Monocle on Saturday

US lawmakers have passed a bill that would remove TikTok from app stores – but will the ban go ahead? And does dark matter actually exist? Join Vincent McAviney and Yassmin Abdel-Magied for this as well a background on the potential ceasefire in Sudan during Ramadan. Plus: Monocle’s Tomos Lewis interviews the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ahead of the celebrations tomorrow and the director of the London Book Fair, Gareth Rapley, joins us to discuss next week’s event. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Friday the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny drew thousands of mourners. What was the mood in Moscow? In the UK what has the reaction been to prime minister Rishi Sunak’s Downing Street address on Friday evening? Meanwhile in Austria, an investigation has exposed the fraudulent COO of Wirecard as a decade-long GRU spy – what do we know? Join Vincent McAviney and political journalist Terry Stiastny for all this, as well as a breakdown of the Willy Wonka experience scam in Glasgow. Plus: Monocle’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco gives us a rundown of the world’s best biscuits. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emma Nelson, Christopher Phillips and Charles Hecker reflect on the last two years of Russia’s war in Ukraine and take a look at Christopher’s new book, ‘Battleground: 10 Conflicts that Explain the New Middle East’. Plus: arts and culture communications specialist Issabella Orlando stops by to talk about the Barbican’s new exhibition, ‘Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art’, Sarah Snook’s one-woman take on ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ and Bali’s extraordinary New Year tradition.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Isabel Hilton, international journalist and founder of China Dialogue, joins Georgina Godwin for a round-up of the week’s news and culture. This week, we look back at the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the UK by-elections and fake Chinese accounts on Elon Musk’s X. Plus: Professor Suzannah Liscomb, award-winning author and broadcaster, joins Georgina Godwin to talk about the first-ever Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will China’s economy recover during the Year of the Dragon? What is the UK’s new tech that could control the weather? And how is the ‘Bayeux Tapestry’ being updated? Join Georgina Godwin and David Bodanis for a round-up of the week’s news and culture. Plus: the owner of The Steam Room, Tony Chung, joins us to talk about his collaboration with Ai Weiwei and Avant Arte for the Lunar New Year.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US military launched airstrikes against targets in Syria and Iraq on Friday. How has the country’s power changed across different administrations? Also on the programme: Georgina Godwin and international correspondent Nina dos Santos discuss why men are drifting to the far right, the many conspiracies surrounding Taylor Swift and Venice Carnival’s celebration of Marco Polo this weekend. Plus: Alice Haddon and Ruth Field join us to talk about their therapeutic wellness retreat, The Heartbreak Hotel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Emma Nelson and political journalist Terry Stiastny for a look back at the week’s news and culture. Plus: Issabella Orlando joins the panel for a round-up of her favourite stories this month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are the key takeaways from the interview with German defence minister, Boris Pistorius? Which country is the common link in the recent Middle Eastern conflicts, and why? Join Georgina Godwin and Austrian journalist Tessa Szyszkowitz for this and more from the week’s news and culture. Plus: Monocle’s Lilian Fawcett visits Singapore’s international art fair, ART SG, to find out how Singapore is trying to establish itself as a global art hubSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can the Israel-Hamas conflict be contained? What is likely to happen at the Iowa caucuses? And why are people upset at artificial intelligence finishing Keith Haring’s ‘Unfinished Painting’? Join Georgina Godwin and communications consultant Simon Brooke for this and more from the week’s news and culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What lasting effect has the Capitol Hill riot had on the US over the past three years? Monocle’s Christopher Cermak discusses how views and memories of that day have changed. How will Asia’s elections this month impact the rest of the world? Monocle’s Naomi Xu Elegant looks ahead. And is ‘Saltburn’ a perfect satire or does it fall flat? Join journalist Vincent McAviney and Georgina Godwin for a review of the week’s news and culture.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.