We unpack the latest as a diplomatic spat erupts between Canada and India after Justin Trudeau expels six Indian envoys due to alleged involvement in the murder of a Sikh leader. Also in the programme: North Korea blows up sections of inter-Korean roads on its side of the border and we ask why bands are skipping certain locations on their tours in the UK and beyond. Plus: Prague’s strategy to attract more ‘cultured and wealthier’ tourists. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss the latest from Taiwan as president William Lai vows to resist ‘annexation’ amid Chinese military drills around the island. Also on the programme: we assess the significance of the US putting boots on the ground in Israel and analyse how late is too late for justice as a 34-year-old murder case from Germany is closed. Plus: does Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’ really need a trigger warning? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Norway releases its annual state budget, the voice of Japan’s beloved ‘Doraemon’, Nobuyo Ōyama, dies aged 90, Elon Musk reveals his $30,000 Tesla self-driving Cybercab and larger Robovan, a startling discovery is made on Mount Everest and we check in with the Quality of Life Conference in Istanbul. Plus: We speak to the renowned artist William Kentridge.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coming to you live from Istanbul for the ninth edition of Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference, Tom Edwards and the team detail everything they’re looking forward to at this year’s event. Expect a dizzying array of insights into urbanism, design, entrepreneurship and cocktails!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We unpack the latest from the conflict in the Middle East, as Israeli prime minister Netanyahu threatens Gaza-like destruction for Lebanon unless they oust Hezbollah. Also: We unpack the security threats from Russia and Iran in the West and consider whether the Nobel Peace Prize is deserved this year. Plus: Frankfurt’s controversial new parking portal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Hurricane Milton sweeps past northern Mexico, we discuss how president Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and the authorities are preparing to tackle the potential fall out. Also on the programme: we discuss how the Taliban is profiting from travel by charging diverted planes in its airspace. Then: Japan introduces laws to protect workers in customer service following a rise in harassment. Plus: a beer-can artwork is accidentally thrown in the bin at a Dutch museum. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

We reflect on the unimaginable conflict in the Middle East, a year on from Hamas’s attacks on an Israeli music festival. How much further are we from peace in the region? We also discuss the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in Sudan and, with the US presidential election just four weeks away, analyse Kamala Harris’s strategy to appeal to young voters. Plus: Sweden’s pioneering ‘grandparent’ leave. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former US ambassador David Hale joins Andrew Mueller to explore where the conflict in Lebanon and the wider region could lead next. Plus: we get a hot tip from Laura Kramer on who might win Fat Bear Week this year and Tom Edwards looks ahead to Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference in Istanbul next week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Lebanon’s residents seek safe spaces or search for an escape amid Israeli airstrikes, Ingar Thordar and Terry Stiatsny join Andrew Mueller to discuss the wide range of international evacuation plans currently under way. Plus: we take a look at the CIA’s new job posting and consider what a quiet zone might be like in the capital of Bangladesh.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the world reacts to Iran’s missile attack on Israel, we unpack the international community’s affirmations of Israel’s right to defend itself. Next: we assess whether the US vice-presidential debate will affect November’s election and we learn why Marine Le Pen and her far-right party, the National Rally, are currently on trial. Plus: an Italian politician gets his bachelor’s degree after more than 20 years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iran launches a ballistic missile towards Israel, following the IDF’s ground invasion into Lebanon. Allison Kaplan Sommer updates us on the latest from Tel Aviv. Also in the programme: Nato’s new leader, former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, is ushered into office. We discuss the problems he will be facing from day one. Plus: Artificial intelligence helps to solve a decades-old cold case. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Israel hints at a ground invasion into Lebanon, we discuss what might happen next as the Middle East braces for wider conflict. We also find out how Austria’s far-right Freedom Party secured a win in the nation’s parliamentary election and explore the new trend of young women becoming more liberal and young men more conservative. Plus: the problems with regularly changing your passwords, according to the US National Institute of Standards and Technology. