The Briefing
1,283 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 13 hours ago - ★★★★ - 80 ratingsA pacy round-up of the day’s main news stories, anchored from London by a Monocle editor. The show features informed reporting, prescient business analysis and invaluable industry reports covering everything from technology to aviation and retail to media.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Washington responds to Navalny’s death
February 23, 2024 12:52 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBJoe Biden will impose fresh sanctions on Russia after the death of its opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Plus: the first private space mission lands on the moon and we hear from Ukrainian journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk about her project to collect evidence of war crimes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What to expect from the Conservative Political Action Conference
February 22, 2024 13:02 - 37 minutes - 34.5 MBBrazil hosts G20 foreign ministers and far-right leaders gather in Maryland for the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Plus: the day’s business headlines and Fernando Augusto Pacheco ranks musical biopics in ‘The Global Countdown’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What’s next for Ukraine after the fall of Avdiivka?
February 21, 2024 12:51 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBVladimir Putin vows to push further into Ukraine after Russian forces took the eastern town of Avdiivka over the weekend. Plus: South Africa announces its last budget before its general election in May and OneWorld opens its first airport lounge in Europe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What next for Russia’s opposition movement?
February 20, 2024 12:46 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBYulia Navalnaya, wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in prison last week, vows to continue her husband’s work. We ask where Russia’s opposition movement can go next. Plus: Australia plans to double the size of its navy and a workers’ strike forces the Eiffel Tower to close. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ursula von der Leyen prepares for round two
February 19, 2024 12:45 - 38 minutes - 35 MBWe discuss Ursula von der Leyen’s announcement of her intention to run for a second term as European Commission president. Plus: Sergey Lavrov heads to Havana, reflections from the Munich Security Conference and a look at London Fashion Week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Alexei Navalny dies in prison
February 16, 2024 13:08 - 37 minutes - 34.6 MBRussian activist and Putin critic Alexei Navalny dies in prison. Senegal’s top court rules that a decision by its president to delay a national election was unconstitutional. Plus: we check in with Nina dos Santos at the Munich Security Conference and the CEO of Farfetch steps down. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Will Russia launch a nuclear weapon into space?
February 15, 2024 12:55 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MBThe White House warned its allies that Russia is working on a nuclear weapon to be launched into space, US media reports. Plus: the UK’s foreign minister, David Cameron, prepares to meet his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, and Japan enters a surprise recession. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Erdogan in Egypt
February 14, 2024 12:49 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MBTurkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, visits Egypt for the first time since the countries normalised ties. Plus: Myanmar reintroduces conscription, and the latest fashion news. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How could the Indonesian election affect foreign relations?
February 13, 2024 12:50 - 33 minutes - 31 MBJoost Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group discusses mounting international pressure on Israel for a Gaza ceasefire. Plus: a look ahead to Indonesia’s presidential election and a flick through the papers with Fernando Augusto Pacheco. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Trump threatens international security
February 12, 2024 12:39 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBWe begin the show in Pakistan where, four days after a hotly contested election, there’s still no clear indication of who will form its next government. Then we turn our focus to the US, as Donald Trump undermines Nato allies’ security. Plus: we report on the future of AM radio and our editor-in-chief checks in from the World Government Summit in Dubai. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ukraine gets a new military chief
February 09, 2024 13:01 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MBUkraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, replaces his military chief after weeks of speculation. Plus: Finns prepare to vote in a presidential election runoff, why births peak in the Year of the Dragon and Laura Kramer meets the makeup artists behind Bradley Cooper’s ‘Maestro’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Pakistan goes to the polls
February 08, 2024 12:56 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MBPakistan cuts mobile-phone and data services as millions of voters go to the polls in a controversial election. Plus: Baghdad condemns Washington after US airstrikes, tensions escalate between Kosovo and Serbia, and Fernando Augusto Pacheco heads to Mexico for ‘The Global Countdown’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hamas proposes a ceasefire deal
February 07, 2024 13:03 - 36 minutes - 33.4 MBThe latest from Israel as negotiators consider Hamas’s proposals for a ceasefire in Gaza. Plus: Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, faces a new setback to his economic reform bill, Lufthansa staff go on strike and why Thailand wants to protect its famous elephant-print trousers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mexico’s president considers his legacy
February 06, 2024 12:55 - 32 minutes - 30.2 MBMexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, tables a raft of leftist constitutional reforms ahead of the country’s elections in June. Plus: how Turkey is rebuilding a year on from devastating earthquakes, financial troubles for Vienna’s famous Boys’ Choir and a check-in from Stockholm Design Week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Who is El Salvador’s self-proclaimed ‘cool dictator’?
