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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.
- [00:38]
Emma Nelson
You're listening to the Globalist, first broadcast on 24 November 2025 on Monocle Radio. The Globalist in association with U. Live from London. This is THE Globalist with me, Emma Nelson. A very warm welcome to today's program.
- [01:14]
Steve Crawshaw
Coming up, I think today was worthwhile.
- [01:16]
Emma Nelson
It was probably the most productive day.
- [01:18]
Tom Edwards
We have had on this issue, maybe.
- [01:20]
Steve Crawshaw
In the entirety of our engagement, but certainly in a very long time.
- [01:24]
Emma Nelson
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has positive words for yesterday's discussions in Geneva. But how can Europe shape a peace deal for Ukraine? As Kyiv's allies met in Geneva, will examine the true extent of their influence. Also ahead in the next 60 minutes.
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Guy Delaunay
A presidential election in Bosnia's Republika Sapska region has brought joy to Milorad Dodik, even though the Bosnian Serb leader is banned from holding office. Find out why with me, Guy Delaunay.
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Emma Nelson
We'll find out more in the presidential election in Bosnia's Republika Srpska a little later. Plus, we'll be in Abu Dhabi to hear the highlights from this weekend's Monocle Weekender. We go through the newspapers and we hear the latest tech news, too. That's all coming up on THE Globalist live from London. First, a quick look at what else is happening in today's news. Hezbollah says Israel has killed one of its senior military leaders in an airstrike in Beirut. South African police are investigating a criminal complaint against the daughter of the former president Jacob Zuma. Zuma denies reports that she helped to recruit fighters for Russia. And the former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says he experienced a medicine induced paranoia that led him to tamper with his electronic ankle monitor. Stay tuned to Monocle Radio throughout the day for more on these stories. But first, representatives from the U.S. ukraine, Germany, France and UK were in Geneva yesterday to discuss President Trump's 28 point plan to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine. When the plan was published at the end of last week, it seemed that this was the only offer on the table. But President Trump subsequently backtracked a little over the weekend and a group of US Senators said they were told by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the peace plan for Ukraine was not an American proposal and was leaked by a Moscow representative. Well, I'm joined now by Stefan De Vries, who's a European affairs correspondent for Euronews and BNR News Radio based in Amsterdam, and by Jenny Mathers, senior lecturer in international politics at Aberystone. A very good morning to you both.
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Marisa Lourenzo
Good morning.
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Emma Nelson
Good to have you with us. I mean, let's just start with Marco Rubio playing a central role in all this. Yesterday, or indeed in the last few hours, he gave an incredibly upbeat assessment of how these talks had gone. Let's have a listen.
- [03:44]
Steve Crawshaw
I think today was worthwhile.
- [03:46]
Emma Nelson
It was probably the most productive day.
- [03:48]
Steve Crawshaw
We have had on this issue, maybe in the entirety of our engagement, but certainly in a very long time.
- [03:54]
Emma Nelson
Okay, so he's saying that things are very, very productive. Stefan, do we know why?
- [03:58]
Stefan De Vries
No, actually not. No Full details remain still behind closed doors, but we do have a sketch. Yesterday, the U.S. ukrainian, European officials gathered to debate the plan that was presented last week. The White House describes it now as an updated and refined peace framework. Basically, I think what has changed or shifted are the security guarantees for Kyiv, the future role of nat, and also how large the Ukrainian military may be. These were last week, still sticking points for the Americans. But in short, these were constructive talks according to the Americans. But it's certainly not the end of the story.
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Emma Nelson
Jenny, do we know whose peace plan this is or was, given the fact that it was Donald Trump's and Trump's alone a few days ago, and then we had Marco Rubio reportedly telling US Senators that it had all been leaked from Moscow.
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Jenny Mathers
Yes, I think the, the antecedents of the peace plan are as murky and messy as the details of the plan itself. But I think what we have learned is that this was written up by Kirill Dmitriev, who is the sort of close friend of Putin and someone who is very involved in, in sort of wealth management and investment in Russia, and Steve Witkoff, who of course is Trump's good friend, real estate developer, someone who's been very high profile in negotia, Washington and Moscow. And so they, the two of them seem to have sat down and, and written this, although it also seems to have been very heavily written by, by Dmitriov rather than by Wyckoff. And then apparently the, the Russians leaked it, we believe to the press, and then Trump owned it. And then Marchio walked that back. Marco Rubio walked it back, and then he has, has walked it forward again. So it's it's very, very murky and, and unclear exactly really whose it is and what status ind. You know, just a few days ago the US Was insisting that this was a take their leave it deal that Ukraine had to sign up to by Thursday. And now it seems to be flexible, malleable, the basis for further negotiations. Maybe there'll be an agreement by Thursday, maybe they won't.
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Emma Nelson
And do we know, Stefan, how the European contingent and all this has reacted to that description that Jenny gave us there, that this is quite a murky plan?
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Stefan De Vries
Yes, absolutely. I totally agree. Of course the Europeans were more or less surprised by the plan last week. The UK, France and Germany drafted a joint counter proposal this weekend that takes the US Plan as a basis more or less, I think for diplomatic reasons or try to show some respect to Donald Trump. But it does alter key clauses. For instance, the proposal of the Europeans. They insist on reaffirming Ukraine's sovereignty. They also insist on a full non aggression agreement between Russia, Ukraine and NATO and also reject the demand of the Americans or the clause that NATO had promised no further expansion. And also to raise the cap of Ukraine's PeaceTime army from 600,000 as proposed by the Americans or by the Russians to 800,000. So these are major issues for the Europeans. They always have been since the start of the war. Basically Ukraine as it was before the war started should also be Ukraine after the war has ended and so no territorial compromises.
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Emma Nelson
And these are all sticking points that the Russians will not say, will not agree to, are they, Jenny?
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Jenny Mathers
Well, I mean, the Russians have been very stubborn throughout this war in insisting on pretty much the, the points that are in this 28 plan. Not all of them, but, but most of them. And most recently particularly insisting that Ukraine should give up all of the territory of Donetsk region, including areas that Russia doesn't occupy currently and at the current rate of Russian advance may not occupy fully for another four years. So, you know, if these terms are watered down, then yes, it's very possible that the Russians will not be interested in them as the basis for a peace agreement. But it's so important for the Ukrainians that they are changed. These terms are changed very substantially because otherwise, you know, Ukraine would lose not only territory, but people. And also, you know, the clause which gives Russia a get out of jail free card literally when it comes to war crimes, you know, that is going to be a very important sticking point for Ukraine.
