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- [00:04]
UBS Narrator
Craft matters in small ways, like how a coffee is brewed, and in not so small ways, like how your money is cared for. Which is why for 160 years, UBS has elevated banking to a craft, tailoring unique strategies that combine human expertise with the latest technologies, all happening across 24 time zones and 12 key financial hubs. With you at the heart of it all, UBS advice is our craft.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
You're listening to the Globalist fast broadcast on 14 July 2026 on Monocle Radio, the Globalist in association with U. Live from London. This is the Globalist. I'm Fionnuala Sweeney.
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Pedro Sampaio
Coming up, we're going to keep the Strait and we'll probably run it. We'll become the guardian of the strait and we should be reimbursed for that.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
As Iran refutes Donald Trump's attempts to police the Strait of Hormuz, the UAE condemns attacks on two of its ships by Tehran. Is this the end of the ceasefire and the start of something more? In Bangkok, survivors have been describing the horror they experienced after the deadly blaze at a popular pub took 27 lives and critically injured 22 others. We'll have a review of the papers. And then Brazilian funk crosses continents.
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Pedro Sampaio
I believe 100% that Brazilian funk can touch every soul, even if you are not Brazilian. So that's my mission.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
Stay tuned for more on that. That's ahead on the Globalist, live from London. But first, a look at what else is happening in the news. The Hungarian parliament has voted to remove President Tomasz Solyuk from office, widely seen as a supporter of former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was in power for 16 years. A US judge has voided a legal agreement between President Trump and federal agencies which had granted him immunity from tax audits. And also in the States, the sister of Senator Lindsey Graham will serve as his replacement until his term ends next year after the South Carolina lawmaker died suddenly over the weekend. Stay tuned to Monocle Radio throughout the day for more on those stories. But first, two tankers registered to the UAE have been hit by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. The US Says it will resume its blockade of the strait after President Trump said Washington would be the guardian of the waterway and impose a 20% charge on all cargo passing through. He said this would stop Iran's ships or customers, but that all other countries would have fair and open use of the waterway, but clearly not given events overnight, although the blockade is due only to go into effect at 2000 GMT on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Iran Backed Houthi rebels said Saudi Arabia had struck Sana' a airport, but the Yemeni government said it had hit the Runway itself to stop an Iranian plane from landing. So what does this all mean for the potential widening of the conflict? I'm joined now from Geneva by Ali Vaez, Iran Project Director at the International Crisis Group. Thanks so much for joining us. With these continued and some say, escalating attacks, can the ceasefire be considered to still be in place?
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Ali Vaez
Ali, good morning. It's good to be with you. No, the ceasefire is certainly over. The Memorandum of Understanding that Iran and the US signed less than a month ago is, I would say, on life support. And it's probably on the brink of collapse. And in a way, it's back to the future. We are where we were before the ceasefire. Both sides are trying to basically get what they want through the use of military force.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
But then how limited do each side want it to be? I mean, is there a limit in terms of what force can achieve, too?
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Ali Vaez
Well, it is true that it is a rather calculated escalatory cycle at this point. Neither side is going too far too fast, but it does have that potential. As you had in your reporting already, you can see that Yemen is being dragged into this. The scope of Iranian retaliatory attacks is increasing. It now reaches all the way from Oman and Qatar, in addition to the countries like the uae, Bahrain and Kuwait that were targeted in the past. Two vessels on open seas all way to Jordan. And so this can, at any point, spiral out of control. And then we would see a very sharp escalation, probably.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
And what would that look like regionally?
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Ali Vaez
Well, it would be, I'm afraid, a worse version of what we saw towards the end of the last round, which was increasing attacks on infrastructure in Iran and throughout the region. And this time around, it is possible that now that the Yemeni Houthis are in a way involved, that they might also close Babel Mandab, which is the entry point to the Red Sea from the Indian Ocean. And this is where 7 million barrels of Saudi and Emirati oil was being shipped out to Asian markets. And so that would create a much bigger economic shock to the, to the world because the inventories of energy stocks are now running very low after months of the closure of the Strait of Hormones.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
And if you're in the Iranian government and you're also hearing from the regional players like Pakistan, Qatar and Egypt, what is it that they can bring to bear on these negotiations? Or is it really between the US And Iran?
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Ali Vaez
So it is primarily between the US And Iran. But the mediating countries have played a very effective role in trying to bridge the gaps between the two sides, coming up with ideas, trying to keep President Trump infamously very impatient about long diplomatic processes like this, to stay focused and remain on board with the diplomatic effort. So the role has been undeniable. But there is a degree of Iranian mistrust towards the mediating countries as well, because it believes that all of them are in the U.S. s camp rather than being actually neutral states.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
So what options? Or let me put it this way, what is there to lose for Iran by continuing the hostilities? Because to many minds, and given where the US Was coming from at the end of February, beginning of June, Iran has really defied all the odds. Or is that maybe just too general a description of what has been taking place?
