Affairs
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Singapore’s orchid diplomacy is a different kind of flower power
Being a good gifter is a rare gift. Singapore has it down to a fine art and it's helping the country's diplomatic relations bloom.
Could Valerii Zaluzhnyi be Ukraine’s next president?
Though Ukraine’s constitution prohibits elections in wartime, speculation abounds for presidential successors to Volodymyr Zelensky. Despite Valerii Zaluzhnyi’s quiet political profile, the country’s eyes are on the war commander-turned ambassador.
Brand France makes its LA 2028 Olympics play with sun, sport and savoir-faire
By planting its Olympic clubhouse on Santa Monica’s shoreline, France is turning the 2028 Games into a stage for cultural influence as much as sporting success.
Ukraine’s most valuable export? Drone-fighting know-how
Ukraine has moved with velocity from being a battlefield casualty of drone technology to being a major tutor in the global campaign against it.
Opinion
What does the lacklustre redesign of the British banknote really tell us about the state of the nation?
3 min read
Iran’s attacks on the UAE have revealed a nation whose resilience is built on diversity
On the morning of 7 March, as the debris from intercepted Iranian attacks was being cleared from streets in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, a colleague sent me a photograph. It showed the terrace of…
Balendra Shah’s path from hip hop to high office marks a new opportunity for Nepal
Pretty much every headline that has heralded Nepal’s new prime minister, Balendra Shah, has referred to him as a “rapper”. This is not inaccurate – he owed his early prominence to his prowess on…
‘Work with the opposition inside Iran’: John Bolton’s advice to Trump as Operation Epic Fury drags on
The former US national security adviser has adopted a voice of moderation, criticising the Trump administration’s approach as ill-conceived, dismissive of the Iranian people and bound to fail.
Global crises test the real-estate sector but Mipim’s mood was resolute
“How are you finding the mood this year?” People would ask as they came to the Monocle Radio booth at Mipim, the world’s largest real-estate fair, which concluded yesterday in Cannes. The question was…
Lisbon mayor Carlos Moedas on urban regeneration, the city’s soul and where he gets his ‘pastel de nata’
As Lisbon’s global profile rises, so does the pressures on its housing, infrastructure and public spaces. At Mipim 2026, mayor Carlos Moedas outlines his strategy for keeping the Portuguese capital welcoming and liveable.
