Can design and fashion events project soft power at a time of political uncertainty?

Zelensky’s €70bn ask exposes Europe’s fight over money and priorities. Then: what Frieze got right this year and the hospitality that keeps it running. Plus: Andrew Mueller’s What We Learned.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brazil scraps the six-day workweek, BMW pulls a car offer from a far-right politician and Cyprus’s stalled Schengen bid. Plus: would you live rent-free in the Arctic? And: São Paulo’s Pulso Hotels.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lufthansa wins the fight for Tap, Ukraine’s access to Starlink is curbed and the Houthis strike Aramco’s HQ in Saudi Arabia. Plus: Frieze Masters and a 1930 kidnapping.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Live from Paris: Alexandre Kouchner and Florence Biedermann discuss the freezer fiasco and protests. Will French politicians be able to agree on a 2027 budget? Plus: Alfa Romeo CEO Santo Ficilli on branching out into sailing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Live from the Paris Auto Show: We speak with the CEO of Dacia and the chief designer of Zeekr. We also get the perspective of the US and from auto analyst and expert Felipe Munoz.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A special design and fashion edition of ‘The Monocle Daily’. Nic Monisse and Grace Charlton discuss Paris Fashion Week during protests, Salone del Mobile 2027, improving our architectural diets and next week’s episode of ‘Monocle on Design’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the Houthis warning Saudi Arabia to stay away from oil facilities, we consider how the Kingdom will respond. Plus: the Arctic Circle Assembly begins. Who gets to share in the new theatre of global competition?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aliona Hlivco and Charles Hecker join to discuss why the Paris school protests have expanded beyond France. Then: Russia strikes a Ukraine apartment block on Vladimir Putin’s birthday. Plus: AI turns on tech creators. And: do important people have worse manners? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Israel expected to close the British consulate in Jerusalem, we explore why Britain is determined to keep its diplomatic foothold in the region. Plus: Would you date in saunas? What Finns understand about communal spaces that the world has forgotten.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brazil heads to a runoff between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro. Then: protests in Spain, France and Pakistan – do they work? Plus: should pets be allowed to fly in the cabin?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.