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Ali Vaez
Look, so on the one hand, you can say that the Iranians are overplaying their hand, because the memorandum of understanding judged by many in Washington on the left and on the right of the political spectrum was quite beneficial to the Iranians. So to now demand that they have full administrative control over the Strait of Hormuz and not allow a southern corridor to open, and that's what basically led to these tensions might be a bit of an overreach from the Iranian side. But if you talk to Iranian officials, they would tell you that they believe that U.S. efforts to open a corridor much closer to Oman's territorial waters was aimed at eroding Iranian leverage before a final agreement is reached. And that's why the Iranians have pushed back, because they believed, in the same way that President Trump believed, that the MOU was a test and the Iranians have failed it. From their perspective, the MOU was a test to see if the US Delivers on sanctions relief and doesn't try to undermine the understanding that they had. And President Trump has failed that test. So this is why we are where we are. But, you know, the irony in all of this is that even after another round of sharp, maybe, hopefully short escalation, we're not going to end up in a fundamentally different place. They are still going to face the same dilemmas and would have to end up with something similar to that MOU with very similar terms.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
And so the jockeying for position now, is it also over this charge, say, for example, that President Trump is talking about charging a tariff of something like 20% on cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz? I mean, is that even physically feasible to collect from his perspective?
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Ali Vaez
Well, he first has to control the strait in order to be able to impose a tariff that is basically a violation of international law, according to most of his own officials in the administration. But in any case, I don't believe that there is a military silver bullet solution here available to be able to take over the control of the strait. It takes very little for Iran to disrupt the traffic. One drone hitting a vessel is sufficient. And in order to destroy all of Iran's capabilities to fire a single drone, this we're talking about months and months of aerial bombing, which is something that clearly neither President Trump nor the US Economy have the stomach for.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
And talking of the US Economy, if you're a regional player and you were hoping that this memorandum of understanding would have at least brought a quiet cessation eventually, Sable, by the end of the summer in the global north to hostilities, what are you thinking now if you're the Qataris who've just been hit or another country in the Gulf, that I was hoping that business would be back to normal in the next few months?
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Ali Vaez
Well, the regional countries are fed up because this degree of uncertainty, unpredictability is something that their economies are certainly not used to. And they're caught between two irrational players from their perspective, who are basically engaged in a futile exercise because as I said at the end of another round, at much higher cost and risk to everyone, the parties are not going to end up in a fundamentally different position. And the same logic that led them to agree to the MoU still applies, but again, everybody else is paying a price for it. And that's why the Gulf countries are sick and tired of it. Their problem is they've tried through mediation to bring this to an end, but even that hasn't been effective. And so they're sort of stuck and they don't have a way out.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
And we'll have to obviously wait and see if the memorandum of understanding gets back on the table anytime soon. But Ali Vaz, director of the Iran Project and senior advisor for the International Crisis Group, thank you so much for joining us. This is the Global. It is 13:11 in Bangkok. It's 7:11am in London. In Bangkok, survivors have been describing the horror they experienced after the deadly blaze at a popular pub took 27 lives and critically injured 22 others. Now a police investigation is underway into possible fire safety lapses, with a focus on blocked exits and flammable decorative materials. I'm joined now from the Thai capital by James Chambers, Monocle's Asia editor. James, thanks very much for joining us. I mean, Bangkok has had a few of these fires Deadly fire incidents in recent years in general, what are cities doing to tackle the problem?
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James Chambers
Yes, I mean, we woke up to this story yesterday morning. It happened on Sunday night. And the, the death toll keeps rising. It's over 30 now with at least 70 injured. So as you said, it was, it was a very full Sunday night for this place, which has been described as a kind of a beer hall. It's a restaurant which had some live music. And as you said, the, the investigations are now beginning from the fire service, from the authorities, from city hall to look at just how this happened. You know, people are asking for better safety regulations. And if you look at the laundry list of things that went wrong and contributed to this, you know, catastrophe, you can understand why people here are so angry. I mean, I've written, just reading the kind of op ed from the Bangkok Post today. I've never, never kind of seen it so, so furious. And it's just, you know, it seems like everything that could go wrong went wrong.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
It also is partly because unfortunately there has been just some dreadful video which shows people trying to escape the fire themselves being on fire. That always adds an immediate presence to the suffering that people are experiencing. But in general, what are the t authorities saying about standards, building standards and safety codes going forward? Or is that just too early at this stage?
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James Chambers
Well, clearly I think there are problems with the rules themselves because there is a distinction between an entertainment venue or a nightclub and a restaurant. And this place had a license for a restaurant and also live music. And because of that, it didn't need to have sprinklers, which sounds like a ridiculous distinction to make. And because it had live music, it had all this foam on the ceiling to help with insulation. So when the fire started, apparently it was an electrical short circuit above the stage. And it happened when the band were performing. And it was the keyboardist who sadly died. He's the one who alerted everyone and told everyone to get out. But the fire went from there and spread very quickly because of all of the materials that were in the place. And then from there just went from worse to worse. If you look at the plans that are on the front cover of the Post this morning, I mean, it looks like on paper it has plenty of fire exits. But as it's been, you know, it said one of them was locked and one of them was blocked by a stall selling suites. So even if the rules were in place, obviously the operator wasn't following them. So I guess it's going to be a top to top to bottom kind of examination. Of all these rules, because we all know here there are thousands of bars like this. There'll be a lot of people who are kind of not surprised that this kind of thing could happen. And I guess what, what I find fascinating is that people are focusing on similar bar fires. I mean, there's been three now this century. But if you just look a bit, bit broader, there are tragedies like this all the time. This is happening in an area called Chatuchak, which people might be familiar with because it has the famous market. Now that market had a fire earlier this year, same problem, electrical short circuit. And it was only a couple of years ago they had an even bigger fire when a thousand pets, it was in the pet zone. A thousand pets died. So it's not just bars. I mean, this is happening much, much broader. So it does feel like people and the authorities do need to take action. And I guess that's one of the things people are so angry about. There's a lot of focus now on just paying compensation for people who lost their lives or lost family members. But actually everyone's saying, well actually let's just stop focusing on compensation and start making sure this doesn't happen again.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
And the authorities have opened a coordination center for victims, families. I mean, how many people are believed to be still missing in this fire?
