Category Archives: Stories

News: Finland-Sweden NATO Debate, Nagorno-Karabakh, An Aging Italy

Finland’s Nato dilemma: will the country go it alone without Sweden? Plus: the blockade of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, Italy’s ‘silver tsunami’ and what does the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index reveal about the state of the world?

News: The Last Boeing 747, New Zealand Inflation Rate, Book Stores Future

January 31, 2023: Monocle’s US Editor, Christopher Lord, joins us from Seattle as Boeing delivers the last 747 that it will ever build. Plus: how did New Zealand set the inflation target rate for the world? And what can we learn from Barnes & Noble’s expansion plans?

News: China Satellite Firm Sanctions, Russia Military, NATO In South Korea-Japan

US slaps sanctions on a Chinese company for allegedly supplying satellite images to the Wagner Group. Plus: Russia’s shifting focus after Western powers promise tanks for Ukraine, and Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg visits South Korea and Japan.

News: Corruption Issues Facing Ukraine, India Bans Modi Documentary Film

January 27, 2023: Today on the show, we unpack the ethical conundrum faced by Ukrainian journalists who must choose between professional duty and patriotism. Plus, India’s Modi documentary ban, the latest Nordic news, and Walt Disney turns 100.

News: Germany & U.S. Send Tanks To Ukraine, Pence Classified Documents

The reaction in Germany to Olaf Scholz’s decision to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Plus: classified documents are found at the home of Mike Pence, North Korea goes into lockdown and conceptual artist Marina Abramović on her work at the Bangkok Biennale.

News: EU Sanctions Iran, Russia-China-South Africa Naval Drills, Oslo Design

January 24, 2023 – We report on the EU’s new sanctions against Iran. Plus: a look at South Africa’s worsening energy crisis and controversial plans to hold joint naval drills with Russia and China, the latest fashion news, and this year’s Oslo Design Fair.

Books: The New York Times Book Review – Jan 22, 2023

Illustration by Anthony Gerace

The New York Times Book Review – January 22, 2023:

A New Novel Confronts the Scale and Gravity of Climate Change

As catastrophe approaches, Stephen Markley’s “The Deluge” considers its many facets.

A Documentarian Travels the World Asking: ‘Have You Eaten Yet?’

From the Arctic to the Amazon, Cheuk Kwan traces a diaspora through Chinese restaurants owned and operated by immigrant families.

Read Your Way Through Newfoundland

Michael Crummey, an award-winning author whose poetry and prose explore the region and its capital, St. John’s, shares book recommendations, local vocabulary and where to find a good pint.