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Emma Nelson
And staying with you, Jenny, there's also confusion over a counter proposal from the European Union. So several Media outlets last night were saying that an alternative plan had been submitted by European allies. And yet Marco Rubio says he hasn't seen any European counter proposal. Do we, do we know what the Europeans have done?
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Jenny Mathers
I think, again, you know, as Stefan said, there's a lot of, of sort of murkiness around all of this in the sense that we don't know the details of exactly what's been proposed, by whom, where things currently stand, because these negotiations are still ongoing. It's all very fresh. And I think it's going to take some days at least for things to become much clearer as to exactly what might be proposed going forward and by whom.
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Emma Nelson
And Stefan, your reaction from this one? Sort of on the ground out in, out in the Netherlands, listening to European colleagues and, you know, European contacts. Is there a sense, sense that this plan, this 28 point proposal, is going to make the Europeans really galvanize and get their action going?
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Stefan De Vries
Well, the plan was received very negatively. It was basically seen as a proposition to capitulate for the Ukrainians. So the Europeans have been very critical, but also they were not amused by the fact that once again, they were bypassed, actually. And of course, the Europeans want to play a central role in any peace deal and they have to play a central role because it is the European territory, it is not American territory. So it concerns the Americans much less. However, of course, the Europeans are very divided. There are 27 member states, 27 foreign policies, 27 national interests. A few countries of the European Union, most notably Hungary and Slovakia, are against any agreement at all that could help Ukraine stay independent. The problem is we don't always act as one. So we see that other others decide for us, the Americans and the Russians. And that is of course, something that has to do with the way the European Union is designed. The fragmentation means that Europe is often in the toolkit, but not in the toolbox. So we do have weight. But unless we step over on our own shadows and speak with one voice, we'll keep playing second fiddle in the diplomacy between Russia and the United States. So that is the general perception, but it has not changed actually a lot since the start of the war four years ago. The Europeans are united, but also very slow and hesitating and not very sure about their role on the global stage.
- [11:22]
Emma Nelson
Stephane de Vries and Jenny Mathers, thank you both very much for joining me on Monocle Radio, this is the Globalist. It's what? 811 in Luanda, 7.11am here in London now it is a quarter of a century since the European Union and African Union formed a partnership. And at the EU AU summit in the Angolan capital of Luanda, Brussels heavyweights will be there this week with the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen in attendance. Well, to tell us more what we are likely to see in the next couple of days. Joining me on the line from Johannesburg is Marisa Lourenzo, who's a political and economic risk analyst with a focus on Angola. A very good morning to you, Marisa.
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Marisa Lourenzo
Good morning. Thanks for having. Thanks so much for having me on the show today.
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Emma Nelson
So this is really a sign from Brussels, isn't it, that they want to make sure that this is an important moment for everybody?
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Marisa Lourenzo
Yes, absolutely. I think, you know, one of the key pillars of the EU strategy is to have great investment in Africa. If we look at the global gateway and the projects it prioritizes, a lot of those are focused on Africa infrastructure, specifically improving export infrastructure. It also wants greater influence on the continent. It's trying to compete. You know, it hasn't really been able to compete with Chinese interests, but it wants to make sure that it stays ahead of US interests and also rising Gulf interest on the continent as well. It doesn't want to get left behind.
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Emma Nelson
How does it plan on going about this?
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Marisa Lourenzo
Well, I think that there'll be a lot of talk, obviously on things like critical minerals, a lot of talk about things like the Libito corridor that was identified, you know, as one of the key, as one of the key projects. I think for the West. The issue is that, you know, these fora, they are oftentimes they're a little bit more than talk shops or, sorry, they are little more than talkshops because at the end of the day there's not much that they can actually do. They can make commitments, but unless we see concrete financing coming forward for these projects, they're not really going to go ahead. But I think that a lot of the focus is really just we're going to see how the EU tries to position itself, but I don't think we're going to see any major deals coming out of this particular summit.
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Emma Nelson
There is one thing you mentioned, the Libito corridor. Let's sort of explain a little bit more what that is. This is a transport corridor between Zambia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, connecting all three to the, to the Atlantic Ocean. The EU has committed an awful lot of money to this, hasn't it?
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Marisa Lourenzo
Yes. So the Libito Corridor development project, that's the Full name. So the majority of it is in Angola with Lobito Port and then the Benguela Railway, which goes right up to the border with the drc. Then there's a railway track that leads into the copper mines in the drc, and then there's a smaller track that also leads into Zambia, and then the plan is to rehabilitate that entire line. And then the plan is also to develop a brand new line that extends all the way east towards Zambia's copper belt, so that you can actually connect a lot more of Africa's copper towards a new export route, or rather a revived export route. The Libito corridor was a colonial project and then it fell into disrepair, and the attempt now is to revive it, but it's. It's a very, very tall order. There isn't agreement between all of the three governments. There hasn't been a lot of progress made. As you mentioned, the EU has committed financing, so is the us, but that financing is not actually materialized. So a lot of the upgrades that we've seen take place so far have been on the Angolan side, but there's very little work on the Zambian side and almost no work on the DRC side.
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Emma Nelson
So how much is this another symbolic gesture? I mean, you mentioned that this is a sort of a symbolic conference against.
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Marisa Lourenzo
Yeah, because, I mean, if we look at where the EU is right now, I don't see it as having a defined strategy towards Africa. I think it's focused a lot on its own domestic politics at the moment, which are challenging. I think especially the turning point was the breakout of Russia, Ukraine. I think the Trump administration coming in has also altered how, you know, how the EU approaches global politics, and I think it's focused on that right now. I think individual EU countries have specific strategies towards Africa that they're pursuing, but I think as a bloc, it doesn't have a cohesive strategy. Then if you look at the. The au, I mean, is less of a political body than the eu. You know, there's so many members, it doesn't really have consensus on anything. I think it's good, you know, that this will bring heads of state to speak together, but I don't really see how you. How it's possible to get consensus when there's so much fragmentation at home for both sides.
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Emma Nelson
And also that sense that there is a. Despite of what, you know, the efforts that are being mentioned this week, that there is perhaps a waning European influence in Africa.
