The Briefing

Contributing editor Andrew Mueller joins from the Black Sea Security Forum in Odesa, Ukraine. Plus: a painting of Sue Tilley, one of Lucien Freud’s main muses, is set to go under the hammer.
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We get the latest from Iran, go behind the scenes with UAE defence manufacturer Edge Group and talk all things coffee with a special feature in Monocle’s June magazine, out today. Plus: The Global Countdown from Namibia.
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As the US and Iran battle on with strained efforts to find peace, we assess the implications for Israel as its offensive against Lebanon intensifies. Plus: we discuss opera and AI with the Royal Opera’s Netia Jones.
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As Tehran and Washington discuss a framework to end their three-month war, Iran’s supreme leader warns that Gulf powers will no longer be a shield for the US and its bases. Plus: Why guilty consumption is taking off in Japan.
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Pope Leo XIV is giving his first ecumenical today on the topic of artificial intelligence, the first official word from the Catholic Church on the topic. Anthropic CEO Christopher Olah is in attendance but will anyone in Silicon Valley truly pay attention to the Church’s teachings?
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