February 05, 2024 13:03 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MBWe discuss the landslide re-election of El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele. Plus: a flick through today’s papers with Fernando Augusto Pacheco and highlights from the London Critics’ Circle Awards. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Is India’s opposition coalition bound to fail?
February 02, 2024 12:58 - 32 minutes - 30.2 MBWashington plans airstrikes on Iranian targets and sanctions Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Plus: Argentina’s congress continues its marathon debate on a sweeping economic reform bill, India’s opposition coalition falters and Japan announces a digital-nomad visa. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The EU agrees to a €50bn Ukraine aid package
February 01, 2024 12:45 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBEuropean Union leaders agree on a €50bn support package for Ukraine, despite a threat by Hungary’s, prime minister, Viktor Orbán to veto new aid. Plus: why farmers’ protests are spreading across Europe, more Houthi airstrikes in the Red Sea and Fernando Augusto Pacheco’s ‘The Global Countdown’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Imran Khan sentenced to 14 years in prison
January 31, 2024 12:42 - 34 minutes - 32 MBJoe Biden has decided how Washington will respond to a deadly airstrike on its troops, which the White House blames on Iran-backed Syrian militia. Plus: former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan faces 14 years behind bars and Monocle’s design editor, Nic Monisse, checks in from Copenhagen International Fashion Fair. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How will Washington react to a deadly airstrike on US troops?
January 30, 2024 12:52 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBPakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan is sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking a confidential diplomatic cable. Samira Shackle has more details. Plus: Washington weighs its options following an airstrike that killed US troops over the weekend and Northern Ireland’s devolved parliament looks set to return. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What are ‘Iran-backed’ militant groups?
January 29, 2024 12:41 - 31 minutes - 29.3 MBA Hong Kong court orders the liquidation of Chinese property giant Evergrande. Bloomberg’s Rebecca Choong Wilkins explains why it matters. Plus: after Joe Biden blames ‘Iran-backed’ militants for a deadly strike on US forces, we explore who the groups are and their ties with Tehran. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
UK-Canada trade talks stall
January 26, 2024 12:52 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MBVladimir Putin visits Kaliningrad as Nato holds its largest military drills since the Cold War. We speak to General Sir Richard Shirreff, formerly Nato Deputy Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, about the risk of war with Russia. Plus: London walks out of trade talks with Ottawa and Finland reconsiders its strict alcohol regulations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Thousands in Argentina strike over Javier Milei’s reforms
January 25, 2024 12:59 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBQuestions remain over a plane crash in Russia, which killed 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Plus: a national strike in Argentina against president Javier Milei’s radical reform agenda, two Indian restaurant chains launch a legal battle over who invented a famous chicken curry and ‘The Global Countdown’ is back. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Does North Korea want a war?
January 24, 2024 12:46 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBAfter Donald Trump wins a second Republican primary in New Hampshire, we consider what another presidency might mean for Washington’s relationships in Asia. Plus: tensions increase as Pyongyang ramps up missile launches and the Oscars nominations cause controversy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Britain and US strike again on the Yemeni Houthis
January 23, 2024 12:50 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MBBritish and US forces launch another round of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. Plus: Human rights groups raise concerns ahead of Senegal’s election, the latest business headlines and celebrating independent bookshops. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Where did it all go wrong for Ron DeSantis?
