Affairs / Podcast

Monocle on Saturday

Don’t miss the week’s most interesting stories from around the world. Join Georgina Godwin every week on Monocle on Saturday to delve into the latest global news and culture, with reports from regular guests in Monocle’s London studio and our international correspondents.

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Celebrating writers of colour and the week in news and culture:

Writer and broadcaster Yassmin Abdel-Magied joins the show to discuss the potential attack in Darfur, Ukraine halting passport services and why UK South Asian garment stores are suffering. Author and playwright Guy Gunaratne joins the show to talk about ‘The Review’, a new journal by the Jhalak Foundation and WritersMosaic in ‘The Bookseller’ celebrating writers of colour. Plus: communications specialist and documentary filmmaker Issabella Orlando looks back at April’s art-and-culture moments.

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Episode	Date	Description	Download	Play
204	27 Apr 2024 33 min	Celebrating writers of colour and the week in news and culture Writer and broadcaster Yassmin Abdel-Magied joins the show to discuss the potential attack in Darfur, Ukraine halting passport services and why UK South Asian garment stores are suffering. Author and playwright Guy Gunaratne joins the show to talk about ‘The Review’, a new journal by the Jhalak Foundation and WritersMosaic in ‘The Bookseller’ celebrating writers of colour. Plus: communications specialist and documentary filmmaker Issabella Orlando looks back at April’s art-and-culture moments.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
203	20 Apr 2024 35 min	The Venice Biennale, Salone del Mobile and translated fiction Isabel Hilton, founder of China Dialogue, joins Georgina Godwin to talk about German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to China, A24’s ‘Civil War’ (warning: spoilers ahead) and Anne Hidalgo’s vision of a greener Paris under threat. The co-founder of independent publisher Charco Press, Samuel McDowell, also joins the show to discuss translated Latin American fiction. Plus: we hear from Turkish designer Gülsün Karamustafa, who is representing her country at this year’s Venice Biennale, and Monocle’s design editor, Nic Monisse, speaks to Nicola Coropulis, CEO of renowned design company Poltrona Frau, at Salone del Mobile.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
202	13 Apr 2024 36 min	From Iran and Israel to Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ US intelligence predicts that Iran will strike Israel within the next few days. Yossi Mekelberg, associate fellow at Chatham House, joins Georgina Godwin to tell us more. Also in the programme: Angela Rayner is under scrutiny, Donald Trump compares himself to Nelson Mandela and Beyoncé puts Levi jeans back on the hotlist. Plus: Monocle’s Gregory Scruggs speaks to Bernadette McDonald, who spotlights local Himalayan climbers in her new book ‘Alpine Rising: Sherpas, Baltis, and the Triumph of Local Climbers in the Greater Ranges’.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
201	6 Apr 2024 31 min	Wirecard scandal and the history of the honeytrap Terry Stiastny updates Georgina Godwin on the Wirecard fugitive case and discusses the honeytrap scandal that has rattled Westminster this week. We examine the history of honeytrap scandals and look back at the lives of two extraordinary people: journalist Hella Pick and author Lynne Reid Banks. Plus: twins Dina and Rosabella Gregory take us through their new opera, ‘The Haberdasher Prince’, and Louise Doughty joins to talk about her guest edition of Writers Mosaic, ‘Blood and belonging: Traveller Writers’.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
200	30 Mar 2024 36 min	Is China responsible for cyber espionage in the UK and US? Isabel Hilton, founder of China Dialogue, joins Emma Nelson in the studio to discuss accusations that China is responsible for cyber espionage in the UK, US and New Zealand, affecting millions of people. We also look at how Truth Social could be worth $9bn (€8.3bn), despite reporting losses, and we head to The Chiefs, Monocle’s conference in Hong Kong, to learn from developer and hotelier Yuta Oka. Also on the programme: Monocle’s Mae-Li Evans takes us to Robert Herman’s latest exhibition, ‘From California with Love’.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
199	23 Mar 2024 31 min	Monocle’s Hanami Market Monocle’s editorial director, Tyler Brûlé, joins Emma Nelson from Zürich to talk about the Japanese spring market at Dufourstrasse 90, as well as the forthcoming The Chiefs conference in Hong Kong. Plus: communications consultant and journalist Simon Brooke joins the studio in London to flick through the global papers. We also discuss this week’s news, including Moscow’s concert hall attack and the world’s response to Catherine Princess of Wales’s cancer diagnosis.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
198	16 Mar 2024 31 min	Russia’s presidential election: opposition flash mobs and voting under threat Though voting has begun in Russia to elect the country’s next president, the results are unlikely to come as a surprise. However, there is resistance bubbling under the surface. Join Georgina Godwin and Russia specialist Charles Hecker to discuss the run-up to the election. Plus: Tory donor Frank Hester’s racist comments, Boris Johnson’s unofficial talks in Venezuela and Monocle’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco interviews Lauro Andrade, founder of DW! São Paulo Design Week.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
