Category Archives: News

News: New Russia Draft Law Exempts Criminals, Houthi Drone Attack

Monocle Radio Podcast (October 4, 2024): Russia’s new law exempting defendants from criminal liability if they join the army, the Iran-backed Houthi militia carry out a drone attack on Tel Aviv and the lives of children on Ukraine’s frontline. Plus: we dive into protest architecture.

The New York Times — Friday, October 4, 2024

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After Successes, Israel’s Military Is in a ‘Long Game’ With No Clear Outcome

A year after perhaps the worst military and intelligence debacle in the country’s history, its armed forces have regained the momentum. Some ask: to what end?

3 Former Officers Acquitted of Most Serious Charge in Tyre Nichols’s Death

The former officers were found guilty of witness tampering but not of the charge that would have held them responsible for causing his death.

Trump Promised to Release His Medical Records. He Still Won’t Do It.

If elected again, he would become the oldest president by the end of his term. Yet he is refusing to disclose even basic health information.

Filing in Trump Election Case Fleshes Out Roles of a Sprawling Cast

Donald Trump is the only defendant in the special counsel’s case that charges him with a plot to remain in power after his 2020 loss. But a newly unsealed brief provides fresh details about many other figures.

News: Is Iran Ready For “All-Out” War With Israel, Germany-France Politics

Monocle Radio Podcast (October 3, 2024): How close are the Middle East’s two greatest foes to all-out conflict? Then: German chancellor Olaf Scholz and French president Emmanuel Macron meet in Berlin, Singapore’s former transport minister is on trial and we get an update on Hurricane Helene.

Plus: a visit to Christie’s Asia flagship and there’s a reshuffle at Celine.

The New York Times — Thursday, October 3, 2024

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Israel Says at Least 8 Soldiers Are Killed in Clashes With Hezbollah

The cross-border fighting appeared to be the first direct ground confrontation between the two sides since Israel invaded Lebanon this week.

A Wider War in the Middle East, From Hamas to Hezbollah and Now Iran

The main questions now are how much the conflict will escalate and whether the United States will get more directly involved in the defense of Israel.

Stranded in North Carolina’s Mountains, ‘You Can’t Tell That the World’s Going On’

With no way for cars to get into Bat Cave, N.C., food and water have been dropped off by helicopters or carried over the river on foot or by a raft.

The Moment When Vance Dodged a Jan. 6 Question but Said Plenty

JD Vance sailed fairly smoothly through some 90 minutes of Tuesday’s debate with Tim Walz. Then the subject turned to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

News: Iran Fires Missiles At Israel, Walz And Vance In Vice Presidential Debate

Monocle Radio Podcast (October 2, 2024): We get the latest from Iran and the US after a long night of activity. Plus: a look at Marine le Pen’s embezzlement trial, the latest design news and a hunt for the oldest DNA.

The New York Times — Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024

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Iran Launches Barrage of Ballistic Missiles at Israel in Retaliation for Assassinations

The 180 missiles fired at Israel on Tuesday evening sharply escalated the conflict between the two countries and threatened to engulf the Middle East in all-out war.

As Crisis Builds, Lebanon’s Government Is Nowhere to Be Found

Already crippled by years of economic decline, political paralysis and other crises, Lebanon has little but its own citizens’ grit to survive the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

In Booming Asheville, Residents Rethink Their Sense of Safety

Worries of flooding had not been top of mind as the mountain-ringed city flourished in recent years as a haven for artists, chefs, brewmasters, entrepreneurs and retirees.

Pete Rose, Baseball Star Who Earned Glory and Shame, Dies at 83

One of the sport’s greatest players, he set a record with 4,256 career hits. But his gambling led to a lifetime ban and kept him out of the Hall of Fame.

News: Israel Advances Into Lebanon, Iran Prepares Missile Strike

Monocle Radio Podcast (October 1, 2024): The latest from Lebanon, Czechia’s coalition crisis, the Mozambican soldiers operating out of Total Energies’ natural gas plant, why sex has returned to cinema and news from the world of architecture. Plus: we report from Paris Fashion Week.

The New York Times — Tuesday, October 1, 2024

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Israeli Military Announces Ground Invasion of Southern Lebanon

The military said it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in villages close to the Israel-Lebanon border.

Adams’s Lawyers Ask Judge to Dismiss Federal Bribery Charge

Lawyers for Mayor Eric Adams of New York filed a 25-page memo arguing that the conduct described in the indictment against him did not meet the definition of bribery.

Helene Killed People Across the South. Here Are Some of Their Stories.

After the Category 4 hurricane made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast and pummeled the Southeast, some victims’ portraits were coming into focus.

Jimmy Carter Approaches the Century Mark, Eclipsing His Presidential Peers

Nineteen months after entering hospice care, the 39th president is set to turn 100 on Tuesday. His birthday wish? A chance to vote for his party’s candidate one more time.

News: Nasrallah Killing Will Change Balance Of Power, Mexico Leadership

Monocle Radio Podcast (September 30, 2024): Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, was killed in a huge Israeli air attack on Beirut. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says that the assassination will change the balance of power in the region. What happens next?

Also in the programme: Mexico bids farewell to Andrés Manuel López Obrador and welcomes its first-female president, Claudia Sheinbaum; Russia eyes a satellite deal in West Africa; and Jakarta braces for a mayoral election. Plus, we discuss the UN’s meeting on the “slow-motion pandemic” and we head to Ibiza Town for a gastronomic tour.

The New York Times — Monday, Sept. 30, 2024

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As Hezbollah Threat Loomed, Israel Built Up Its Spy Agencies

After the 2006 war with Hezbollah, Israel invested heavily to intercept the group’s communications and track its commanders in a shadowy war that ultimately led to the killing of the group’s leader.

Israel Strikes Multiple Fronts, Including Long-Distance Attack on Yemen

The escalation of violence between Israel and Iran-backed proxies across the Middle East threatened to bring the combatants closer to an all-out regional war.

A Wisconsin City Welcomed New Refugees. Then the Angry Billboards Went Up.

Eau Claire had a plan. But opponents, mostly from rural areas, were convinced that the newcomers would destroy their Midwestern way of life.

Trump Allies Bombard the Courts, Setting Stage for Post-Election Fight

Republicans are filing a barrage of election lawsuits in the final weeks of the presidential campaign. The cases may be a road map for a legal battle over the results.