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James Chambers
I'm not sure how many are missing, but as I said, it's at least over 100 who are died or injured. And this is a very popular Thai place with locals. So there aren't at least only one foreign person has been reported missing, a Laotian. So this is a very Thai tragedy. And that's probably why it's going, is causing, you know, even more anger among the, among the Thai people here. And that, I mean this, this area in itself is. Chatuchak area is famous for a huge tragedy that happened last year after the earthquake. A big 33 story building was under construction, fell down and killed nearly 100 people. And I mean, and the cruel irony about that, it was, it was the office being built by the state audit office, which is meant to be the ones investigating all the, all the government departments. And so that kind of, you know, it raised all these issues about, you know, whether the, the correct authorities are doing the jobs that they should be doing. And I guess that was just a big lesson that should have been learned that actually, no, all of these things with buildings and regulations and construction, it's just not being enforced strongly enough. And hopefully this is the tragedy that wakes everyone up.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
And obviously a lot there for the governor's new term. Tell us a little bit more about that and the other challenges facing them.
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James Chambers
Yes, that's right. I mean the, the Bangkok governor just won re election to his second term a few weeks ago. He's a guy called Chad Chat, City Point. He's extremely popular and during his first term he did an amazing job just kind of fixing lots of problems. The small issues that kind of irritate people on a daily basis like rubbish and, and potholes and wires and that kind of stuff. He started his new term last week and he had a massive landslide election. So I mean this is his first, first, first week in office and he's going to be confronted with a, a huge issue and there are a lot of people who are pointing the finger directly at city hall because this is one of the things that falls within his remit at this time of year. I mean, we're coming into the rainy season so it's normally the time where he'll be spending a lot of money and a lot of attention, a lot of resources, trying to kind of flood proof Bangkok in preparation for the rains that can sometimes cause all kinds of damage and pollution is another big issue for him. But this one's obviously come, come from the left field and will have surprised him. But I guess him and his team will have a lot of work to do to, to reassure people because you know, this fits into the tourism industry. This has made headlines in all over the world. You know, Thailand relies on people coming here because they want to have a good time, but they want to be safe doing it. So they'll have to make a big effort to reassure everybody that it's a safe place that's enforcing the rules.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
Well, thank you very much for that update, Monocle's Asia editor James Chambers. And still to come on the program,
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James Chambers
you have to trust that what people
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Patrick Schmidt
want from you is your most sincere
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James Chambers
attempt to do justice to the material, to do it with a seriousness and with an appreciation of the original text. But it has to be your own interpretation.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
Oscar winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan discussing his upcoming film the Odyssey. We'll hear how Greece is capitalizing on the big screen adventure. This is the globalist.
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UBS Narrator
Craft is a matter of perspective, a unique outlook, an obsessive attention to detail. With UBS's Chief Investment Office House View, we're focused on identifying the latest investment opportunities and market risks to help you achieve your financial goals. So you get the big picture broken down into thought provoking insights delivered daily and Curated by over 200 globally connected locally active analysts, UBS banking is our craft.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
Well, let's continue now with today's newspapers and I'm joined now from Lisbon by Carlota Ribeiro, Monocle's senior foreign correspondent. Carlotta has been taking a look across the newspapers today and tell us what, what's on top of your mind this morning.
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Carlota Ribeiro
Good morning. Well, this morning all over the press here in Portugal, but of course the international newspapers as well is the news from yesterday's meeting of the coalition of the willing in France and the big news line that they've agreed to build this shared European anti ballistic program. Now this is to bring together the defense industrial base of the different nations, the research and the operational experience, of course, to build this anti ballistic missile capacity for Europe. That's what was said in the statement released by the 10 nations that form the coalition. Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, and of course the United Kingdom. And now what is interesting here as well is the fact that alongside the creation of this anti ballistic program also came orders for some equipment too. Across the newspapers we can see that 16 Rafale warplanes, fighter jets have been ordered by Ukraine and they will be delivered with a view to be operating in Ukraine's skies by, by 2028 and of course along with other military equipment to another air defense system. So it was a big night for Ukraine and for the allies.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
And of course we've been leading this morning with what's been taking place overnight in the Strait of Hormuz and beyond. And some news that Dubai wants to build a new port to try and bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which of course is at the center of the hostilities between the US and Iran.
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Carlota Ribeiro
Absolutely. And this story, you know, is all over, not just the English speaking press, but even in Brazil Folio. So Paulo is leading with this. And here in Portugal, the main financial newspaper, Journal Economico also has a story because it has the potential of completely changing the narrative and the way the approach to the sort of blockade in the Strait of Hermes can go forward. Now this is of course by DP World and they've announced that they're planning to build this new port and a container terminal on the UAE's east coast. So this is to the side of Fujairah to try to bypass that. And you know, over the past two decades, DP World has become one of the emirates, you know, most internationally prolific entities. And this will really change the way legislation, logistics can be managed in the region. You know, it will shift eventually. Some of the ports, the existing Ports capacity to outside of Dubai, meaning essentially that we're going from one coast of the Gulf, the one that you know is closer to Qatar and Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, to the other one that's near the same shoreline as Oman. So therefore, eliminate. Eliminate the need to go through the Strait of Hormuz. So as you can imagine, this could have a significant impact, not just, of course, for the UAE logistically, but for all the other nations that required the passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
So business, obviously, and countries, governments trying to adapt to the geopolitical situation regionally and I think globally, it could be fair to say that not only governments and business are kept busy, but intelligence services are humming. And not least in Japan, because his news there from Astoria and El Pais. Tell us more.
