Paul Rogers of OpenDemocracy explains why global defence expenditure is at its highest level since records began. Elsewhere, Monocle’s Istanbul correspondent, Hannah Lucinda Smith, tells us about Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Iraq, the Maldives shifts its allegiance from India to China and we ask why the US is withdrawing troops from Niger. Plus: art and culture news. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Monocle’s Middle East correspondent Leila Molana-Allen discusses the latest on tensions in the region. Also in the programme: Ukrainian MP Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze on the relationship between Washington and Kyiv following the US House of Representatives’ vote on military aid for Ukraine. Plus: a flip through the papers, Balkans news and an interview with Romanian artist Serban Savu.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Israel carries out airstrikes on Iran, with explosions heard in the central city of Isfahan. What will be Tehran's next move? Then: the US votes on aid for Ukraine, which Kyiv says could make the difference between victory and defeat against Russia. Plus: newspapers, music news and a report from Salone del Mobile. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

We discuss what the future of the EU might look like following a report by former Italian prime minister, Enrico Letta. Also in the programme: Oscar Guardiola-Rivera on the importance of Brazil president Lula’s visit to Bogotá and Fiona O’Brien from Reporters without Borders explains the threats to Iranian journalists globally. Plus: we ask why the UAE is so unprepared for flooding and speak to architect Matteo Corbellini at Salone del Mobile. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

 The foreign ministers of the G7 nations touch down in Capri to discuss the crisis in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Then: Georgia’s controversial bill on ‘foreign influence’ and a look at the debate around South Africa’s National Health Insurance. Plus: newspapers, television news, 100 days to go before the Olympic Games and we speak with luxury home-appliance manufacturer Gaggenau.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

We discuss rising tensions in the Middle East amid fears of an Israeli military response to Iran’s weekend attacks. We also have the latest on Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial, Croatia’s parliamentary elections and Monocle’s team in Milan checks in from the first day of the 62nd edition of Salone del Mobile. Plus: a special interview with the former Commanding General of US Army Europe, Ben Hodges, on the laws of engagement in Ukraine, Gaza and beyond. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

The latest on the conflict in the Middle East following Iran's reprisal attack on Israel. Then: after days of clashes, we discuss the unrest at the Thailand-Myanmar border. Plus: the implications of Senegal’s new presidency for regional dynamics and fashion news. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Bill Hayton discusses the sentence against Vietnamese billionaire and fraudster Truong My Lan. Also in the programme: Belarus president Aleksandr Lukashenko’s visit to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin. Plus: we get the highlights from the Watches & Wonders trade fair in Geneva and the latest news in the world of transport. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

We discuss the likelihood of a retaliation against Israel by Iran with Lizzie Porter and Bill Law. Also in the programme: we learn the outcome of South Korea’s parliamentary elections with Joon Ha and check in with Andrew Mueller at the Delphi Economic Forum. Plus” we hear why Pacific island leaders are granting whales and dolphins “legal person” status. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

We take the temperature of US-Japan relations as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits President Biden in Washington DC. Also on the programme: Ankara based journalist Victoria Craig on why Turkey is halting exports to Israel and Stephen Dalziel explains a new form of protest using saucepans by The Way Home group of military wives and mothers in Russia. Plus: the shortlist for this year’s International Booker Prize. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more