UAE signs a free trade agreement with South Korea and South Africans go to the polls

Following a trip to North Korea, Russia’s leader heads to Vietnam as he continues his Asia tour. Then: Houthi rebels sink a second ship in the Red Sea and we examine China’s interference in New Zealand and the Pacific. Plus: we speak with author Hamed Amiri for World Refugee Day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Summary: Vladimir Putin visits North Korea as tensions escalate across the demilitarised zone. Plus: riots in Kenya over proposed tax hikes, a Balkan roundup and Tokyo preserves the view of Mount Fuji.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

European Union leaders gathered last night to discuss who will take the bloc’s top jobs. Then: Vladimir Putin heads to Pyongyang and Nato puts nuclear weapons on standby, amid a record 13 per cent rise in global spending on nuclear armament this year. Plus: Singapore’s mission to clean up its beaches, business news and we tour an exhibition about writer Franz Kafka.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The war in Gaza risks expanding. Plus: South Africa’s new government of national unity, the latest from Ukraine’s peace summit in Switzerland and whether Apple can catch up to competitors in the world of artificial intelligence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ukraine’s armed forces look to Nato for longer-term predictability in aid. Also in the programme: how Macron’s snap election has upended French politics, the winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and a celebration of the love of freight trains. Plus: the papers and latest news from the world of science and health.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As leaders of the G7 nations meet in Puglia, we discuss the agenda amid growing West-China tensions. Plus: the latest on the conflict in Sudan, South Korea’s bribery scandal and we check in on the opening day of Art Basel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Hamas says it accepts a UN resolution which backs a plan to end the war in Gaza, we examine what this means for the region. Plus: Monocle’s editors bring us reports from a spate of creative conferences across Europe in the fields of design, urbanism and animated film.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We examine the latest developments in Iran’s presidential race and take stock of last week’s European Parliament elections. Plus: a closer look at Belarus’s participation in nuclear drills with Russia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

News from this weekend’s EU elections. Plus: Brics foreign ministers meet in Nizhny Novgorod, the latest on Rafah and how might the detainment of a French scholar in Russia further strain relations with the West?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We reflect on South Korea’s first summit with leaders from 48 African countries and how the country plans to increase its influence in the region. Plus: plans for teetotal cruises in Saudi Arabia, a roundup of retail news and an interview with filmmaker Richard Linklater.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.