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Carlota Ribeiro
Yes, this incredible. It seems to be an exclusive on El Pais about Japan reorganizing its secret services, its intelligence services. The biggest shakeup since World War II. And this, there's, of course, not that much detail that we know about what exactly entails reorganizing the secret service. But what's quite interesting is that this new model envisions the creation of a national intelligence council. And what I can gather from what's being said is that this would bring together the management of all the information that's filtering across different ministries, different entities, to all be centralized under this new council, which would be under the direct command of the Prime Minister. Now, this means that the information that right now is, you know, scattered among these ministries and security agencies who technically don't have a legal obligation to share it. Well, it would change that then. Elpies reports a second step in this shakeup which will set for to be. To be go forward next year, which is to create a foreign intelligence agency, which is. Is something that Japan hasn't had since the military apparatus was dismantled at the end of World War II. So this, again, this is a significant reform that really continues this narrative that we've been seeing coming out of Japan, that it's moving from the way it defends itself, the way it views its defense, defenses, not necessarily, of course, to one of aggression, but one of being better prepared to eventual conflicts in the region and beyond.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
Yeah, a sign of the changing times. And finally, anything going on in Portugal in particular that we would like to hear about today that you've got for us?
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Carlota Ribeiro
Absolutely. Now, this is a story that we've been hinting at since it was first announced as a campaign promised of the new mayor of Porto a while ago, but now it is actually in effect, all residents of the city of Porto, so Portugal's second biggest city, are now traveling by public transport for free. All public transport is free of charge for residents. And the Diario de Noticias here in Portugal has a story about the size of the queues of people waiting to apply to get their pass so that they can then, then, you know, prove that they live in Porto and that they're entitled to travel public transit for free. And this is what's quite interesting because we've seen cities around the world that have introduced measures of having free public transport for all. And here the distinction for residents is quite interesting because that's the way the city hall manages to make this viable. So if you're, you know, a passerby, a tourist just visiting for the day, you. You'd still pay the usual fare. So the prices are not going to increase. But if you're a resident, you're traveling for free. And this has now prompted conversations on whether other cities in the nation should follow the same move. And maybe then eventually, at some point, you get a pass that. Imagine if you're from Porto, but you're in Lisbon, you're entitled. You're entitled there, too. But this is, of course, very, very much in the distance. For now, residents of Porto can travel for free across the entire city, just in time to enjoy summer and go to the beach, too.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
And a very quick question on this. Who in particular is positively impacted by free transport in Porto among its residents?
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Carlota Ribeiro
Well, a particular focus, of course, on the elderly and people who are require, of course, public transport to go from their home to work. And there's a big focus here on this story about, you know, those waiting in the lines in queues, of course, immigrants and students, too. We need to remember Porto has a big university. A large proportion of the residents are students at the university, and it's a sprawling city. So as I was saying, you go from the city center to the coastline to a bit further inwards, almost to the countryside. So allowing public transport means that perhaps more students will be able to apply to university. Without that added cost, it's a huge
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Fionnuala Sweeney
shift in how mobility is viewed. Thank you so much indeed for joining us. Carlotto Ribeiro, Monocle senior foreign correspondent, talking to us today from Lisbon. Thank you. You're with a globalist on Monocle Radio. Now here's what else we're keeping an eye on today. The Hungarian parliament has voted to remove President Tomas Solyuk from office, widely seen as a supporter of former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was in power for 16 years. The President can either agree to go resign or refer the matter to the Constitutional Court, but will face impeachment proceedings if he does. A US Judge has voided a legal agreement between President Trump and federal agencies which had granted him immunity from tax audits. The tax agreement had also permitted his administration to create a 1.8 billion so called anti weaponization fund. The fund, which is no longer in use, had been designed to compensate individuals claiming they were unfairly targeted by the government in exchange for Trump dropping his personal tanban lawsuit against the irs. And also in the US the sister of Senator Lindsey Graham will serve as his temporary replacement after the South Carolina lawmaker died from an aortic tear over the weekend. The announcement came after politicians including President Trump, called for Darlene Graham Nordone to serve as his replacement until the end of Graham's term, which is scheduled to end next year. This is the Globalist. Stay tuned. It is just 9:30 in Athens and 7:30 here in London. Well, fans of Christopher Nolan's the Odyssey are eagerly awaiting its release, but perhaps understandably, nowhere more so than Greece. The government there hoping to leverage the renewed interest in Homer through promoting tourism and cultural diplomacy. Well, I'm joined now in the studio by Emmanuel Papavasilio, Greek journalist and regular Monocle contributor. Lovely to to talk to you, Emmanuel. First of all, well, whenever we see big biopics done on well known characters in any country's culture, there are always going to be people who will say no, they haven't got a right, they haven't stayed closely to history. What has been the reaction in Greece to the casting and the props and this film which is coming up very, very soon.
