Merz in Beijing and Trump's State of the Union address

What can Merz’s visit to Beijing really achieve? Then: Warnings that the Horn of Africa is on the brink of war, Trump’s State of the Union address and how Canada is stepping up to help Cuba. Plus: Why Etihad is flying high.

Ukraine marks four years since Russia’s invasion and the UK’s Chagos Island deal faces uncertainty

The EU fails to agree fresh sanctions as the Russia-Ukraine war enters another year. Then: will Donald Trump’s intervention kill the Chagos Island deal? Plus: exploring the memory of Beirut through its cinema and the latest aviation news.

The countdown is on as Trump ups pressure on Iran

With the risk of war looming over the Middle East, pressure mounts on Iran’s theocracy. As Washington moves more warships and aircraft into the region and Donald Trump’s deadline for Tehran to strike a new nuclear deal counts down, how close are we to a new conflict?

Trump convenes the Board of Peace

Amid backlash from the EU, the UN and even the Vatican, President Donald Trump hosts his inaugural Board of Peace. Then: former UN special advisor on how to end the war in Sudan. Plus: the latest urbanism news.

Diplomacy converges in Geneva and we speak with Georgia’s Salomé Zourabichvili

We unpack the two high-level talks that took place in Geneva and speak with Salomé Zourabichvili, who maintains that she’s the legitimate president of Georgia. Plus: Greenland gets closer to the Nordics and Indonesian news.

Geneva’s role in Ukraine and Iran peace talks

The latest from Geneva as the US mediates two separate rounds of talks on Iran and the war in Ukraine. Then: we speak to Bill Browder about the future of Russia’s economy. Plus: Macron’s high-profile visit to India and news from the Balkans.

Rubio pledges US support for Orbán ahead of Hungary's parliamentary elections

US secretary of state Marco Rubio visits Hungary to boost ties with pro-Trump prime minister Viktor Orbán. Then: we meet Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarus’s opposition leader at the Munich Security Conference. 

Munich Security Conference 2026: a new era in geopolitics?

As this year’s edition comes to a close, we discuss the key takeaways and the future ahead for global security. Then: what does the US want from Cuba? Plus: the Italy-Africa summit and Monocle in Milan. 

What’s on the agenda at this year’s Munich Security Conference? 

We catch up with our team in Munich and discuss the Nato summit in Brussels. Then: the competition to be the main US-Iran mediator. Plus: the Women’s Prize for Fiction and Monocle at the Olympic Winter Games. 

Bangladesh heads to the polls in the first vote since Sheikh Hasina’s ousting

We discuss what’s at stake in the Bangladesh elections and whether the outcome could set the country on a path towards democracy. Then: preparations for the Munich Security Conference and cultural news from Japan Plus: we dig into recipes from a famed Parisian bistro.