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Marisa Lourenzo
Yeah, I think. I think there is. I mean, I think it might be premature at this moment to sort of define exactly how that's going to look. But I think definitely, as a regional bloc, the EU doesn't hold huge sway in Africa. Again, I think it comes down to individual countries. Obviously, Portugal is still very involved in Angola. Angola is really is very close to the us. But I think what the EU is coming up against is that, you know, you've got China that is entrenched in Africa. The EU has not managed to. Well, it hasn't figured out how does it coexist alongside that. It can't be in competition with China. It doesn't have the resources, it doesn't have the same kind of presence. But the EU is facing a different challenge now, which is that there's rising Gulf investment across sub Saharan Africa. It's fairly well entrenched along the east coast of Africa. It's expanding up the west coast now. It's also getting involved in mining across southern and central Africa. And Gulf states have a very different approach to the EU when it comes to Africa, in the sense that they are more like China, where they're happy to commit funding. They don't really get involved in. In politics. And I don't really know how the EU is going to compete with that, because Gulf states, especially like the UAE and like Qatar, for example, they have a strategy. They are coming in strong into Africa with big investments, especially in mining and especially in port infrastructure. The EU is not doing that at the same speed, and because of that, it risks falling behind.
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Emma Nelson
Just tell us a little bit more about how much of an event this is for Angola.
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Marisa Lourenzo
It is important because the president of Angola, he is currently the chairperson of the au, and, you know, he's coming up to the end of his term. Sangola will have general elections in just under two years, in 2027. So, you know, part of the legacy that President Lorenzo wants to leave is the Libito Corridor development project. He wants progress on that so that he can sort of frame himself. As, you know, the president responsible for reviving the corridor. It fell into disrepair during the Angolan civil war, and there have been talks since the early 2000s about reviving it, but they never really got off the ground in the same way that they have until recently. So he really wants to. To position himself, you know, as the. The leader who really managed to take the project forward. But he had also, in various points of his term, also tried to take on a kind of peacekeeping role, especially in mediating between the DRC and Rwanda. He was undermined by those efforts by Qatar recently. But that has also been a big part, I would say, of his time in office since 2017, you know, this bigger, this bigger regional role that he's played. So I think as chairperson of the au, it's important for him to host us to cement his legacy as leading the libito corridor and as you know, being seen as more of a statesman, a senior statesman, beyond just being the president of Angola and actually submitting his legacy also as holding the chairmanship of the AU.
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Emma Nelson
Finally, Marisa, a very brief question. 25 years since the EU and AU formed a partnership, what will things be like in 25 years time? Will this partnership still be there?
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Marisa Lourenzo
Oh, gosh, it's really difficult to say, I think because there's a lot of question marks over the future of the EU. The EU of 25 years ago is not the same what it is today. So it is going to look very, very different then. I think Africa will also be a radically different place in 25 years. It is, it has entered into a period, I think of rising instability. I think also with the demographics of having a larger youth population, not having enough socioeconomic opportunities, I think that's going to make Africa a very difficult place to be. But I think that the two will still maintain their partnership. It's not. There's obviously issues between certain member states and their former colonies. Obviously France is the main example here. But I don't see anything happening that would kind of break down the relationship so completely. I think Africa will be important to all global powers, including the eu.
- [19:35]
Emma Nelson
Marisa Lorenzo in Johannesburg, thank you so much for joining us on Monocle Radio.
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Tom Edwards
Still to come, some of these people have been to like maybe like 10 events with us. Now they come back again and again because they realize that they can see a place in a way that only Monocle can really help them do.
- [19:51]
Emma Nelson
We're at the Monocle Weekender in Abu Dhabi. Stay with us on the globalist.
- [19:58]
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 goal. 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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Emma Nelson
Newspapers Time. Joining me in the studio, Steve Kraulshaw, author, journalist, former Human Rights Watch UK director, brandishing annotated paper.
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Steve Crawshaw
I'm so old fashioned, you're so bright.
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Emma Nelson
Eyed and bushy tail from adding, this is my calming.
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Steve Crawshaw
This is my tranquility. If I didn't have this, I'd be panicking. Like, where was it? In my phone again. I think it's here. No, it's not here.
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Emma Nelson
I have a note.
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Steve Crawshaw
So this is my. This is now my calm moment that I can see it all in front of me.
- [20:58]
Emma Nelson
I have a notebook next to me. I have written precisely nothing.
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Steve Crawshaw
Exactly.
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Emma Nelson
But it is.
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Steve Crawshaw
It's the fact of having. It's the blanket.
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Emma Nelson
It's the blanket. Every good tightrope walker needs a net. And that's it. That's what we've got this morning. But you can. So. So, Larry, let's go through the pile of papers. Literally. This is delicious. What have you found for us?
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Steve Crawshaw
So there are obviously so many ways to approach so many things that are happening. The first one that we're looking at, so much to think about Gaza at the moment of the peace that isn't the peace, but the most recent development is it is a New York Times story, but others have it, of course, as well. Israel assassinated a top Hezbollah commander near Beirut. Now, in a way, this is kind of one of the weird stories of the things that move forward, but don't at all, because last year, only a year ago, literally, there were these massive attacks by Israel on Lebanon, where hundreds of civilians were killed. And at that point, the main Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasara, was killed. And they said, we have cut off the head of the snake, as though this is done. And of course, these are not done. So now this is the next one, which is again, supposedly finishing things off. But it is striking that, that there is so many elements of this, both in Gaza, where there's so much unfinished business in west bank, where things are actually getting worse, and then these additional new conflicts that are coming up, for example, now in Lebanon.
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Emma Nelson
And where is the conflict now between Israel and Hezbollah, given the fact that, as you say, it's a year on, but that has given them time to regroup. But secondly, there was a peacekeeping force supposedly in Lebanon. And what have they managed to achieve?
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Steve Crawshaw
So very, very little, is the short answer. I mean, that's been there forever and then there's been there after the last year's attacks. Hezbollah is, of course, a threat to Israel, there's no question about that. But it's also true that Netanyahu uses this, as he does with other threats, as a way to bolster his own profile, if you like. So just as we saw with the attacks on Iran, came at a time where he was under significant pressure, and then when he came under more pressure, it was attacks on Qatar, which backfired on him. So each of these times it repeats and it repeats and repeats sadly.
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Emma Nelson
Let's move on to another story that you wanted to talk about. Actually, this is about the dangers of the international scheme for Gaza, what the plan for Gaza is. It's an article from the New York Review of Books, and it's an interesting one insofar it starts to talk about putting the possibility of reconstruction out of reach for many Palestinians in Gaza, which almost seems absolutely counterintuitive.
