Trouble for Ursula von der Leyen

Andrew Mueller is joined by Chris Cermak to discuss the damning conclusions of the Jack Smith report. Plus: does Lebanon’s new PM signal a brighter future for the country and does Brazilian country star Gusttavo Lima want to become president? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Qatar hands Israel and Hamas the “final” draft of a ceasefire deal, Hannah McCarthy joins Christopher Cermak to discuss how likely a truce is before Donald Trump’s inauguration. Plus: we examine the aircraft used to fight Los Angeles wildfires and talk about what diplomacy will look like in the Arctic over the coming years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talks begin in Vienna to try to form a government, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy goes on trial, Taiwan introduces a digital-nomad visa and it’s the final day of campaigning ahead of Sunday’s second-round vote in Croatia’s presidential election. Plus: ‘The Invisible Collection’ takes up residency at Féau once again.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An evacuation order is in effect for Hollywood as thousands of acres surrounding Los Angeles are consumed by fire. Then: we’ll uncover the auction selling off the belongings of style-and-design legend Iris Apfel and look at the future of wellness and luxury travel in 2025. Plus: Tibet’s tourism industry in 2025 with the vice-president of Songtsam Hotels Resorts & Tours. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US president-elect Donald Trump reiterates his desire to take control of both Greenland and the Panama Canal. Plus, how has the return of Donald Tusk to Polish politics gone down one year on? Then, the latest business headlines and how the major luxury hotel brands mark themselves apart in today’s market. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss the race to succeed Justin Trudeau as Liberal Party leader following the Canadian prime minister’s resignation. Then: what can the outgoing Biden administration achieve before Trump’s return to the White House? Plus: the Pope’s historic appointment of a woman to head a major Vatican office and what’s on stage in 2025. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With two weeks to go until Donald Trump’s inauguration, we discuss Russia and Ukraine’s efforts to consolidate as much territory as possible. Then: Syria’s foreign minister calls for an end to US sanctions on his first trip abroad to Qatar. And: what Fernanda Torres’s historic Golden Globe win means for Brazil. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A pacy round-up of the day’s main news stories, anchored from London by Chris Cermak. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‘The Briefing’ returns with breaking news from around the world in a new year, including the start of Poland's EU presidency.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join us for a New Year’s Day special in which we listen back to some of our best and biggest interviews on Monocle Radio from the past year. Today we hear from best-selling author Elif Shafak; globally renowned architect Lord Norman Foster; Georgia Davis, Lizzie Mayland and Abigail Morris of UK band The Last Dinner Party; and Oscar-nominated screen star Jeffrey Wright.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.