197	9 Mar 2024 31 min	Will the US TikTok ban go ahead? US lawmakers have passed a bill that would remove TikTok from app stores – but will the ban go ahead? And does dark matter actually exist? Join Vincent McAviney and Yassmin Abdel-Magied for this as well a background on the potential ceasefire in Sudan during Ramadan. Plus: Monocle’s Tomos Lewis interviews the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ahead of the celebrations tomorrow and the director of the London Book Fair, Gareth Rapley, joins us to discuss next week’s event.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
196	2 Mar 2024 35 min	Navalny’s funeral, Sunak’s speech and a Russian spy exposed On Friday the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny drew thousands of mourners. What was the mood in Moscow? In the UK what has the reaction been to prime minister Rishi Sunak’s Downing Street address on Friday evening? Meanwhile in Austria, an investigation has exposed the fraudulent COO of Wirecard as a decade-long GRU spy – what do we know? Join Vincent McAviney and political journalist Terry Stiastny for all this, as well as a breakdown of the Willy Wonka experience scam in Glasgow. Plus: Monocle’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco gives us a rundown of the world’s best biscuits.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
195	24 Feb 2024 39 min	Two years of Russia’s war in Ukraine Emma Nelson, Christopher Phillips and Charles Hecker reflect on the last two years of Russia’s war in Ukraine and take a look at Christopher’s new book, ‘Battleground: 10 Conflicts that Explain the New Middle East’. Plus: arts and culture communications specialist Issabella Orlando stops by to talk about the Barbican’s new exhibition, ‘Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art’, Sarah Snook’s one-woman take on ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ and Bali’s extraordinary New Year tradition.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
194	17 Feb 2024 30 min	The first-ever Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction Isabel Hilton, international journalist and founder of China Dialogue, joins Georgina Godwin for a round-up of the week’s news and culture. This week, we look back at the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the UK by-elections and fake Chinese accounts on Elon Musk’s X. Plus: Professor Suzannah Liscomb, award-winning author and broadcaster, joins Georgina Godwin to talk about the first-ever Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
193	10 Feb 2024 29 min	Is it a bumpy road ahead for China’s economy? Will China’s economy recover during the Year of the Dragon? What is the UK’s new tech that could control the weather? And how is the ‘Bayeux Tapestry’ being updated? Join Georgina Godwin and David Bodanis for a round-up of the week’s news and culture. Plus: the owner of The Steam Room, Tony Chung, joins us to talk about his collaboration with Ai Weiwei and Avant Arte for the Lunar New Year.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
192	3 Feb 2024 29 min	US airstrikes, Marco Polo and The Heartbreak Hotel The US military launched airstrikes against targets in Syria and Iraq on Friday. How has the country’s power changed across different administrations? Also on the programme: Georgina Godwin and international correspondent Nina dos Santos discuss why men are drifting to the far right, the many conspiracies surrounding Taylor Swift and Venice Carnival’s celebration of Marco Polo this weekend. Plus: Alice Haddon and Ruth Field join us to talk about their therapeutic wellness retreat, The Heartbreak Hotel.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
191	27 Jan 2024 33 min	News and culture round-up Join Emma Nelson and political journalist Terry Stiastny for a look back at the week’s news and culture. Plus: Issabella Orlando joins the panel for a round-up of her favourite stories this month.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
190	20 Jan 2024 34 min	Europe sounds the alarm on Putin and we head to Singapore’s international art fair What are the key takeaways from the interview with German defence minister, Boris Pistorius? Which country is the common link in the recent Middle Eastern conflicts, and why? Join Georgina Godwin and Austrian journalist Tessa Szyszkowitz for this and more from the week’s news and culture. Plus: Monocle’s Lilian Fawcett visits Singapore’s international art fair, ART SG, to find out how Singapore is trying to establish itself as a global art hub	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play

Affairs / Podcast

Monocle on Saturday

Latest episode

Latest episodes

Celebrating writers of colour and the week in news and culture

The Venice Biennale, Salone del Mobile and translated fiction

From Iran and Israel to Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’

Wirecard scandal and the history of the honeytrap

Is China responsible for cyber espionage in the UK and US?

Monocle’s Hanami Market

Russia’s presidential election: opposition flash mobs and voting under threat

Will the US TikTok ban go ahead?

Navalny’s funeral, Sunak’s speech and a Russian spy exposed

Two years of Russia’s war in Ukraine

The first-ever Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction

Is it a bumpy road ahead for China’s economy?

US airstrikes, Marco Polo and The Heartbreak Hotel

News and culture round-up

Europe sounds the alarm on Putin and we head to Singapore’s international art fair