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Steve Crawshaw
Yeah, it's a really, really sad and important piece. So we've got. The Security Council has signed off on this plan, often not with much enthusiasm, but like, it's the only plan that we've got. What Trump has put onto the table and this piece, which I do think is the heart of so much else, a brilliant piece by a brilliant WR and thinker, Sari Bashi, an Israeli lawyer who used to work at Human Rights Watch until quite recently as their senior program director. And as you say, this is about how really this is the darkness that she flags basically means that with half of the Gaza Strip still occupied by Israel and likely to become permanent, what they call a security perimeter. And she, as she's put it, this is a very strange choice of words. The area in question currently in Head my amounts to 53% of the Strip. And then she explores why things are unlikely to get better for the Gazans. And of course, what that means is it's not just a bad deal for the Palestinians, but this means really renewed instability for the region, including for Israelis as well. So she writes it in a very humane kind of way for her piece for the Human, for the New York Review of Books. There's a similar piece in Al Jazeera written by a senior UN official, Jonathan Whittle, there. And I think that there was that brief moment of like, oh, we've got peace, and of course, the fact that there is a ceasefire that is to be welcomed. But the sense of these things, as with Lebanon, as with the west bank, that actually these things are continuing and not getting better, not least because of the guy who sits in the White House at the moment. Of course, Netanyahu is directly responsible for all of this, but Trump is refusing to put any real pressure on the at all.
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Emma Nelson
And indeed, this is, this is, this is rumbling in the background in this article saying that I think it's 8 out of 10 structures in Gaza are either damaged or destroyed. Palestinians have in living in Gaza, have nowhere to live.
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Steve Crawshaw
Yeah.
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Emma Nelson
Yet the reconstruction will be taking place immediately in areas which the Israelis are controlling. The land beyond it will be off limits. And indeed any area still controlled by Hamas will not be subject to reconstruction. It means on paper it sort of makes sense, but at the same time it does actually completely remove the dire human need.
- [26:09]
Steve Crawshaw
It's kind of to those who have, shall be given to those who have not should be taken away, basically. Exactly. And so the right wing settlers are rejoicing on the possibilities, theoretically, that mass ethnic cleansing that was explicitly and officially on the agenda earlier this year is not anymore on the agenda, but in effect what Sari Bashi is arguing here, and she's not the only one to make it, but she does make it with a particularly powerful voice, is that actually the opposite may be the case is very much.
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Emma Nelson
Let's touch on Sudan as well. This is an article from yesterday's observer.
- [26:46]
Steve Crawshaw
About.
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Emma Nelson
What'S been described as the worst humanitarian disaster on earth at the moment.
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Steve Crawshaw
Yes, it's horrendous. This, of course, is not a news story. I mean, it goes back so many ways to, in different ways. Twenty years ago when I was at Human Rights Watch, the Darfur conflict, the genocide there was huge, was ignored for a long time by the west and then there was some focus. But this has come back in the past couple of years with some horrendous things. It came most horrifically with the fall of Al Fasha, the capital of North Darfur in Western Sudan. That was a few weeks ago now. But a very powerful observer piece which takes the fact that journalists are absolutely not allowed into the area. And so this is a combination of Sudanese journalists who've worked with the observer very courageously. Obviously not cannot be named because of the threats to their lives, but also what satellite photography can do. So the rapid support forces, this has been the kind of the paramilitary forces in the Sudan government. We've had crimes on both sides, but the rapid support forces, who are, although the United Arab Emirates denies it, backed by the UAE in terms of weaponry and other things, committing horrendous crimes, thousands perh. This article suggests even tens of thousands. And that figure itself is based on the Yale University Humanitarian Research Lab, who do remarkable, epic work in terms of using the most modern technology and satellite analysis of looking at what's happening on the ground. So as Isabel Coles and Fred Hart are saying this piece, the headline we saw so many bodies that we lost count Uncovering the hidden horror of El Fahsha and Part of the reason it is so much a hidden horror, as they point out, is that Gaza, which was a horror, has been a horror. We also had mobile phones telling us exactly what was happening that is not happening from out of Gaza. And as they put it, the bloodshed in El Fasha and the rest of Darfur has unfolded largely out of sight. This is an issue which humanitarian organizations, human rights organizations, are constantly trying to highlight. There are journalists who are doing the same, but it never quite makes it properly onto the agenda. So anyone who's interested in foreign affairs is certainly aware of this conflict, but it never really gets onto the front pages, despite the fact, I say perhaps tens of thousands just in the past few weeks, let alone the vast numbers that have died in the past couple of years.
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Emma Nelson
Finally, last week, two pieces of Bach were played. And I say that with real meaning because. Because they were pieces of Bach that no one knew existed. There's a lovely article in, I think it's this morning's Guardian, isn't it, where they do the interview, where they have an interview with a musicologist called Peter Volney, who was the man who stumbled across two pieces of music in a library about 30 years ago and suddenly decided, well, it took him a little while, but he concluded there were two pieces by Bach.
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Steve Crawshaw
I love this story so much. And as you say that we first had this a few days ago, but what we've got here is an interview with the guy which has lots of lovely, lovely quotes on the detail. All of these stories about rediscovering, you know, pieces by. By brilliant people, of course, are interesting in their way. But as you say, the detail of this is great. And I love the fact this guy, when he was writing his PhD on Bach, one of Bach's sons, 30 years ago, and he stumbled on across a couple of pieces of paper and he says, the handwriting of the score fascinated me. And I had this vague feeling these pieces of paper could be interesting someday. So I made photocopies and created a file I dragged around for 30 years. So there he is. He has this. He's thinking about how you think there's something special about this 30 years ago. And crucially, for the purpose of this story, composers were often not writing it in their own hands. So it wasn't like, oh, I can recognize Bach's handwriting. So he spent a lot of that 30 years trying to work out who the copyist might have been, and all of these different cross sections and again, the things that turn up. So a colleague of his then found a 1727 letter in which someone had written saying, can I have a job, please? And by the way, I used to be the organist at this church here and my organ teacher, blah, blah, blah. And the person said actually wasn't the organ teacher Bach at that time. So gradually, gradually, over 30 years, various documents put together. And it's just extraordinary what sits unknown in the archives. And then we have two beautiful Bach organ pieces come out of that. After 30 years, well, after, after hundreds of years, but also after 30 years of thinking about it, those photocopies have come true.
