11 May 2017
05 minutes
We continue this week’s series on the Eurovision Song Contest with a look at the Finnish track record from the past 50 years. Monocle 24’s resident Finn Markus Hippi explains how Eurovision became a national obsession – and why he’s not too bothered that the Finnish entry did not get to the finals this year.
11 May 2017
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 Globalist - latest episodes
Blinken in China; Haiti’s ongoing crisis; the rise of Latin music
We discuss the state of relations between the world’s two most powerful countries as US secretary of state Antony Blinken visits China. Plus: the current humanitarian situation in Gaza, the UN warns that the crisis in Haiti…
Poland flexes its diplomatic muscles
As Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, and the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, visit Warsaw, we examine the role that Poland plays in the diplomatic field. Then: Donald Trump’s criminal trial; Taiwan wants to remove…
Global military spending reaches an all-time high
Paul Rogers of OpenDemocracy explains why global defence expenditure is at its highest level since records began. Elsewhere, Monocle’s Istanbul correspondent, Hannah Lucinda Smith, tells us about Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s…
Middle East tensions and the future of the US-Ukraine relationship
Monocle’s Middle East correspondent Leila Molana-Allen discusses the latest on tensions in the region. Also in the programme: Ukrainian MP Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze on the relationship between Washington and Kyiv following…
Israel’s airstrikes on Iran: what happens next?
Israel carries out airstrikes on Iran, with explosions heard in the city of Isfahan. How will Tehran respond? Meanwhile, the US votes on aid for Ukraine, which Kyiv says could make the difference between victory and defeat…
The future of the EU according to the Enrico Letta report
We discuss what the future of the EU might look like following a report by former Italian prime minister, Enrico Letta. Also in the programme: Oscar Guardiola-Rivera on the importance of Brazil president Lula’s visit to…
G7 foreign ministers meet in Capri
The foreign ministers of the G7 nations touch down in Capri to discuss the crisis in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Then: Georgia’s controversial bill on ‘foreign influence’ and a look at the debate around…
Trump’s historic day in criminal court and Salone del Mobile starts
We discuss rising tensions in the Middle East amid fears of an Israeli military response to Iran’s weekend attacks. We also have the latest on Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial, Croatia’s parliamentary elections and…
Iran launches missile strikes in Israel and the Thailand-Myanmar border crisis
The latest on the conflict in the Middle East following Iran’s reprisal attack on Israel. Then: after days of clashes, we discuss the unrest at the Thailand-Myanmar border. Plus: the implications of Senegal’s new presidency…
The sentencing of Vietnamese billionaire and fraudster Truong My Lan
Bill Hayton discusses the sentence against Vietnamese billionaire and fraudster Truong My Lan. Also in the programme: Belarus president Aleksandr Lukashenko’s visit to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin. Plus: highlights…
Will Iran retaliate against Israel?
We discuss the likelihood of a retaliation against Israel by Iran with Lizzie Porter and Bill Law. Also in the programme: we learn the outcome of South Korea’s parliamentary elections with Joon Ha and check in with Andrew…
Prime Minister Kishida’s visit to the US and the International Booker Prize 2024
We take the temperature of US-Japan relations as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits President Biden in Washington DC. Also on the programme: Ankara based journalist Victoria Craig on why Turkey is halting exports to Israel…
Mexico’s diplomatic rift with Ecuador and Zimbabwe’s new currency
With seven months to go until the US election, we discuss how things are shaping up as the old foes try new tactics. Plus: Mexico’s diplomatic rift with Ecuador, Zimbabwe’s new currency and Thailand’s response to unrest in…
Israel’s isolation grows six months into war against Hamas in Gaza
Six months into the conflict in Gaza, an absence of a clear resolution to a conflict that is increasingly isolating Israel remains. Then: Russia makes moves to overrun Ukrainian defences before more Western aid arrives, we…
Benny Gantz calls for early elections in Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival and member of the war cabinet, Benny Gantz, calls for early elections, Myanmar’s opposition carries out a drone attack on junta-controlled Naypyidaw, Moscow declares that Russia and Nato are…
