The Briefing
1,283 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 17 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
Wednesday 31 July
July 31, 2019 12:00UK prime minister Boris Johnson’s latest headache with the Irish border, a new row in Italy over its fascist past and why Saudi Arabia thinks it’s a good idea to launch a new annual media prize.
Tuesday 30 July
July 30, 2019 12:00We hear from Hong Kong as protestors disrupt transport, discuss whether the US will ever pull out of Afghanistan and get the latest on UK politics too.
Monday 29 July
July 29, 2019 12:00We learn the latest on the weekend’s protests in Moscow, discuss why unrest in Hong Kong shows no signs of abating and hear why competition regulators in Australia want to get tough on big technology firms.
Friday 26 July
July 26, 2019 12:00A former CIA deputy director says that talks between the US and the Taliban are a “charade”. Plus: the role of surveillance on protests in Hong Kong, British Airways resumes flights to Cairo and NBC’s streaming service.
Thursday 25 July
July 25, 2019 12:00Why wasn’t Robert Mueller’s testimony a made-for-TV moment? Plus: Carole Walker and Stephen Dalziel review Boris Johnson’s first 24 hours in Downing Street, North Korea tests another missile and Kenya’s top five songs.
Wednesday 24 July
July 24, 2019 12:00How will Robert Mueller’s testimony be welcomed by US Republicans? Plus: Lance Price and Robert Fox on the challenges awaiting the UK’s new prime minister, Dana Thomas on Barneys department store and technology news.
Tuesday 23 July
July 23, 2019 12:00Lance Price, Terry Stiastny and Michael Binyon react to the news that Boris Johnson will be the UK’s next prime minister. Plus: claims of police misconduct in Hong Kong, shopping malls and the cost of cinema tickets.
Monday 22 July
July 22, 2019 12:00We cross to Hong Kong after pro-democracy protesters are attacked. Plus: Tony Blair’s concern for politics, the struggle to enshrine an Indigenous voice in Australia's constitution and the highest-grossing film ever.
Friday 19 July
July 19, 2019 12:00UK MPs move to block a no-deal Brexit. Plus: the US tries to safeguard oil shipments, Japan mourns deaths at an animation studio, Cambridge Analytica documentary ‘The Great Hack’ and the bizarre trailer for ‘Cats’.
Thursday 18 July
July 18, 2019 12:00Will a failed attempt at impeaching President Trump complicate the way forward for Democrats? Plus: Charles Hecker and Joy Lo Dico examine global fears of a Russian plot to harvest biometric data via a popular face-ageing app and Baylen Leonard discusses the art of music biopics as Baz Lurhmann gets to work on a new film about Elvis Presley.
Wednesday 17 July
July 17, 2019 12:00Will the UK find a friend in Ursula von der Leyen when she becomes president of the European Commission? Plus: Isabel Hilton and Brian Klaas examine Nancy Pelosi’s effort to label comments by the US president as racist, Russia’s refusal to take responsibility for the downing of MH17, and Norah O’Donnell channels Edward R Murrow on her first day at the helm of CBS Evening News.
Tuesday 16 July
July 16, 2019 12:00As hints of an agreement between Yemen’s warring sides emerge, we examine the role of a location during peace conferences. Plus: Ursula von der Leyen makes her final pitch to European lawmakers, the political strategy behind Donald Trump’s racism and why dark satire has become a popular television genre.
Monday 15 July
July 15, 2019 12:00Will Donald Trump’s racist outburst be a turning point in his presidency? Plus: Putin’s populist alliance, more leaks from the UK’s US embassy, movie remakes and Taiwan’s president faces a pro-China election opponent.
Friday 12 July
July 12, 2019 12:00Why is president Donald Trump so keen to include a question on citizenship in next year’s US census? Plus: Turkey receives the first parts of a Russian missile-defence system and we find out why Finland loves tango.
Thursday 11 July
July 11, 2019 12:00What does the row over the resignation of the UK's ambassador to the US say about the state of UK politics? Plus: the last Volkswagen Beetle leaves the factory and Poland’s top five songs.
Wednesday 10 July
July 10, 2019 12:00The US wants a military coalition to safeguard the waters surrounding Iran and Yemen - but does anyone else? Plus: the Australian government promises a referendum on recognising indigenous people in the constitution and Finland considers female conscription.
Tuesday 9 July
July 09, 2019 12:00As a “roadmap for peace” in Afghanistan is agreed, we ask how significant a breakthrough it is. Plus: Michael Binyon and Stefanie Bolzen discuss the headlines and Ben Aitken explains his move from the UK to Poland.
