeremy Irons – The New Yorker called it “the best Wall Street movie ever made”. It’s been marketed as a thriller – but how do you create excitement when the action consists of men in suits peering at computer screens and talking on Blackberries? Does Margin Call have anything new to say on the much-debated causes of the collapse? Andrew Hill, FT management editor, puts these questions to Alex Preston, ex-City trader and author of This Bleeding City; Peter Aspden, FT arts writer; and Leo Robson, film and television critic. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Author Amy Waldman reads her short story set in Afghanistan 'Mile 54', commissioned by the Financial Times for the new year.  

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The British Film Institute has just launched a season of Woody Allen comedies, ranging from his knockabout beginnings to the recent Midnight in Paris, his biggest commercial success to date. Like Match Point (2005) and Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008), Midnight in Paris was hailed as a “return to form” by some – but has he really still got it? How does his recent output compare to the earlier films? And do those classics still resonate today? Raphael Abraham is joined in the studio by Geoff Andrew, Head of Film Program at the BFI, Peter Aspden, FT arts writer and Nigel Andrews, FT film critic. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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As the winners of the BBC’s Sound of 2012 poll are announced, FT deputy arts editor Neville Hawcock asks three of the judges: who are the real “tastemakers”? What’s more important nowadays, a rave review or hits on YouTube? And how do unsigned artists make it? He is joined in the studio by FT pop critics Ludovic Hunter-Tilney and Richard Clayton, and NME assistant reviews editor and blogger Laura Snapes; music clips from Sound of 2012 winner Michael Kiwanuka, as well as Context, Emeli Sandé and Skrillex. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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The arts podcast reviews new albums by two of the most venerable singer-songwriters around: Leonard Cohen's "Old Ideas" and Paul McCartney's "Kisses on the Bottom". Have they still got it? Does their latest work speak to modern times? And just what are we to make of Macca's album title? Neville Hawcock is joined in the studio by Ludovic Hunter-Tilney, FT pop critic, Peter Aspden, FT arts writer, and Gautam Malkani, FT writer and novelist. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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The Indian film industry is famously prolific, turning out hundreds of movies of year. Some of these are "masala movies" – made to appeal to all ages, with plenty of melodrama and musical numbers – but others are very different. Like the rest of India, Bollywood is changing fast. Jan Dalley is joined by Rachel Dwyer, Professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at SOAS, and Prakash Bakrania, who distributes Hindi films in the UK for Reliance Entertainment. She asks them: is Bollywood escapist? Is it starting to tackle real life issues? And do different films fare well at the Indian and global box offices? Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Jan Dalley is joined by Louis de Bernières, author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, the playwright Mike Packer, and journalist Carl Wilkinson to discuss literary adaptations. At the Oscars this month, six of the nine movies up for Best Picture are based on books – and the film version of de Bernières’ novel Red Dog is released in the UK on February 24. Why are adaptations so popular? Are filmmakers and investors just playing it safe in uncertain times? And how does it feel to see your novel – or play – on the big screen? Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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She's the most successful female recording artist ever – and now, 30 years after her first single, Madonna has released her twelfth album, 'MDNA'. It's already caused a stir, with the video for the opening track 'Girl Gone Wild' banned on YouTube for being 'too raunchy'. But is she still good? What's more important: Madonna the brand or the artist? And, at 53, should she really be wearing those hot pants? Neville Hawcock puts these questions to FT writers Lucy Kellaway, Ludovic Hunter-Tilney and Richard Clayton. With clips from 'Girl Gone Wild', 'I'm a Sinner' and 'I'm Addicted'. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Ahead of the Victoria and Albert museum’s new exhibition 'British Design 1948-2012', Jan Dalley asks: can great design build a better society? Can Britain be called a leader in the field when its manufacturing industry is all but dead? And are we doing enough to foster a new generation of artists and designers? She is joined by the furniture designer Matthew Hilton, co-curator of the V&A show Christopher Breward, and FT arts writer Peter Aspden. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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In 1919 Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus school in Weimar, Germany "to create the new structure of the future". Its teaching combined fine art with craft, and its adherents saw design as the key to a better way of life. Were its utopian aims misguided? What is its relevance today? On the opening of a major exhibition at the Barbican Centre in London, Neville Hawcock puts these questions to Lydia Yee, co-curator of the show; Edwin Heathcote, FT architecture critic; and Peter Aspden, FT arts writer. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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