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Donald Trump says he would work with both Ukraine and Russia to end their war, why vets’ incomes are rising faster than doctors’ in South Korea, Tesla checks in on home workers calling in sick and we report from the new Northern Lights CCS facility in Norway. Plus: Yaroslav Trofimov’s new novel ‘No Country for Love’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New York mayor Eric Adams has been charged with taking bribes, another day of Israeli air strikes reaches the southern suburbs of Beirut, house speaker Mike Johnson demands that Ukraine sack its ambassador to the US and we pop inside Nintendo’s new museum in Kyoto. Plus: We receive a letter from Romania. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the death toll in Lebanon rises into the several hundreds, emergency talks begin at the United Nations General Assembly. We ask whether a diplomatic solution to this conflict is still possible? Plus: Iran’s changing attitudes to nuclear negotiations, Russia’s questionable solution to its falling birth rate and Spain prepares to give “human” rights to great apes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China introduces its strongest measures since the coronavirus pandemic to boost its ailing economy. Also on the programme: we discuss the Minerals Security Partnership as it reveals fresh plans to break China’s grip on critical minerals. Then: Keir Starmer takes to the podium at the Labour conference as his ratings plummet. Plus: we ask what childhood snacks you would like to see back on the shelves. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Ukraine’s President Zelensky touches down in the US ahead of the UN General Assembly this week, we unpack what will be on his agenda and what his secretive peace plan for Ukraine might look like. Also in the programme: as Germany’s Social Democrats hold off the far right in the eastern state of Brandenburg, we look at why this is a major relief for Olaf Scholz and what this might mean for his future as Germany’s chancellor. Plus: two Australian supermarkets are being sued for their false...

At the end of a week filled with violence in the Middle East, Yossi Mekelberg joins us from Israel to discuss the latest and what the next stage of the Israel-Gaza conflict will look like. Also on the programme: we round up the latest technology news from Norway, hear the highlights from London Design Festival and discuss the New Zealand bird of the year competition. Plus: we sit down with the curator of London’s Ukrainian Film Festival. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest from the Middle East as the secretary-general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, vows to retaliate to Israel’s deadly device attacks. Also on the programme: we discuss news from North Korea as the nation shows off its nuclear arsenal with a test of its “new, super-large” ballistic missile. Plus: we examine the row over UK prime minister Keir Starmer’s declaration of freebies and gifts totalling more than £100,000 (€119,000).  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the world reacts to deadly communication-device explosions in Lebanon, we’re joined by Nicholas Noe to give us the view from Beirut. Also: China and India hint at thawing ties as they begin to resolve their issues along the Line of Actual Control, the pair’s de facto border. Plus: we unpack changing attitudes to migration in Europe following Keir Starmer’s visit to Rome. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We get the latest developments from Beirut after hacked pagers explode across the city. Plus: Meta bans Russian state media and we take a look at the effectiveness of Western sanctions. Then: Ursula von der Leyen announces the EU’s new Commission lineup, reflecting a shifting world order in the bloc. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How will the homestretch of the US presidential election pan out following a second assassination attempt on Donald Trump? Plus: are South China Sea tensions simmering down or bubbling over? Then: a 225-year-old territorial dispute reignites.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With 53 days left until the US election, we swap our journalist hats for campaign-manager caps as we advise Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on how to clinch the White House. Plus: get under the cover of our autumn edition of ‘Konfekt’. Then: Monocle team members take us around the world to highlight the hidden gems of their hometowns. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UN secretary-general António Guterres warns Israel’s lack of accountability over a strike that killed six of his workers is ‘totally unacceptable.’ Plus: what will a new cast of leaders in Europe mean for the continent? Then: would you board the next civilian spacecraft? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How will the first debate between Harris and Trump inform the rest of the presidential race? Then: China and the EU try to defrost trade tensions. Plus: would you live in a for-profit city? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.