Monday 8 July
July 08, 2019 12:00Can Greece’s new prime minister fulfil his bold promises? Plus: Australia mulls a plan to refuse terror suspects entry, advertising pioneer Stewart Greene and leaked UK memos describe Trump’s administration as “inept”.
Friday 5 July
July 05, 2019 12:00Former UK foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind discusses reports that Downing Street tried to withhold sensitive intelligence from Boris Johnson. Plus: John Limbert, replica art and the Tour de France.
Thursday 4 July
July 04, 2019 12:00What should we expect from Donald Trump’s self-aggrandising military parade? We also explore how nations make the transition from dictatorship to democracy, our editor in chief Tyler Brûlé tells us why people are flocking to Switzerland and Monocle 24’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco gives us his global musical countdown.
Wednesday 3 July
July 03, 2019 12:00Stefanie Bolzen from ‘Die Welt’ and Bloomberg’s Sebastian Salek profile the favourites for Europe’s top jobs. Plus: Russia’s military chiefs hold an emergency meeting, Japan clamps down on smoking and we find out why fast radio bursts continue to baffle space scientists.
Tuesday 2 July
July 02, 2019 12:00Should the UN intervene in Libya? We also discuss Greece’s election and the anger of Spain’s authorities at a cinematic portrayal of people from Malaga. Plus: is the health of politicians a matter of public interest?
Monday 1 July
July 01, 2019 12:00John Everard, the UK’s former ambassador to North Korea, analyses Donald Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong-un. Plus: Vladimir Putin’s relationship with the rest of the world, the safety of electric vehicles and Monocle’s executive editor, Josh Fehnert, tells us all about our Quality of Life Conference in Madrid.
Friday 28 June
June 28, 2019 12:00We dissect Vladimir Putin’s interview on liberalism and populism with the ‘Financial Times’. Plus: the latest on protests against an extradition bill in Hong Kong and Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference in Madrid.
Thursday 27 June
June 27, 2019 12:00We have the latest as Nato weighs up its options over Russian belligerence. Plus: the Democratic party's presidential hopefuls clash in a spiky TV debate, Paris swelters in a heatwave and we speak to astronaut Chris Hadfield.
Wednesday 26 June
June 26, 2019 12:00How can the Democrats defeat Donald Trump in next year’s presidential election? Plus: we ask whether political parties should adopt ‘gender parity leadership’ like Germany’s SPD, discuss San Francisco's decision to ban e-cigarettes and find out why Moscow is targeting Georgian wine.
Tuesday 25 June
June 25, 2019 12:00Why is Beijing refusing to discuss the Hong Kong protests at the G20 summit? Plus: a major report on improving social mobility, ABC’s legal challenge to police raids in Sydney and why the Ferrari 250 GTO has been classified as a work of art.
Monday 24 June
June 24, 2019 12:00Why is top US diplomat Mike Pompeo making an unexpected visit to Saudi Arabia? Plus; the ethics of recording the private lives of leading public figures, the Vatican’s decision to cancel its women’s team debut match and why French comedy is embroiled in a plagiarism scandal.
Friday 21 June
June 21, 2019 12:00Why has Donald Trump reportedly changed his mind about military strikes against Iran? Plus: the credentials of the UK’s prime ministerial hopefuls, the latest from the Paris Air Show and the songs topping the Italian charts.
Thursday 20 June
June 20, 2019 12:00Why is Xi Jinping making his first visit to North Korea? Plus: US officials accuse Iran’s military of downing one of its drones, film-maker Anne-Frédérique Widmann on her documentary ‘Free Men’ and our upcoming Quality of Life Conference in Madrid.
Wednesday 19 June
June 19, 2019 12:00Will the 2020 US presidential election be the most divisive in the country’s history? Plus: fake news and the anti-vaccination movement, Turkish soap operas and the Art Newspaper’s Georgina Adam on the sale of Sotheby’s.
Tuesday 18 June
June 18, 2019 12:00Should the US send more troops to the Middle East? Plus: we examine the nature of political protests in Russia, have the latest on the race to be the UK’s next prime minister and Monocle’s Japan bureau chief, Fiona Wilson, tells us why the country’s anime industry is struggling to recruit top talent.
Monday 17 June
June 17, 2019 12:00Will hostilities between Iran and Saudi Arabia lead to a conflict in the Middle East? Plus: pressure grows in Hong Kong, Boris Johnson skips TV debate and why cricket is more than just a sport to India and Pakistan.