22 August 2023
Episode 3092
32 minutes
Thailand’s most controversial politician is back in Bangkok. Also in the programme: we discuss Botswana’s unique direct democracy, which is built on mining diamonds from the ground, take a look at the papers in Morocco and explain the latest business news.
22 August 2023
Share episode
DownloadChapter 1
10 minutes
15
15
/
Chapter 1
Pheu Thai strikes a deal
Duncan McCargo on why Thailand’s Supreme Court has handed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra an eight-year sentence.
10 minutes
Share chapter 1
Chapter 2
10 minutes
15
15
/
Chapter 2
Botswana’s unique government
Bruno Kaufmann takes a look at Botswana’s unique form of government, built on mining gems from the ground.
10 minutes
Share chapter 2
Want 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
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…
Israel-Iran relations and Olaf Scholz in China
As Israel confirms that it is prepared to act both defensively and offensively if Iran were to attack, we look at US attempts at deterrence. Then: Olaf Scholz’s visit to China as he hopes to bolster Germany’s faltering…
When two become three: Biden, Kishida and Marcos Jr meet
Joe Biden hosts the first trilateral White House summit with Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, and president Ferdinand Marcos Jr of the Philippines. Then: outnumbered on the battlefield, Ukraine scraps demobilisation…
South Korea heads to the polls and the Delphi Economic Forum
We discuss exit-poll results from South Korea’s national assembly elections. Plus: Monocle’s Andrew Mueller checks in from the first day of the Delphi Economic Forum, a court rules South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma…
