9 January 2019
Episode 1870
30 minutes
We look at what US president Donald Trump might have achieved with his TV address and put you in the picture about a French-Italian row over Leonardo da Vinci. Plus, we check-in at Florence’s Pitti Uomo menswear fair.
9 January 2019
Share episode
DownloadWant more radio episodes like these in your inbox?
Sign up to Monocle’s email newsletters to stay on top of news and opinion, plus the latest from the magazine, radio, film and shop.
The Briefing - latest episodes
Xi Jinping’s European charm offensive
As Xi Jinping visits Europe for the first time in five years, we ask whether China or western Europe have any real interest in reviving relations. Then: UK foreign secretary David Cameron promises long-term aid during a…
Clashes at US campuses continue and a murder trial in Kazakhstan
As campus clashes continue across the US, Congress looks to counter rising anti-Semitism but is it taking the right approach? Then: millions in Kazakhstan are tuning into the trial of a former government minister accused…
Pro-Palestine protests at US campuses escalate
Violence breaks out at US university campuses. As protesters clash and police move in, we ask what happens next. Then: Donald Trump is fined for violating his gag order, Russian election meddling lands a Moldovan governor…
First images of the US aid pier in Gaza
How will the US aid pier on the Mediterranean coast of Gaza work? Haiti’s transitional council elects its new president and a new round of Brexit border checks takes place amid a row with Ireland over asylum seekers. Plus…
Ukrainian troops withdraw from Donetsk
Ground losses on Ukraine’s battlefield come amid delays to military aid from allies, the prime minister of Spain and first minister of Scotland both face decisions about their future, and we find out how Austria is dealing…
Antony Blinken meets with Xi Jinping during a warning of crossing ‘red lines’
US secretary of state Antony Blinken meets with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, TikTok’s parent company insists that it has no plans to sell the social-media company and Boeing burns through $4bn (€3.7bn). Plus: what to watch…
China doubles its presence in the West Philippine Sea
Polish broadcaster TVP World will begin broadcasting in Russian, China doubles the presence of its military vessels in the Philippine exclusive economic zone, shares slump in Facebook’s parent company, Meta, and how the…
US Congress approves $95bn (€110bn) aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan
We detail the US aid package approved by Congress last night, join celebrated novelist Monica Ali as she reveals the Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist and discuss why shares in Gucci’s parent company, Kering, have plunged…
The UK green lights controversial immigration policy
UK prime minister Rishi Sunak’s bill to send illegal migrants to Rwanda has been approved in parliament – but could the courts still get in his way? Also in the programme: we have the business headlines, discuss the opening…
Aid for Ukraine and drills in the South China Sea
After the US finally approves its latest foreign-aid package for Ukraine, we discuss how Russia might respond to a seizure of its assets to help the invaded country. Meanwhile, we look to the Philippines, where the US is…
Israel retaliates and Slovakia fundraises for Ukraine
As Israel launches retaliatory strikes against Iran, we consider whether this week’s escalation has come to an end. Then: the US vetoes a United Nations Security Council resolution that would recognise Palestine as a full…
India heads to the polls and a spying scandal
We look ahead to India’s elections before voters head to the polls for the six-week-long democratic exercise on Friday. Plus: we examine Germany’s arrest of two German-Russian saboteurs, bring you the second part of our…
Ukraine’s defence deficit
After Western allies flock to protect Israel from Iran, we look at how Ukraine, which remains highly vulnerable to Russian missile and drone attacks, has reacted. Plus: the Council of Europe’s parliamentary assembly votes…
The US considers splitting foreign aid
As Republicans in the US House of Representatives attempt to split funding to Israel and Ukraine despite Kyiv’s urgent pleas, we look ahead to Friday’s vote. Then: as Israel’s war cabinet debates how to retaliate against…
Israel-Iran escalation and Trump stands trial
As the escalation between Israel and Iran continues, we hear the latest on the ground in Jerusalem and look at the risks of contagion in the wider region. Then, to the UK, where MPs are set to vote today on the government’s…
