Monocle Radio Podcast (September 20, 2024): As the Israel-Hezbollah conflict reaches boiling point, Georgina Godwin is joined by Hannah McCarthy and Mark Lyall Grant to discuss what the UN Security Council can hope to achieve during its emergency meetings this week.
Plus: Carlota Rebelo considers whether or not the Thames river will ever be swimmable.
The Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, did not say how his group would respond to attacks on hand-held devices, which killed dozens when pagers and walkie-talkies exploded.
The Israeli government did not tamper with the Hezbollah devices that exploded, defense and intelligence officials say. It manufactured them as part of an elaborate ruse.
Kamala Harris holds an edge over Donald J. Trump in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. But new surveys found that the race remains a tossup nationally.
Asphalt Schoolyards Get a Shady Makeover
Schools across the country are adding trees, tent-like structures and water to their playgrounds as temperatures soar.
The last sighting of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who is widely accused of unleashing the Gaza war, was from a retrieved Hamas security video that was apparently recorded three days after the 7 October attack on Israel.
Since then an estimated 41,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in a furious and devastating Israeli bombing response. Yet the prime target Sinwar has remained at large and apparently unscathed.
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Spotlight | Another apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump Violence and instability have become a feature, not a bug, of US political life, writes Washington DC bureau chief David Smith
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Environment | Darién Gap migration rush creates a pollution crisis Isolated communities on the Colombia-Panama border are sounding the alarm over poisoned rivers and cultural erosion after a surge in migrants crossing their ancestral lands, finds Luke Taylor
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Feature | The age of rage Anger has come to def ine the public mood – felt in the posts of social media warriors and harnessed by populist agitators. Psychoanalyst Josh Cohen asks why are we so mad, and how can we navigate to calmer waters
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Opinion | The return of border checks in Germany The German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s border clampdown threatens the entire European project, argues Maurice Stierl – no wonder the continent’s rightwing populists are cheering
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Culture | Michael Kiwanuka on faith, family and fulfilment The Mercury prize-winning musician explains to Alexis Petridis how he went from being a ‘slight weirdo’ to wowing Glastonbury – and why he thinks more people are turning to religion
Monocle Radio Podcast (September 19, 2024): Lebanon sees further explosions of digital devices as Hezbollah vows retaliation. We unpack the latest and explore the broader concerns for global security.
Plus: Colombia’s president declares an end to peace talks with the ELN, the Dutch try to opt out of EU migration rules and a look at Uzbekistan’s disco scene.
At least 20 people were killed and more than 450 others wounded, Lebanese officials said, a day after pagers exploded across the country and killed 12 people, in an attack widely attributed to Israel.
Two series of coordinated attacks targeting the group’s wireless devices caused thousands of injuries, piercing the group’s rank and file and raising questions about how it will respond.
Fed officials kicked off rate cuts with a half-point reduction, confident that inflation is cooling and eager to keep the job market strong.
Trump’s Talk of Prosecution Rattles Election Officials
The former president has long claimed, despite evidence to the contrary, that elections are corrupt. What if he carries through with threats to prosecute the officials who run them?
The Iranian-backed militant group, which uses pagers to safeguard communications, blamed Israel for the attacks in Lebanon. Israel declined to comment.
At least 17 people have died and thousands have been displaced. “Relief is not expected to come before tomorrow, and more likely, the day after,” an official in Austria said.
Instagram, Facing Pressure Over Child Safety Online, Unveils Sweeping Changes
The app, which is popular with teenagers, introduced new settings and features aimed at addressing inappropriate online contact and content, and improving sleep for users under 18.
Monocle Radio Podcast (September 17, 2024): We discuss the latest from the Middle East as Israel says that time is running out for a diplomatic solution with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Also on the programme: Putin’s latest ambitions to expand Russia’s army and Greece’s dwindling birthrate. Then: what does the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump say about the safety processes for presidential candidates? Plus: we hear about New Zealand’s bird of the year.
The latest apparent assassination attempt against the former president indicates how much the American political landscape has been shaped by anger stirred by him and against him.
Ryan W. Routh was charged with two federal gun crimes a day after Secret Service agents fired on him as he pointed a rifle toward the golf course where former President Donald Trump was playing.
Monocle Radio Podcast (September 16, 2024): The latest from the US as the FBI investigates a second attempt on Donald Trump’s life.
Then: a missile fired by Houthi rebels lands in Israel, and Armenia and Azerbaijan’s fragile peace deal ahead of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s one-year anniversary. Plus: we have an exclusive interview with Marina Abramovic ahead of the opening of her ‘Healing Frequency’ exhibition, recap the 2024 Emmy Awards and pop by the Pure experiential-travel show.
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