The Monocle Daily

We assess the scale of the global conflict as the US rattles South Korea by redeploying its missiles to the Middle East. Plus: Taiwan issues penalties for pedestrians crossing the road.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We explore whether expectations of a swift popular uprising inside Iran are proving to be unfounded. Plus: why China and North Korea are resuming their train service after a six-year suspension.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

France hosts a G7 finance meeting as the war in the Middle East fuels fears for the global economy. Plus: can rappers make good world leaders? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iran’s war with the US and Israel continues to escalate as Venezuela appears to normalise relations with the Trump administration. Plus: Madrid’s week of art and design, and Paris’s week of fashion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Russia and Ukraine are jockeying for position as the US-Israeli war on Iran continues. Russia could benefit from a rise in oil prices while Ukraine is selling its drone-fighting services to Gulf nations. Stephen Dalziel and Elisabeth Braw explore the conflict’s indirect consequences. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We hear from Washington as the Senate votes on an Iran war powers resolution, while shades of the Iraq War and fear of upsetting Trump divides Europe. Plus: where will Europe find its energy now? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We assess whether the US could lose interest in ending Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine with operations against Iran taking centre stage. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We assess Europe’s reaction to the Middle East conflict. Plus: how tensions between the US and Iran have been affecting global markets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We explore the allure of Sanremo as day five of the festival comes to a close. Plus: the changing landscape of music entrepreneurship with Lucy Dreams. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We explore whether Hungary’s fight over oil could change the course of the war in Ukraine. Plus: as Mumbai residents plead for respite from ‘musical road’, what are the best highway enhancers?   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz lands in Beijing as the latest western leader looking to improve trade relations with China. Plus: why Kyoto’s mayor has announced plans for Japan’s first citizen discount on bus fares. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After four years of war in Ukraine, we take a look at the state of European security and defence. Then: why we were so invested in Winter Olympic coverage. Plus: solo dining surges in South Korean workplaces. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Violence sweeps across Mexico after cartel leader El Mencho is killed in military custody. Then: we ask why Hungary is causing problems for Europe’s Russia sanction plans. Plus: Singapore’s new dating scheme. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.