January 22, 2024 12:40 - 31 minutes - 28.9 MBFlorida governor Ron DeSantis backs Donald Trump as he drops out of the race to become the Republican presidential nominee. Plus: we report as Indian prime minister Narendra Modi opens a controversial new Hindu temple in Uttar Pradesh and ask: What’s in store for Liberia’s new president? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What do the attacks in the Red Sea mean for global trade?
January 19, 2024 13:00 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MBWe examine the backlash following Benjamin Netanyahu’s apparent rejection of a post-war peace process that would lead to the creation of a Palestinian state. Plus: the effect of the Red Sea crisis on global commerce and Paris Men’s Fashion Week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
World Economic Forum: Day Four
January 18, 2024 13:23 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBA special broadcast from our pop-up studio in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting. Monocle Radio’s Carlota Rebelo speaks to journalist Fabienne Kinzelmann about the heightened tensions across the Middle East making an appearance at WEF. Mario Centeno, governor of the Bank of Portugal, gives his assessment of the global economic outlook. Plus: Alexandre Edelmann, head of Presence Switzerland, tells us how to be a good host and Jessica Bridger discusses what you might have miss...
World Economic Forum: Day Three
January 17, 2024 12:52 - 35 minutes - 32.2 MBA special broadcast from our pop-up studio in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting. Monocle Radio’s Tom Webb speaks to journalist Manveen Rana about the meetings taking place behind closed doors. As China bids to woo back global elites, we hear from one of its delegates, Henry Wong. Plus: why leading economists are calling for private money to flow into green investments. Carlota Rebelo has the roundup of day three. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What could another Trump presidency mean for US foreign policy?
January 16, 2024 12:49 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBDonald Trump wins the Iowa caucus in a landslide victory. How might a win in November affect Washington’s ties with the world? Plus: rebel fighters in Myanmar claim a key border town and ‘Succession’ wins big at the Emmy Awards. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What next for Guatemala’s new president after a chaotic inauguration?
January 15, 2024 12:48 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MBA US delegation visits Taiwan as the island nation of Nauru turns to Beijing. Plus: the state of Iowa’s media ahead of key presidential caucuses; opposition legislators delay the inauguration of Guatemala’s new president; and the World Economic Forum kicks off in Davos. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How might China react to Taiwan’s election result?
January 12, 2024 12:59 - 37 minutes - 34.7 MBHouthi rebels vow retaliation after US-UK airstrikes on Yemen. Plus: Beijing watches closely as Taiwan goes to the polls, Israel argues against genocide claims at the UN’s top court and the latest entertainment news. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Travel disruption across Germany
January 11, 2024 12:55 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MBSouth Africa accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice. Plus: Republican candidates exchange insults in the latest TV debate, German train workers strike as farmers protest and why more young people in Japan are not getting married. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Masked gunmen storm a TV studio in Ecuador
January 10, 2024 12:45 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBEcuador enters an ‘internal armed conflict’ after a wave of gang violence. Plus: Iran-backed Houthi rebels launch a fresh round of attacks on commercial shipping routes in the Red Sea; the US view on Taiwan’s forthcoming election; and what went wrong for Astrobotic's Peregrine Lunar Lander. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
India and the Maldives row over tourism
January 09, 2024 12:51 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MBÉlisabeth Borne resigns as France’s prime minister after the passage of a controversial immigration bill. Who will replace her? Plus: more issues for Boeing as airlines find loose parts in inspections of its 737 Max 9 and a spat between India and the Maldives over tourism and political influence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tourism returns to Hong Kong
January 08, 2024 12:50 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MBAntony Blinken continues his Middle East tour in a bid to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spilling over. Plus: Taipei and Beijing gear up for a key election, a lunar launch in Florida, Hong Kong opens up and the theatre that you should see in 2024. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What do attacks in the Red Sea mean for global trade?