- [31:35]
Emma Nelson
They've done their work. Steve Crawshaw, thank you so much for joining me in the studio. You're listening to the Globalist. And a quick look now at some of the other stories we're following today. Today, Hezbollah says Israel has killed one of its senior military leaders in an airstrike in Beirut. Israel said it had targeted Haitham al Tabtabi in its first strike on the Lebanese capital in months. Canada and India have agreed to restart stalled talks for a new trade deal. Discussions between the two countries were paused following a diplomatic spat two years ago. South African police are investigating a criminal complaint against a daughter of the former president Jacob Zuma. Dudesile Zuma denies reports that she helped to recru recruit fighters for Russia. And the former Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro says he experienced a medicine induced paranoia that led him to tamper with his electronic ankle monitor. The former right wing leader was arrested outside his home on Saturday with a judge saying this could undermine the police monitoring of his house arrest. This is the Globalist. Stay tuned. Now an ally of the deposed Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik has won an early presidential election in Bosnia's Republika Srpska region. Sinisa Karan won 51% of the vote after a campaign which deployed the slogan for Dodik and posters of the two men together. Well, Doddick had held the post until August when he was banned from holding public office for six years. That didn't stop him from campaigning alongside his proxy while promoting Republika Srpska's secession from Bosnia and incurring fines for hate speech from the election commission. To make sense of all this, we've got by Guy Delaunay, our man in the Balkans. A very good morning to you, Guy.
- [33:26]
Guy Delaunay
Good morning, Emma, and good morning all Balkans enthusiasts.
- [33:29]
Emma Nelson
Please enlighten us. This is complicated.
- [33:33]
Guy Delaunay
Oh, we can make it simple though, if we like. I mean, basically we've got the situation in Bosnia where Miller ad Dodyk has for a couple of decades been absolutely infuriating everybody who wants Bosnia to move forward, which is whether they're inside Bosnia or outside Bosnia. And he's been doing this with a very clever game, a very simple game, really. This isn't really that clever at all, what am I saying? But he's basically been doing the old thing of divide, rule and profit. He's just been stoking up nationalist tensions, ethno nationalist tensions, all this time. And it finally came back to bite him when he was banned from holding public office for six years for ignoring the rulings of the International House High Representative, who kept on annulling some of the secessionist legislation that he was putting forward. And you know, the answer there was just put forward proxy for the extraordinary presidential election to replace him in Bosnia's majority Serbo Repubblika Srpska region. And that proxy has duly won by a bit of a squeaker, it has to be said, 51% for Sinische Karan. But Karan will not just be representing Daddy's SNSD party, but explicitly. And you should have seen the campaign Ahmed there he was going around with Mr. Doddock the whole time. And the campaign posters of Sinisha Karan had him standing in front of Mr. Doddock with Doddock sort of looming over him. And the impression that you got really was one of a mini me with his. With his Dr. Evil behind him.
- [35:02]
Emma Nelson
So do we have a puppet master?
- [35:05]
Guy Delaunay
Oh, we absolutely do. I mean, I'll give you just a quote here from Miller ad Doddick. He says after the election, when they finally got the results through from the Electoral commission last night, he said, now you have two Doddocks. Oh, well, joy. That's great for Bosnia, isn't it?
- [35:20]
Emma Nelson
How enthusiastic were the citizens of Republika Srpska about all this?
- [35:27]
Guy Delaunay
They were not enthusiastic at all. And the turnout was below 36%, which is hardly a measure of raging enthusiasm, whatever where you want to put it. And I know that when we're having elections in the Balkans, you can get some low turnouts. And that's in part because of the electoral lists, which are bloated for various reasons, everything from ghost voters right through to the fact that we've got a lot of diaspora voters, but also the. That the lists are just really, really out of date. So it's not just the 36% is low. It's low compared to the last election in 2022, when you had 53% who turned out. And that really indicates that the voters in Republica are pretty fed up and that they Also don't have faith in candidates from any party because the opposition did get together. All the various opposition parties, they mostly united behind a candidate, candidate called Branco Blanusha, who was a sort of little known academic, a clean skin if you like. And they didn't sell him enough to the electorate. I mean, if you're going to sell a clean skin candidate to the electorate, you'd be hoping for a better turnout than 36%. And where's that missing 17% gone? That could have swung the election in the opposition's favor and that would have put Mr. Doddick and his party and his cronies in a very uncomfortable position.
- [36:48]
Emma Nelson
Finally, quick question about the context of this. This is all happening as Bosnia marks 30 years of peace.
- [36:56]
Guy Delaunay
It is. So the Dayton Peace accords were signed 30 years ago. They were actually signed in December, but the agreement was made on Friday 21st November, 30 years ago. And that set up the Bosnia and Herzogenate that we know today. It's split into two so called entities, which is Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. And that splits largely on ethnic grounds. Most of the Serbs in Republika Srpska, most of the Croats and Bosniaks in the federation. And that's left the country at the mercy of ethno nationalist politicians like Mr. Doddick. And he and his cronies want to rewind even the very limited progress that's been made on national Bosnian institutions like the armed forces and the judiciary. So I'm afraid it's a terrible mess and it's very hard to see any way forward.
- [37:46]
Emma Nelson
Guy Delaunay, Monocle's man in the Balkans thank you so much for joining us on the Globalist. Now before it became a top destination for travelers chasing the northern lights or climbing glaciers, Iceland was once a sought after location for astronauts who wanted nothing more than to study rocks in its lava fields. They were the Apollo teams, teams learning geology before heading to the moon. Well, Tira Schubert ventured to Husevik, a small town outside the Arctic Circle, where she met Oli Oehliksen, the founder of the Exploration Museum and the Exploration Festival and also the geologist Jonas Heligson. She began by asking Jonas why the lava fields were so interesting to NASA.
- [38:30]
Steve Crawshaw
I remember back 1960s when NASA was.
- [38:34]
Guy Delaunay
Planning to go to the moon and.
- [38:36]
Steve Crawshaw
And they had to find some place.
- [38:39]
Guy Delaunay
Something that look like the moon.
- [38:42]
Steve Crawshaw
They wanted a place with black basaltic.
- [38:45]
Guy Delaunay
Lava fields and without any vegetation if possible.
- [38:49]
Steve Crawshaw
And then somehow they came to find.
- [38:52]
Guy Delaunay
Iceland and After looking around in Iceland.
- [38:56]
Steve Crawshaw
Lake Mewat area and the interior not far from here where the train grounds for them. And I remember this as a 10.
- [39:05]
Guy Delaunay
Years old boy, how exciting it was.
- [39:07]
UBS Narrator
What were they looking for specifically?
- [39:10]
Guy Delaunay
This was a good question, but I'm.
- [39:11]
Steve Crawshaw
Not sure if I can answer it correctly. But they were looking for surroundings like the Moon. And we have craters, we have the so called pseudo craters that look very.
- [39:22]
Guy Delaunay
Much like the impact craters on the moon.
- [39:25]
Steve Crawshaw
And they spent most of the time there.
- [39:28]
Guy Delaunay
And as far as I know they.
- [39:29]
Steve Crawshaw
Were using their equipment, they were even.