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Emmanuel Papavasilio
Hi Finulla. Yes. So basically we need to understand here that Homer's work and this epic is a big part of Greeks lives. It's considered as a cultural gem and it's something that is a story that is taught and retold at all schools in Greece. So Greeks really feel this need of it being correct. But what we need to note here is that this epic has been kept alive for nearly 3,000 years not because of, you know, keeping into an actual source, but it's because of its constant reinvention. And this is what we're going to see here with Nolan is, you know, if he it's not a part that Greeks wanted to be accurate, but what they want to see is if it follows the essence of it. Now we know that there has been a lot of criticism online mainly in conservative circles in the the US, Much of the intention has been focused on Nolan's casting choices rather than its adaptation of the story. Elon Musk has claimed that Nolan has desecrated the Odyssey with his casting choices. But I have to say that Musk's comments show that he really has no connection to Greece or the Greeks at all. Because in the majority Greeks are very used to Hollywood and foreigners playing ancient Greeks in great success. Let's say Gerard Butler, who's a Scotsman, saw great success as king Leonidas in 300. Brad Peete as Achilles in Troy. Colin Farrell, who is Irish, has played Alexander the Great with Angelina Jolius mother. And let's not forget Greece's most beloved character, Zorba the Greek, with his excellent performance by Anthony Quinn in 1964. In fact, I have to say that every time Hollywood touches upon a Greek related theme, the majority of Greeks there, they feel a little bit of a flattery.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
Okay, let's talk a little bit about the soft power though once the first film has reached our screens. I mean, obviously it's a huge opportunity for Greece to promote what probably every child, as you just mentioned, learns from the cradle about Greek mythology, Greek heroes. Where are the opportunities for Greece now to help leverage this?
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Emmanuel Papavasilio
I think the opportunities are definitely that it's going to drive tourism first of all. So for example, in the Ponto Poniese where the palace of Mykinna is located, home to the fictional Agamemnon, and also Ithaca, where Odysseus journey ends, I believe that people might feel a need to go and visit, obviously depending on how successful the film is. Now the Culture Ministry is really doing well to capitalize on this. It has announced the restoration and reuse of the historic Ksenia Pavilion in the Mykine, which is part of a new cultural program, the Ksenia promotion program, which will be transformed into a cultural venue, people there will be able to see original performances and also go visit the house of Atreus that is based there. There is also a push now and funding for more excavations in the site of Mykina. Some recent important discoveries and many people might finally go to visit the island of Ithaca, the home of Odysseus, which so far has been a best kept secret. However, I have to tell you this, it is a good question if Greece will capitalize on the overall source soft power of it. Because in order for it to do so, essentially the film, when it comes to soft power, if it's a good film, essentially the triumph is for Nolan and for Hollywood. And Hollywood means soft power for America. First, it is the same thing with the Olympics. When you see it, for example, they do. All the Olympics start with Greek ideals and a Greek initiative. However, when Paris hosted them in 2024, where did the bulk of soft power go? And essentially it went to Paris and all of its offerings. So for Greece to capitalize on soft power right now, I think it needs to stop being reactive on things happening, such as the film now or the Olympics when they're happening. It needs to create a non stop, you know, throughout the world, nonstop throughout the year. You know, create global events, host its own production, show them in a global scale, show them the Greek mentality and be more proactive.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
And that would include, presumably the Greek film industry, because we know films like Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Mamma Mia. Have been filmed in Greece. And I've just learned Netflix, Emily in Paris is like, I mean, what a. What a juggernaut. The latest scene is being. The latest series, rather is being filmed on the island of Mykonos. So how might the Greek government bolster film production in the wake of the Odyssey?
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Emmanuel Papavasilio
For sure, it needs to bolster. The Culture ministry usually tends to collaborate with the Tourism Ministry in order to bring people to the locations. However, it needs to have more funding for actual productions. And now with streaming services, let's say Netflix, this is possible because Hollywood doesn't still have the monopoly of things. And I believe the world is very interested to see foreign productions being played. And you have these big streaming platforms such as Netflix, where things are possible and we need to do more. In fact, right now, I have to say, sadly enough, Netflix only has one Greek production, and that is. Maestro. That was like a huge success. We need to do more. There needs to be more funding.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
Have you got your tickets yet for the Odyssey?
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Emmanuel Papavasilio
I do.
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Fionnuala Sweeney
Good for you. It's on the 17th, isn't that right?
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Ali Vaez
It is this Friday?
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Emmanuel Papavasilio
Yes.
- [37:00]
Fionnuala Sweeney
Fantastic. Thank you so much. Emmanuel Papa Vasilio, Greek journalist and regular Monocle contributor. You are listening to Monocle Radio. Now to Brazil. Pedro Sampaio has become one of the biggest names in Brazilian funk, with his upbeat sound finding fans well beyond his home country. His hit Jet Ski was one of last summer's breakout tracks and even crossed over into Europe. Monocle Radio's senior correspondent, Fernando Augusto Pacheco caught up with the Rio de Janeiro native just minutes before he took to the stage in London on the latest stop of his Brazilian Chaos tour. Here's their conversation.
- [38:09]
Interviewer with Pedro Sampaio
Pedro Sompai, what a pleasure talking to you. I'm a big fan Pedro, tell us a bit more about Brazilian Chaos Tour. Because for me it feels like a celebration, of course of your career, but also of funk. Brazilian funk, right?
- [38:23]
Pedro Sampaio
For me, it's a first step to my international career. You know, we are like bringing the Brazilian energy, the Brazilian fun for everywhere. I feel like I'm part of the Brazilian artist team with Anita, you know, to bring the Brazilian vibe, the Brazilian energy. And everywhere, every show, every concert, sold out. So for me is a special tour because I can feel the love of my Brazilian fans and feel the love with my non Brazilian fans.
