The Briefing

A 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.

Wednesday 17 October: 

Why does Canada’s decision to legalise cannabis matter to the rest of the world? We also discuss the controversy surrounding Japan’s Yasukuni Shrine, explore Croatia’s plans to join the Schengen Area and hear from a man who wants to make renting a flat a far more pleasurable experience.

Monday 15 October: 

We get the latest on Brexit, after the UK said it had hit an impasse in negotiations over the Irish border. We also look at the reopening of the border between Jordan and Syria, get the latest business headlines and hear about the protests in Hong Kong about the government’s land-reclamation plan.

Thursday 11 October: 

Do the latest polls from Brazil indicate that the country will elect a far-right president? We also discuss whether Switzerland could vote to cement sovereignty over international law, ask whether anyone will want to replace Nikki Haley at the UN and tell you all about The Shed project in New York.

Tuesday 9 October: 

Has Bashar al-Assad won the war in Syria? We also take a look at Angela Merkel’s in-tray and explore how a low-cost carrier has been able to compete with some of its more established transatlantic rivals. Plus: should pop and politics ever mix?

Friday 5 October: 

Monocle 24's Fernando Augusto Pacheco gives us his guide to the presidential election in his home country of Brazil. Plus: we profile the woman who is hoping to lead Austria, discuss the row over Japan's ‘rising sun’ flag and find out why Tronc has decided to change its name back to Tribune Publishing.

Wednesday 3 October: 

Will Russia halt the development of its new cruise missiles? Plus: we explore the dramatic rise in the price of oil, find out why an Italian mayor has been arrested for helping migrants and discuss Netflix’s plans to let viewers decide TV and film endings.

Monday 1 October: 

We get the reaction after Washington and Ottawa agree terms on a free-trade deal and update the stakes at the Conservative Party conference in the UK. Plus: what’s behind a plan to change Australia Day?