- [39:32]
Guy Delaunay
In the lunar outfits practicing to take.
- [39:35]
Steve Crawshaw
Samples, to do some checking of the environment and so on.
- [39:40]
Guy Delaunay
And also I know that they were.
- [39:42]
Steve Crawshaw
Also sent here to make them interested.
- [39:44]
Guy Delaunay
In geology in nature. Because to get the best results from.
- [39:49]
Steve Crawshaw
The moon you need to be interested.
- [39:51]
Guy Delaunay
In what you are.
- [39:54]
UBS Narrator
One of Helgeson's students in geology class was Orli Orlason.
- [39:58]
Orli Orlason
Growing up in Husavik, I was always fascinated with stories of space. But for some very strange reason, nobody ever took the time to tell me that the Apollo was not that trained. Well basically in my backyard. When I found out it was about 15 years ago, I mean, I was so thrilled that this had happened and I was also so curious like why the story had been told and probably was just waiting for some, someone to come along and tell this story. So I reached out to some of the Apollo astronauts that are still alive and told them that I had found this story. And they were thrilled to come back to Husavik and help me tell the story and make this museum happen.
- [40:30]
UBS Narrator
Nine of the 12 men who walked on the moon learned about geology in the Icelandic lava fields. Many became regular visitors after Orly reached out and they contributed items to his exploration museum. However, the most unexpected gift was from a very different type of explorer.
- [40:51]
Orli Orlason
So 10 years ago a couple comes into my museum, they buy their ticket and they walk around for 45 minutes or so and then on the way out they just drop a little red folder on the, on the ticket counter and walk out the door. And this folder had letters from Neil Armstrong and Sir Edmotillary addressed to someone named Mike Dunn. A guy who had dropped it. There we go, ran after them and we managed to stop them down the street and we asked them why they were bringing this. And they told us that they had made a promise to Neil to not tell the story while he was alive. And they felt with the connection with the Armstrong family that this was a fitting place to give this story to. And I mean for a small organization like mine to be given this. I mean, this is the last sort of unknown story of two of the greatest explorers of the 20th century. So it's incredible. For our little museum in Usavi, Orly.
- [41:35]
UBS Narrator
Reached out to Neil's son Mark Armstrong and Peter Hillary, who had joined his father on the journey to the North Pole Together this past summer. They retraced the 1985 adventure on the world's only luxury icebreaker, the French ship Les Commandant Charcot, a far cry from the expeditions of the past. Armstrong and Hillary shared stories of their friends fathers for a documentary that Orleson is now editing. The man who initiated the 1985 expedition, Mike Dunn, had a final surprise archive footage which had been rediscovered after detective work by Dunn's wife. Edmund Hillary, the first man on Everest and South Pole explorer, was asked about his participation.
- [42:23]
Steve Crawshaw
I must admit that my attitude to the North North Pole expedition is essentially that it sounds like a very interesting adventure. It's rather fun to go to remote places that you haven't been to before. And I'm certainly looking forward to setting foot on the North Pole, even if it's only in time to take a few photographs and get back on board and head back home. I think it will be good fun.
- [42:51]
UBS Narrator
And. And then the first man on the moon offered a few words like, ed.
- [42:56]
Steve Crawshaw
I find it a delight to be able to serve the same role he does as more or less a passenger and not have the obligations of planning and logistics, which I recognize are most important to the success of any venture. And be a pleasure really, to watch the experts in this field in action. And I'm sure I'll learn a lot.
- [43:21]
Marisa Lourenzo
And I expect to have a lot of fun.
- [43:22]
UBS Narrator
The next shots of the archive film shows the Arctic adventurers, led by Mike Dunn, stepping out at the geographic North Pole from a small plane equipped with skis. Hillary and Armstrong, two men whose first steps made them two of the greatest heroes of exploration, are among the last to emerge from the aircraft. Two modest men who simply wanted to be there. There are no proclamations or celebratory cheers from them, just quiet smiles and a drink from a bottle of champagne.
- [43:56]
Steve Crawshaw
Tom, have some free champagne here.
- [43:59]
UBS Narrator
A final addition to this tale of unknown history emerged. The Arctic adventurers had an unexpected stop in an isolated cat cabin waiting for a storm to pass.
- [44:11]
Orli Orlason
This is my favorite part of the story because I love everything to do with storytelling and great stories. And on the way back they hit a snowstorm and they're stuck in this hut at Lake Han on Ellesmere. Island for three days and they have nothing to do but share stories. And we, we go into this in a lot of detail in the documentary because Neil Armstrong, he had come prepared, not for this exactly, but he had read a lot of stories, stories and tales about polar explorers of the past. And he took the stage there, so to say, and was sharing these stories and some of them eerie, like the story of the Andrea expedition.
- [44:46]
UBS Narrator
Hillary and Armstrong also shared stories of reaching the summit of Everest and those first steps on the moon. As Neil Armstrong was the only Apollo astronaut who never wrote his memoirs. We will learn more about what happened after the Eagle landed in the Sea of Tranquility in July 1969. Orly Orluson's passion for celebrating, exploration and their sagas will soon bring us new tales about landing on the moon and summiting Everest. And all from Husavik, a small town in Iceland where the Viking love of adventure is still very much alive live.
- [45:29]
Emma Nelson
That was Tira Schubart reporting for us in Iceland. This is the globalist on Monocle Radio.
- [45:38]
UBS Narrator
Iq, EQ and AI. Three components key to the craft of innovation at ubs. Because to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving age, you need a partner with decades of experience, endless passion for the work, and a finger on the pulse of leading technologies, bridging human expertise with artificial intelligence. All to elevate you. UBS banking is our craft.
- [46:16]
Emma Nelson
Now to Abu Dhabi, where the Monument Monocle Weekender has just wrapped. Over three days, Monocle subscribers and readers joined our team for tours, tastings and special access across the city. From the opening of the new Natural History Museum to a VIP walk through the Abu Dhabi Art Fair, the group enjoyed rare moments and plenty of stories to bring home. They also spent time with Monocle's editor in chief, Andrew Tuck, our golf correspondent in Zaman Rashid, and head of radio Tom Edwards. And they've sent us their reflections on the event.
- [46:44]
David Phelan
Event here's Tom looking back at the.
- [46:46]
Tom Edwards
Wrap of a really terrific Monocle Weekender here in Abu Dhabi.
- [46:51]
David Phelan
I don't know, it's kind of one.
- [46:52]
Steve Crawshaw
Of my favorite formats, if you like.
- [46:54]
Guy Delaunay
That Monocle does because it's about lots.