January 05, 2024 12:51 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MBAs attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea continue, we ask what the disruption means for global business and consumers. Plus: Washington says that Russia is using North Korean arms in Ukraine, a preview of the UK’s election year and we visit a famous Chinese restaurant-cum-jazz bar in Rhode Island. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why is a Hindu temple causing controversy in India?
January 04, 2024 12:37 - 27 minutes - 25.1 MBDonald Trump appeals to the Supreme Court over his Colorado ballot ban, China holds patrols in the South China Sea and a Hindu temple causes a stir in northern India. Plus: journalist Ruth Michaelson reviews the day’s papers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wednesday 3 January
January 03, 2024 12:52 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBA pacy round-up of the day’s main news stories, anchored from Midori House in London by Georgina Godwin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tuesday 2 January
January 02, 2024 13:02 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MBA pacy round-up of the day’s main news stories, anchored from Midori House in London by Georgina Godwin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Bring on 2024: Monocle’s projects for the year ahead
January 01, 2024 12:01 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBMembers of the Monocle magazine team join Tom Edwards to discuss their exciting projects for 2024. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Friday 29 December
December 29, 2023 13:00 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MBA pacy round-up of the day’s main news stories, anchored from London by Emma Nelson. Plus: Monocle’s fashion editor, Natalie Theodosi, looks ahead to 2024’s fashion highlights. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Thursday 28 December
December 28, 2023 12:59 - 32 minutes - 30.2 MBA pacy round-up of the day’s main news stories, anchored from Midori House in London by Emma Nelson. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wednesday 27 December
December 27, 2023 12:50 - 35 minutes - 32.1 MBA pacy round-up of the day’s main news stories, anchored from Midori House in London by Georgina Godwin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The best of The Big Interview 2023
December 26, 2023 12:30 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBTom Edwards brings us highlights from our biggest interviews from 2023, including those with Steve Earle and Norwegian politician Erna Solberg. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Christmas Day special
December 25, 2023 12:30 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBMonocle’s editorial director, Tyler Brûlé, and editor in chief, Andrew Tuck, join Tom Edwards, Robert Bound and Gillian Dobias to swap presents, survey the festivities around the world and share their Christmas wishes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Inside Finland’s oldest toy factory
December 22, 2023 12:52 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBA pacy round-up of the day’s main news stories, anchored from London by Andrew Mueller. Plus: a flick through the papers, What We Learned and a special dispatch from Finland’s oldest toy factory. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The dos and don’ts of diplomatic gifting
December 21, 2023 12:58 - 38 minutes - 35.4 MBA pacy round-up of the day’s main news stories, anchored from London by Andrew Mueller. Plus, to mark the festive season, journalist Michael Binyon and UK diplomat John Everard assess the dos and don’ts of diplomatic gifting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What does the Colorado court ruling mean for Trump in 2024?
December 20, 2023 12:44 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MBWashington reacts after Donald Trump is barred from running for the presidency in Colorado. Plus: polls open in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, how Iceland’s erupting volcano is monitored and why viewers have fallen out of love with film musicals. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Israel’s allies call for a ceasefire in Gaza
December 19, 2023 12:41 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBInternational pressure grows on Israel over its bombardment of Gaza, as European foreign ministers meet to discuss a ceasefire. Plus: prosecutors raid the offices of two powerful factions in Japan’s ruling party, a review of the Italian papers and the luxury-retail platform Farfetch is sold to a South Korean buyer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jimmy Lai goes on trial
December 18, 2023 12:40 - 30 minutes - 27.5 MBThe trial of pro-democracy activist and media mogul Jimmy Lai, charged in 2020 under the national security law, begins in Hong Kong. Plus: Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vucic, declares victory following a snap election and Monocle’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco reviews the Monday papers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.