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The Briefing
A fast-paced news round-up with expert reporting, business insights, and industry updates on technology, aviation, retail, and media. Anchored from London.
Latest Episodes
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. Plus: we talk about Caravaggio’s last painting, “The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula”.
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 arguments of Donald Trump’s first criminal trial in New York and…
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 launching a series of military drills in the South China Sea, and…
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 UN member state. Plus: why there’s a private funding effort for Ukraine in Slovakia, the…
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 special spring edition of ‘The Global Countdown’ and head back to Milan to join the…
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 to approve Kosovo’s application for membership and a check-in from this year’s Venice Biennale.
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 Iran, the regime in Tehran assesses its own capabilities. Plus: a fire breaks out…
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 controversial Rwanda bill and, finally, to New York,…
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 economy. Plus: we hear about Europe’s battle with populism from the Delphi…
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 plans for long-serving soldiers. Plus: we sit down with Stefan Löfven, former prime minister of Sweden, to talk about…