- [46:56]
Steve Crawshaw
Of things that we care about. Convening great people, really interrogating a locale in a different way with, with some really fresh perspective. It's also quite good fun.
- [47:05]
Tom Edwards
It is fun. Roughly 30 people come on these weekenders. We're on the road quite a lot. We're, we're going to restaurants, we're, we're eating local food, meeting the best chefs, getting the inside scoop on, on a place. But by the end of it people have, you know, exchanged cars, made friends and the bonomy between people has been absolutely extraordinary. I think yesterday, going to the Abrahamic family house and then ending up at the Louvre for lunch, sitting on that terrace, that it was just a of matter amazing to see the, the closeness of these people and the bonds that have been formed. And let's point out that some of these people have been like maybe like 10 events with us now that they, they come back again and again because they realize that they can, they can see a place in a way that only Monocle can really help them do.
- [47:53]
Steve Crawshaw
Insie.
- [47:53]
Tom Edwards
That must be kind of exciting.
- [47:55]
Guy Delaunay
Well, I guess in your day to.
- [47:56]
Steve Crawshaw
Day as a correspondent covering the whole.
- [47:58]
Guy Delaunay
Of the Gulf region, but of course.
- [47:59]
Steve Crawshaw
From your station in Dubai and popping.
- [48:00]
Tom Edwards
Up regularly to Abu Dhabi, it's an exciting opportunity. Right, to ensure that our audience in.
- [48:06]
Steve Crawshaw
Print, on the radio, in all of.
- [48:08]
Guy Delaunay
Our formats is getting the real picture.
- [48:11]
Steve Crawshaw
Of what's happening in this region. Right.
- [48:12]
Tom Edwards
Hugely important.
- [48:13]
Guy Delaunay
You know, there's so many misconceptions, Tom, about this region, but also about the uae. You know, people see what they see on social media, particularly, you know, kind of Instagram and TikTok and, and things like that. And, and there is, yeah, you know.
- [48:25]
Tom Edwards
There'S a, there's an odd kind of.
- [48:27]
Guy Delaunay
Kind of perception about what this region offers.
- [48:29]
Tom Edwards
But we've been here the last few days now.
- [48:32]
Guy Delaunay
The hospitality has been incredible.
- [48:34]
Tom Edwards
The culture scene now across Saadia island.
- [48:37]
Guy Delaunay
In particular is amazing.
- [48:39]
Tom Edwards
You know, there's nowhere else in the world where you can stand on the.
- [48:42]
Guy Delaunay
Forecourt of the Louvre Museum, look across the water and you see the Guggenheim. If you wanted to do that today, you'd have to take a flight to do that. And so Abu Dhabi offers that kind of cultural aspect to, to this city now, which I think is really exciting for a relatively young country as well. And I think it's really nice for people to come and just break down some of that stigma that is around the UAE in particular. And, and we've had some guests on.
- [49:06]
Tom Edwards
This trip, particularly you know, from America.
- [49:08]
Guy Delaunay
As well, who spoken so openly about their thoughts about the UAE prior to being here, then they've landed in town and they've gone. Actually, it is nothing like what we expect, expected. And they're messaging friends and showing them photos and that for me personally, as someone who now calls this place home.
- [49:24]
Tom Edwards
It'S just so nice to see. And Andrew, tell me a little bit.
- [49:27]
Steve Crawshaw
About what it does for you to.
- [49:30]
Guy Delaunay
Take a little bit of inspiration.
- [49:31]
Steve Crawshaw
It's not bad. Get to get away from the leaden skies of London, let's be clear. But also it is great, isn't it.
- [49:37]
David Phelan
To go and interrogate these things, to visit these kind of attractions, to talk to different people.
- [49:41]
Steve Crawshaw
It's, it's fundamentally important in the work that we do every day.
- [49:44]
David Phelan
Right.
- [49:44]
Steve Crawshaw
But snow, little bit inspiring.
- [49:47]
Tom Edwards
It is inspiring. This is one of the wealthiest countries in the world that you don't have to pay income tax. It attracts people who are incredibly entrepreneurial. Some of the inspirational things I think are the conversations we have in many developed countries around migration about whether we can welcome outsiders. What kind of outsider outsiders. And here they've kind of worked out who they want, who they think is a good partner for them. And then once people come here, it's amazing to see how people park animosity, get on with the project. And I think from the, you sense it from the leadership all the way down that people come here because they want to work incredibly hard, be committed. I don't think there are many people here fighting about, you know, working from home three days, days a week and, you know, work life balance. I don't, that is part of the deal.
- [50:38]
Stefan De Vries
Don't.
- [50:38]
Tom Edwards
I don't think people who move here should think that it's for an easy life. I think people move here because they're incredibly driven and if you, you want partnerships on that, this is the place. So I think for inspiration for me, it is a little bit about what you can do when you're totally invested in a project, when you have full belief in something, when you have leadership that actually is courageous, then, then suddenly, you know, stuff begins to happen.
- [51:02]
Emma Nelson
My thanks to Andrew Tuck, Tom Edwards and Insaman Rashid for that report. You're listening to the Globalist. It is time now for a roundup of news from the world of technology. For that, who else should come into the studio but Monocle's tech correspondent, David Phelan. Good morning, David.
- [51:22]
Orli Orlason
Good morning.
- [51:23]
Emma Nelson
How are we?
- [51:24]
David Phelan
Very good.
- [51:24]
Emma Nelson
How is tech?
- [51:26]
David Phelan
Tech is, I would say, thriving. This is always a good time year for tech because everyone wants to start selling things. A, for Black Friday, but B, in the run up to Christmas or the holiday season as they call it in the States. And that's when a lot of things.
- [51:39]
Emma Nelson
Suddenly come to market and it's stuff that we can probably just think about buying as well. It's not, it's. This isn't conceptual stuff. This is stuff that we can actually wrap up and give to someone we love in the hope that they let us play with it.
- [51:51]
David Phelan
Absolutely, that's right.
- [51:52]
Emma Nelson
So what's on Andrew's Christmas list?
- [51:56]
David Phelan
Well, recently we've seen a great interest in smart glasses. Meta have made an incredible inroad into this in a way that other brands have not been able to Google famously with Google Glass did not have a success years ago, but Meta has now created smart glasses that have a screen in the Meta Ray Ban display. I don't have that with me, I'm sorry to tell you, it's not out the of until next year in the uk. But they have also had massive success with the Meta Ray Ban headphones are coming off.