- [38:55]
Interviewer with Pedro Sampaio
You know, it's funny because in. In the office we have a Portuguese colleague and I said, oh, I'm going to interview Pedro. She was like, oh, my God, you're huge in Portugal. It's one of our biggest markets as well, right?
- [39:06]
Pedro Sampaio
Yeah.
- [39:07]
Patrick Schmidt
Wow.
- [39:07]
Pedro Sampaio
Like 10 years ago, 10 years, 10 days ago, I was in Rock and Reel main stage. My first Rock and Reelman stage was amazing, was crazy. It was a dream come true. Like in Portugal, Lisboa. My whole show is Brazilian funk. And it's an honor to be there in the main stage, playing for the Portugal people. And they are enjoying the Brazilian funk.
- [39:31]
Interviewer with Pedro Sampaio
Listen, you're here in London, you know, it's an important capital of music. I feel there's more interest towards Brazilian music. Don't you feel?
- [39:39]
Pedro Sampaio
Think.
- [39:39]
Interviewer with Pedro Sampaio
Are you having that sense? Maybe that's why you want to invest in your international career as well?
- [39:43]
Pedro Sampaio
Of course. I think the Brazilian funk is a new rhythm for the world. And we are so fresh, we are like coming strong. I believe like 100% that Brazilian funk can touch every soul, even if you are not Brazilian. So that's my mission.
- [40:02]
Interviewer with Pedro Sampaio
And I have a question about your song, Jet Ski. I mean, everybody knows that it was the carnival song of the year in Brazil. It's very fun. What is it about, actually? Because I was trying to explain to my colleagues. But it's fun, right? It's kind of one of those kind of fun tracks. What can you tell us about Jet Ski?
- [40:18]
Pedro Sampaio
Yeah, Jet Ski. For me, if. If the summer can have a sound is Jet Ski because it's a hot song. It's a. Has a choreography that is. It's so good to do it. Like, the dance is amazing. So Jet Ski is about Jet Skis, but doing a mix with dance. So how can I say insimo do Jet Ski in English?
- [40:43]
Interviewer with Pedro Sampaio
Like on top of a Jet Ski.
- [40:44]
Pedro Sampaio
On top of Jet Ski. So you can dance on top of Jet Ski. You know, that's funny. Songs, songs to Enjoy to enjoy your life, to feel the summer. I do songs like that. This, that is commercial and touch you in your soul and makes you happy. If you wake up sad, you're gonna listen to Pedro Sampayo and then you like change to. To be happy again.
- [41:10]
Interviewer with Pedro Sampaio
And I think kind of the world needs that in a way, that sense of fun, even a little bit of chaos, which can be your music. Like sequences. Triptease. Another one of my favorites, I have to say.
- [41:19]
Emmanuel Papavasilio
Thank you.
- [41:19]
Pedro Sampaio
Thank you. Yeah, this tour, Brazilian Chaos is about that. All the chaotic vibe that we have in Brazil in Carnival, like Carnival is a chaotic moment in Brazil because I'm like bringing to the world this vibe and if. Have you ever been in my show?
- [41:39]
Interviewer with Pedro Sampaio
No. So today I'm very excited. I'm very excited.
- [41:42]
Pedro Sampaio
Today is going to be the first. Okay, so you're gonna feel it. You're gonna feel that the good chaos is coming.
- [41:50]
Interviewer with Pedro Sampaio
And Pedro, just finally for our international listeners as well, tell us, where do you like to spend your time in Brazil? Like summer? Because people are talking about summer holidays. Everybody wants to go to Brazil. What's your recommendation?
- [42:02]
Pedro Sampaio
Okay, my recommendation is my city, Rio de Janeiro.
- [42:08]
Interviewer with Pedro Sampaio
Wonderful.
- [42:09]
Pedro Sampaio
And Bahia Salvador. It's amazing. You can like enjoy the city, enjoy the Brazilian real summer, you know. But for me, in summer I'm working so I enjoy the Brazil in a different way. But yeah, I'm happier in the summer. Actually. I was born in the first day of summer in Brazil. It's like when the summer starts, it's my birthday, like December 21st.
- [42:58]
Fionnuala Sweeney
My thanks to Pedro Sampaio in conversation there with Fernando Augusto Pacheco, who I'm sure enjoyed Pedro's beats late into the night. This is the Globalist on Monocle Radio.
- [43:12]
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- [43:50]
Fionnuala Sweeney
You're listening to the Globalist on Monocle Radio. Let's head to Southeast Asia now for a roundup of the main stories there. I'm joined by Erin Cook, Jakarta based journalist and author of Darry Mullet, a newsletter. A newsletter, I should say, about Southeast Asia. Erin the Globalist yesterday reported on the ASEAN meeting over the weekend in the Philippines with representatives of Myanmar and Aung San SUU Kyi, who has not been seen for a long Long time was assured by the Myanmar representatives to be safe and well. But there are doubts about that.
- [44:26]
Erin Cook
Yes, her family, especially Kim rs, her son who's based there in London, he has for a long time been very doubtful about, about her, his mother's safety. After she was moved from the Yangon Nepido prison into housing in Navy Adore, the junta released what they said was a very recent image of her. He said immediately this, it may well be, but we need more proof. We need a video, we need a date, something like that. ASEAN leaders pressed the Myanmar representatives on that over the weekend and they tried to assure the representatives that everything was safe, that Aung San SUU Kyi is considered a sister to, to the junta, which may be news to her, I'd imagine, but they still haven't shown any sort of proof of life. So those questions will linger no matter what they say. To Asia.
