The Briefing

Feb 03 2025 100 ep. 33 mins 17.5k
The Briefing Podcast artwork

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.

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Trump’s tariffs and the Grammy Awards

Feb 03 2025 32 mins  
Donald Trump follows through on his threats to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, while promising more tariffs against the EU. Also on the programme: Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte meets Hungary prime minister Viktor Orbán. Then: The Christian Democratic Union of Germany holds its party convention today, taking a hard line against immigration. Plus: we cover the Grammy

Hamas loses its military chief and DeepSeek’s market impact

Jan 31 2025 33 mins  
Hamas confirms the death of its military chief, Mohammed Deif. Also on the programme: DeepSeek makes it hard for big tech to generate the oligopoly-like profit margins that investors hope for. Then: we speak to the mayor of Sør-Varanger, the only Norwegian municipality bordering Russia. Plus: why Australian journalist Peter Greste is on hunger strike and the theatre to look out fo

German parliament’s far-right vote and CIFF 2025

Jan 30 2025 35 mins  
German parliament passes a non-binding motion calling for tougher border and asylum rules, Graubünden named one of the most welcoming places on earth and we check into both the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair and the Angoulême International Comics Festival. Then: we bring you the papers from Switzerland. Plus: ‘The Global Countdown’ comes from Thailand.

Giorgia Meloni under investigation and Macron’s Louvre promise  

Jan 29 2025 32 mins  
Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, is under investigation for repatriating a Libyan warlord despite an active ICC arrest warrant and Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vučić, pardons 13 people facing charges following weeks of protests in the country. Then: Emmanuel Macron promises to return the Louvre to its former glory and Marina Tabassum is to design the 2025 Serpentine

The DRC accuses Rwanda of “declaring war”

Jan 28 2025 34 mins  
As the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s east reaches a turning point, Daniel van Dalen joins Emma Nelson to discuss the risks of a wider regional war. Plus: Starmer’s “post-Brexit” EU trade plans, Denmark’s $2bn (€1.9bn) security plan for Greenland and the ‘Brasil! Brasil!’ exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts.

The US and Colombia’s tit-for-tat

Jan 27 2025 32 mins  
Colombia will accept deportees from the US in a bid to avoid tariffs from the Trump administration. Will this become a new model of diplomacy? Then: a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel is extended. Plus: haute-couture collections head down the runway at Paris Fashion Week.

Davos reflections and Trump’s speech

Jan 24 2025 34 mins  
The Briefing is live from Zürich to review the week in Davos and how Donald Trump’s no-holds-barred speech went down with its guests. Plus: an interview with Mongolia’s culture minister and Switzerland’s digital transformation.

WEF special: defending democracy and leaders with purpose

Jan 23 2025 38 mins  
A special broadcast from our pop-up studio in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting. Monocle’s Carlota Rebelo speaks to Erik Berglof of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank about the biggest challenges faced by emerging economies; Politico’s Sarah Wheaton discusses Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez’s warning to defend democracy; and we hear about Switz

WEF special: can Europe step up? 

Jan 22 2025 35 mins  
Monocle’s Carlota Rebelo hosts a special broadcast from our pop-up studio in Davos for The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, issued a strong warning for Europe and we’ll hear from American diplomat Kurt Volker on whether leaders can step up. Also ahead: we sit down with Kelly T Clements, the UNHCR’s deputy high commissioner fo

WEF special: Donald Trump and AI

Jan 21 2025 39 mins  
A special broadcast from our pop-up studio in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting. Monocle Radio’s Carlota Rebelo speaks to Politico’s Zoya Sheftalovich about Western support for Ukraine and hears how the rise of artificial intelligence will affect society, with Polish futurist Aleksandra Przegalinska. Plus: Nick Mayencourt, CEO of Dreamlab Technologies, on cy