<p>Iran accused the US of “flagrant” violations of their ceasefire, BP has ousted its chair Albert Manifold following “serious concerns” over his behaviour, and two top European central bankers laid the groundwork for a likely interest rate rise in June. Plus, dealmaking in the mid-cap part of the UK market has sprung to life.&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>Mentioned in this podcast:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/ff09de9d-301b-45a8-be97-5a45802c4a37?accessToken=zwAAAZ8ALLuckdP_Cd6dMBtFqNO-l1pFgCxKNwE.MEQCIC3sZCtB617Pc_Q1EA4wc0bmqSHIPE4kEOS8zgHJAHg0AiBoLq0h9LrioM-k-mhQDIQVQ_Z_yW7xw_4-zBS0YL1NOA&amp;segmentId=7d4bcc2e-e664-92ba-62e3-5590579f1902" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Iran accuses US of ‘flagrant’ ceasefire violations as back-channel talks continue</a></p><p><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e63db59c-ed38-4930-b320-3b2481bf8e60?accessToken=zwAAAZ7_izCGktPmPbWc7ThJMNOzIDskgb-OYNPp8BgpHGpCANOn_cHIzq6DBAE.MEYCIQC-X8t3c2q1f3n3CGv3zU2LyPGYpP8y6Z3zbNvbSk5SswIhANF-Y38dDZ-sUHGrkfutt-BwKLxYi3doHzuKT6Tiwg5K&amp;segmentId=7d4bcc2e-e664-92ba-62e3-5590579f1902" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BP removes chair Albert Manifold over ‘serious concerns’ about his conduct</a></p><p><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e9f01829-1c6a-4200-a7fd-c1c8ceae8304?accessToken=zwAAAZ7_izCGktPmPbWc7ThJMNOzIDskgb-OYNPp8BgpHGpCANOn_cHIzq6DBAE.MEYCIQC-X8t3c2q1f3n3CGv3zU2LyPGYpP8y6Z3zbNvbSk5SswIhANF-Y38dDZ-sUHGrkfutt-BwKLxYi3doHzuKT6Tiwg5K&amp;segmentId=7d4bcc2e-e664-92ba-62e3-5590579f1902" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Top ECB policymakers lay groundwork for June rate rise</a></p><p><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/a0709307-b374-44fc-8b6a-7ae0bc6ce43e?accessToken=zwAAAZ7_J_IgkdOgcJMHs3RE_NOLanrgvGzkPgE.MEQCIGyG2Y8mhyBRES3teKbPKS99qNnMKOWR5JBViBfRftulAiBjLZqzvGmItGjhOYGrJBExciUvgsqIxl2O_eGXhqVSew&amp;segmentId=7d4bcc2e-e664-92ba-62e3-5590579f1902" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Merger spirits could lift the UK’s languishing mid-caps</a></p><br><p>Want to get in touch? Email us at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[email protected]</a></p><br><p>Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts&nbsp;</p><br><p>Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted and edited by <a href="https://www.ft.com/marc-filippino" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marc Filippino</a>, and produced by Sonja Hutson and Fiona Symon. Our show was mixed by Sam Giovinco. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.</p><br><p><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/6c714e6e-3e93-43e9-9490-a1fc8cb367ec" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com</strong></a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>