- [45:21]
Fionnuala Sweeney
And of course, this is all taking place against the backdrop of a terrible civil war in Myanmar with millions displaced and 100,000 dead. Is there any sense at all of how Aung San SUU Kyi is viewed by the people of Myanmar?
- [45:35]
Erin Cook
She's been in a very interesting position. As in 2021, at the very start of the coup, she was very much a figure for the, the people to sort of rally around. She was arrested and jailed immediately. That was the first sign that things were getting very tense very quickly. But her influence there has started to wane as other groups and other figures rising up, sort of younger people, more community based and very, very localized. She is a figure for the whole country. But when it comes against communities, against the junta, it's very local, it's state by state, even town by town. And that's where we're seeing more of a fracturing of the, of the figureheads of this movement.
- [46:24]
Fionnuala Sweeney
All right, let's talk move now to Indonesia, which has had this huge anti corruption drive for some time now, but it has kind of backfired in a way. Tell us a little bit more about that and an embarrassing way too.
- [46:38]
Erin Cook
Yes, this is a tricky one. Over the weekend there were these, these photos first started coming out of gold bars and piles of cash that investigators say belong to February. Adriana. So it's worth nearly $24 million. And he is the junior Attorney General of the Special Crimes Division at the Attorney General's office. So it's his job to be doing corruption investigations. So he's had to stand down in the last 24 hours, of course, but he's linked to some very, very high profile cases the last few months, especially against the former Education Minister, Nadine Makarim. He was jailed a couple of weeks ago for, for 10 years on a corruption case. And he's also the co founder of Gojek, which is this immensely popular successful tech company out of Indonesia. So it's akin to jailing the founder of Uber or Elon Musk or someone like that for a decade. So when the case first sort of erupted with him, there were questions that maybe it really wasn't all that sound. And now we've had this sort of second blow in where the lead Attorney general on that is now looking at his own corruption case. So I think we've got more questions than answers now, which seems to be the way in Indonesia's corruption drive.
- [48:02]
Fionnuala Sweeney
Oh, interesting story. Let's move to Malaysia now and for you have a story on durian. But for those who aren't familiar with durian, could you explain what it is first?
- [48:14]
Erin Cook
Yes. Durian is. You'll smell it before you see it. And I think if you are not of a durian eating community or background, that smell is not great. But after a few years you do get used to it. So it's a tropical fruit. It smells gassy. You're not allowed to bring it onto public transport in much of Southeast Asia because it smells like a gas leak, which is not safe. But it tastes delicious, it's very creamy. You can eat it sort of on its own or in ice cream or whichever way you like it. And it's extremely popular. It's got to be one of the most popular fruits in the whole region. And a lot of that comes out of Malaysia. So for Malaysian producers, they've had their eye on exports to the Chinese market, which is only growing and that's been for about a decade now. So all these huge crops that were planted a decade ago and now fruiting, but they're fruiting too much. So for Malaysia, that's good news if you love durian, because it's half the price that it was last year. So producers now, they've set up what they're calling Kendurian, so a durian party. So you come together with all your friends and partake in some very cheap durian together. So we've got elections coming around the corner, so the political parties are getting involved. It's becoming a, a tactic for marketing. We've seen property developers host their own Kendurian. So I think if it's, if you like durian, now's the time to get
- [49:48]
Fionnuala Sweeney
over to, to Malaysia and tell me, tell me a little bit more in terms of this glut. Is it going to deplete with all these parties and taking place and this appetite for it? I mean, is this hoping that the market will adjust as the exports continue to China?
- [50:05]
Erin Cook
Yes, absolutely. That's definitely their plan. It's sort of let's get what we can onto plates now before it starts turning even more rotten smelling. And then within the next couple of years we should see a recalibration of how much China wants to import and how much Malaysia can grow because it does also compete against durian from Indonesia as well as Thailand. And Thailand has for a long time been sort of world famous as, as the best durian. So Malaysia is certainly hoping that one of these crops is going to strike gold with, with Chinese audiences and really take over as the, the, as the durian of choice.
- [50:46]
Fionnuala Sweeney
Well, it's one of the most memorable stories I've heard for some time. So thank you so much, Erin Cook for joining us there. Jakarta based journalist and author of Dari Mullet K Mullet, which is a newsletter about Southeast Asia. You're listening to the Globalist on Monacle Radio. Very chilled and speaking to that chilled red wine is having its moment. And while it may be to do with climate change and increasingly warmer summers, some say it's also driven by Gen Z and younger demographics who are not about to be lectured about the traditional room temperature reds. So is chilled red wine the new. I'm joined now by Patrick Schmidt, master of wine and the editor in chief at the drinks business. Patrick, how are you? Tell us more about chilled red wine at 7:51am London time.
- [52:00]
Patrick Schmidt
Oh, gosh, yeah. I'm not sure it's quite the moment. Very good morning. It's interesting you said that they would, that Gen Z would ditching traditional ways of serving wine because actually wines, traditionally red wines would have been quite chilled partly because maybe summer's temperatures were a bit cooler, but also houses were cooler. And I suppose, you know, the idea of pulling a wine out of a cellar, nowadays most people don't have them but, but cellar temperatures were around 13 degrees, which is about the temperature of red wine that people are promoting drinking it at the moment. So in a way it does, does have origins in the past, but it is, it is a new trend and it's an exciting one because red wine has been having a tough time.