- [52:32]
Emma Nelson
He's bringing them out. So last time you came in, you brought the Oakley ones. Yes, and we had a lovely, lovely, lovely time. And I'm delighted to say he's brought some more in to play with. And they look gorgeous. They're beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Sort of like dark blue, not traditional, sort of like way favorite Wayfarer or, or aviator designs.
- [52:52]
David Phelan
But you. Though the traditional Wayfarer is also available in this range. This is the Ray Ban Meta range and they have four different frame sizes, which I think is one of the reasons that Meta has had such success with this. They've partnered with Esser, Luxottica. Luxottica so that they can have frames that you actually want to wear.
- [53:14]
Emma Nelson
So what do they do? Talk us through them.
- [53:16]
David Phelan
So they do things that they may not do in studio, of course, but because. But what you can do with them is play music. And once if I can get it to play music, which I don't.
- [53:30]
Emma Nelson
He's stroking the arm of his glasses.
- [53:32]
David Phelan
The arm of the glasses is the volume control and it means that you can, you can do a lot of different things with them. But playing music is great if you're cycling or on a run or something, because the speakers are just sort of in the bottom part of the frame and they spray the sound into your ear. If I could only get them to play it. Perhaps I'll try it with the second version.
- [53:59]
Emma Nelson
Yes, we'll try it with the second version in a minute. I think we had Dua Lipa last time, so I have high hopes for the Ray Bans. It's so strange looking at a guest in the studio stroking their glasses in an attempt to do something. But maybe this is something that we all have to get used to now. Last time we came in, we had, we had lots and lots of silly fun with it. And, and, and you know, the fact that these things can help you identify what kind of dog you're looking at or where you go from left to right and this kind of stuff. And then there was subsequent other press which took a slightly more serious approach to this, which was effectively, you're walking ground with a camera on your face.
- [54:29]
David Phelan
You are.
- [54:30]
Emma Nelson
And the infringement of privacy and all the risks associated to. To it, that doesn't diminish at all, does it? But is it a thing? I mean, is this a general problem, given the fact that we all do wander around with phones and anyway.
- [54:42]
David Phelan
Well, that's true, but there is something very. You can't miss it if someone's holding up a phone in front of you and filming you. Here, I'm going to put the other pair on now.
- [54:53]
Emma Nelson
These are great, everybody, because he's. They're a sort of a cyclist's one and he looks like he's just about to take off.
- [54:59]
David Phelan
This is an Oakley, like the ones I had last time. This is the Oakley Meta Vanguard. And they are. They are absolutely, as you say, designed. I don't know why you're laughing for someone who wants to go skiing or cycling. And the camera has been repositioned to the middle here.
- [55:19]
Emma Nelson
I'm not looking at David.
- [55:21]
David Phelan
Look at me, listeners.
- [55:22]
Emma Nelson
He's magnificent.
- [55:25]
David Phelan
The camera here, I'll take a picture of you and a light flashes.
- [55:31]
Emma Nelson
He's flashing.
- [55:33]
David Phelan
And similarly, if I press and hold that, I can take a video that's quite cool if you're cycling to see your journey being done in real time in front of you. And so that flashes continually while you're shooting video. So I suppose you could cover it up, but I think it'd be quite difficult to do. So, in other words, you are always giving away that you are shooting video.
- [55:59]
Emma Nelson
When you do it, whereas on the Ray Ban, it's slightly more discreet.
- [56:04]
David Phelan
Yes, it also has a light, but it isn't quite as obvious.
- [56:07]
Emma Nelson
Are we all going to be buying these for Christmas?
- [56:10]
David Phelan
I think so. I think they are phenomenally successful. The Ray Bans are version two. The first generation ones are suddenly reduced in price considerably just in time for Black Friday, because the new ones, which have better battery life, better camera, are just out. So those are the reasons why you can now snap up a bit. Bargain in terms of Meta smart glasses.
- [56:33]
Emma Nelson
Thank you, David. Never take those glasses off, ever, please. Okay, let's move on to Apple AirPods, the things that we all lose but love. There's a new generation of them and how much better are they than from the last ones?
- [56:50]
David Phelan
They're a lot better. Apple AirPods 2 or AirPods Pro 2 I should say were always already very good. But where these have got better is that I'll pass them to you. They look pretty much identical. But actually the materials that are used in the ear tips are now a different kind of foam that is firmer and that means you get a better noise isolation when you put them in and that really helps to contribute to noise cancelling. So much so that I've worn these on a plane, whereas I previously only ever worn over ears. But it's so much better. The noise cancelling is really terrific on these, but they also have two other things. They have heart rate sensors in the earbuds. I'll see if I can see where there. That's a heart rate sensor and it means that if you're on a run, it takes notice of your heart rate and saves that to your iPhone.
- [57:48]
Emma Nelson
It doesn't talk to you while you're.
- [57:49]
David Phelan
Doing can do you can ask it questions. Am I about to have an episode?
- [57:55]
Orli Orlason
Yeah.
- [57:56]
Emma Nelson
And while you're wearing your oak leaf glasses and your Apple, what kind of world do you then inhabit?
- [58:04]
David Phelan
Well, that is a complex certainly world. And I should add that the, the Oakleys can work with Garmin running equipment or cycling equipment so that you get details from them as well.
- [58:19]
Emma Nelson
Thank you very much indeed, David. Oh, finally, we've got 10 seconds to talk about Pocket.
- [58:23]
David Phelan
Yes, Pocketbook is a Swiss ebook reader and they've just introduced an app that now lets you borrow books from the library digitally. You can do this on the Kindle, but it's much more of a faff. This is a seamless way to do it with the the Pocketbook Times Libby app that is just arriving now.
- [58:41]
Emma Nelson
That's perfect. Thank you so much indeed for that, David Phelan, Monocle's tech correspondent. And that's all the time we have for today's program. The warmest of thanks to all my guests and to the producers, Chris Chermack, Tom Webb and Laura Kramer. Our researcher was Joanna Moser and our studio manager was Mariella Bevan. After the headlines. More music on the way. The Briefing's live at midday here in London. The Globalist is back at the same time tomorrow, but for now, from me, Emma Nelson.
- [59:03]
Jenny Mathers
Goodbye.
- [59:04]
Emma Nelson
Thank you very much for listening. Have a great week.
- [59:40]
UBS Narrator
With ubs. You have a truly global partner incorporating new technologies, innovative approaches and unexpected opportunities, leading you to insights that help answer the questions that matter. Delivered with passion, care and unmatched expertise. Because it's about rising with the dawn. Each day knowing that we can do even better. That's what banking is to us. Not just work, but a craft. Ubs. Yes, Advice is our craft.