- [52:41]
Fionnuala Sweeney
So tell us a bit more about the tough time before we moved on to the chill times.
- [52:46]
Patrick Schmidt
Well, it's just, yeah, basically the trend has switched. It's about 15 years ago that we started drinking more white wine than red. So, you know, it was about 50, 50 each in terms of production consumption before that was much more red. And people have just moved to whites and roses and sparkling wines and reds have just been struggling and, and big famous wine regions like Rioca have had the most tough time in their modern history. I think Rioca, not Rioca, Bordeaux has removed about 30,000 hectares of vineyards, really. So that's about five times the vineyard area of the entire UK. So it's a big change. And that's because they haven't got a market for red wines.
- [53:27]
Fionnuala Sweeney
And if chilled red wine is making an appearance, would these hectares, how long would it take if producers decided to produce more? For these hectares to produce wine?
- [53:40]
Patrick Schmidt
So they, they'd have to, they'd have to replant and then you're looking at between three and five years before you, you start producing something that's commercially viable and then you're looking at about 12 to 25 years to really reach a window of high quality. But actually Bordeaux is an interesting case because they are embracing the chillable red trend.
- [54:01]
Erin Cook
Right.
- [54:02]
Patrick Schmidt
So because of what we're talking about now. So they've introduced a new category or an old category, but they've reintroduced it for trillable reds called Claret, and it's specifically a type of Bordeaux made to be served cold.
- [54:18]
Fionnuala Sweeney
It is a huge decision for wine producers then to stop producing. So it's just interesting to see if reds are on the way back in the chilled form, just how wine producers adapt to that. So, Bordeaux, anything else? Any other good reds to chill?
- [54:32]
Patrick Schmidt
Yeah, I think basically when it comes to chilling reds, you want something quite light and body because there are a lot of tannins in strong red wines. And when you make a wine cold, those tannins, which are water soluble phenolics like you have in tea, they can taste quite harsh, quite grainy. So something light, something soft. Pinot Noirs are good. Gamay from Beaujolais, some Austrian, Northern Italian reds. Something else that, that might be interesting. I mentioned sparkling wine earlier, but sparkling red wine served chill Glam Brusco from Emilia Romagna in Italy, that's making a bit of a comeback as well. And maybe some English reds, some lighter English reds might be interesting, sir. Chill. We're starting to make quite good Pinot Noir from, in the uk from Essex.
- [55:18]
Fionnuala Sweeney
Ah. So if, if, if the, are these coming back in winter as well, Patrick, or is it is mainly because it's the Summer.
- [55:27]
Patrick Schmidt
I think it's the summer. I think it's because it's the summer. I mean, winter reds are still popular. We're still drinking a lot of Rioca and Malbec and we're serving it at room temperature and it's generous and full bodied. I think this is a bit of a summer thing and I think it's quite exciting as well because people are branching out. You know, we've had the rose, the huge growth in, in dry, pale pink rose driven by Provence. Then we had a kind of trend for orange wine. This kind of straddles the border between reds and whites. So white wine with a bit of color, a bit of tannin, and now we're moving into, into chilled reds. And I think the last time red wine was really in the press was David Beckham watching the football in Miami and, and got a, got into trouble for drinking red wine while watching the football. I'm not quite sure why, but. But there's not enough people in public seen drinking red. It's always white or rosy and.
- [56:21]
Fionnuala Sweeney
So what's the idea? Pop it in the fridge a few minutes beforehand?
- [56:24]
Patrick Schmidt
Yeah, I think, I think pop it, yeah, 20 minutes max. You don't want it to be too cold because what a white, a drink of fruit juice or whatever that's straight from the fridge overnight would be about 5 degrees. You want it at cellar temperature is what I always have in my head, which is, you know, between 12 and 15 degrees. I. You could put ice in it, but you don't really want to dilute the drink too much, especially if it's a, already a light red. You could put in something cold like whiskey stones, like, you know, metal or rock that would chill it without diluting it. Or there's a trend for like popping the ice in and then taking it out before it dilutes. But ideally just 15 minutes in the fridge max, and then let it warm up in the glass in your hands.
- [57:03]
Fionnuala Sweeney
Oh, perfect. And what foods would pair well with children's wine?
- [57:08]
Patrick Schmidt
Oh, good question. I think really that's one of the things that's so versatile. You could have it with anything. You could have it with as long as you have salad. As long.
- [57:18]
Interviewer with Pedro Sampaio
Yeah.
- [57:18]
Patrick Schmidt
Well, I don't know. You can have a pack of crisps, go back to the Scotch eggs, Scotch egg debate of COVID But yeah, anything, anything light on its own and, and cheese would be nice, I think. You know, a hard English cheddar, something like that would be good with a, with a chilled bread.
- [57:37]
Fionnuala Sweeney
Oh, what a wonderful way to end the program. Patrick Schmidt, master of wine and the editor in chief of the drinks business, thank you for joining us.
- [57:44]
Erin Cook
Us.
- [57:44]
Fionnuala Sweeney
That is all for today's program. Thank you to our producers, Anita Riota and Laura Kramer, our researcher, Nikaili Martin, and our studio manager, Lily Austin. After the headlines, there's more music on the way. The briefing is live at midday in London, and the Globalist returns at the same time tomorrow. I'm Fionnuala Sweeney. Thanks for listening,
- [58:09]
Erin Cook
Sam.
- [58:41]
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