Why is Washington so interested in Honduras's presidential election?

Summary

The Globalist – "Why is Washington so interested in Honduras's presidential election?"

Monocle Radio | Aired 28 November 2025
Host: Georgina Godwin
Key Guests: Maria Fernando Bosmoski (Atlantic Council), Andrew Thompson (Political risk analyst)

Overview

This episode dives into the crucial Honduran presidential election, examining why the U.S.—and specifically President Donald Trump—is taking an unusually direct interest. The discussion centers on how Washington’s overt support for one candidate, Nasri Asfura, is shaping the dynamics of a highly polarized and consequential vote. Guests explore regional implications, the risk of a contested result, and what this election means for Latin America’s political direction under Trump’s second term.

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Main Segment: Honduras Presidential Election and U.S. Involvement

The Tight, High-Stakes Race

[03:10–06:05]

• Polarization:
  Andrew Thompson explains that Honduran politics have long alternated between left and right, making for a “genuinely tight and polarized” race.

• Trump’s Open Endorsement:
  Trump’s overt support for conservative candidate Nasri Asfura breaks U.S. tradition of subtler involvement and adds a “fresh layer of potential tension.”

  “When you add in the Trump dimension... you get another level of potential tension put onto what could be some very controversial elections.” — Andrew Thompson [04:17]

Trump’s Calculated Move

[04:53–06:05]

• Not Unprecedented but Blunt:
  Maria Fernando Bosmoski notes U.S. meddling isn’t new, but Trump’s direct labeling of rivals as “communists” is a departure in style.

• Framing the Choice:
  Trump paints the vote as a choice between “communism or capitalism,” referencing Castro’s ties to Cuba and Venezuela, both pariahs in Washington’s eyes.

  “This is the first time that it's done so bluntly...framing that election...as one where citizens would be choosing between potentially communism or capitalism.” — Maria Fernando Bosmoski [05:05]

Risks of a Contested Outcome

[06:05–07:12]

• Likelihood of Disputed Results:
  Thompson anticipates a “50/50 chance” of more than one candidate claiming victory, referencing violent protests after the 2017 elections.

  “The possibility of violent demonstrations is quite high.” — Andrew Thompson [06:15]

Honduras’s Role in Trump’s Regional Strategy

[07:12–09:13]

• Beyond Honduras:
  Bosmoski says Honduras is key to U.S. concerns: drug trafficking, the U.S.-China rivalry, and fragile democracy.

• Implications for China & Taiwan:
  Whoever wins may tilt Honduras closer to Washington or Beijing.

  “It’s really where three main priorities of this administration are playing out: the US-China rivalry, the drug war, but also democracy.” — Maria Fernando Bosmoski [07:12]

• If Incumbent Wins:
  Thompson predicts alignment with China and regional leftist regimes.

• If Asfura Wins:
  A turn “closer into the U.S. sphere of influence,” likely with market-friendly reforms and stronger security ties.

  “A government under Nasri Asfura would move closer to Washington in economic terms as well.” — Andrew Thompson [08:16]

Future Partnerships and Regional Shifts

[09:13–10:20]

• Closer U.S.–Honduras Ties?:
  Bosmoski envisions a partnership similar to U.S. support for leaders in El Salvador and Argentina—cooperation on security, migration, and potentially switching recognition back to Taipei.

  “Honduras could become a very close ally of the United States.” — Maria Fernando Bosmoski [09:24]

• Risks of Unrest:
  Thompson notes that problems with Honduras's vote counting system (TREP) could be early indications of conflict over the result.

  “The first problem is going to be...the system they're using to transmit polling station results...if that flares up again, that will be a warning sign.” — Andrew Thompson [10:20]

Is Honduras Part of a New Trump Doctrine?

[11:12–12:08]

• Assertive Regional Strategy:
  Bosmoski says attention to Honduras reflects a broader U.S. push in Latin America, underscored by Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first trip abroad being to Central America.

  “Most definitely, this is a region that the president himself cares about a lot, but also his Secretary of State...we're going to continue seeing this level of attention.” — Maria Fernando Bosmoski [11:23]

---

Notable Quotes

• “This is the first time that it's done so bluntly…framing that election...as one where citizens would be choosing between potentially communism or capitalism.”
  — Maria Fernando Bosmoski [05:05]

• “The possibility of violent demonstrations is quite high.”
  — Andrew Thompson [06:15]

• “Honduras could become a very close ally of the United States.”
  — Maria Fernando Bosmoski [09:24]

• “We’re going to continue seeing this level of attention, this level of focus, whether it's welcome or not.”
  — Maria Fernando Bosmoski [11:23]

---

Key Timestamps for Main Segments

• 03:10–04:53: U.S. and OAS concerns about potential fraud and Washington’s open backing of Asfura
• 05:05–06:05: Trump’s election messaging and the “communism vs. capitalism” narrative
• 06:15–07:05: Likelihood and history of disputed results in Honduras
• 07:12–09:13: Honduras in U.S.-China rivalry and importance in regional security/democracy
• 09:13–10:20: Prospective U.S.-Honduras alignment if Asfura wins; electoral risks
• 11:12–12:08: Broader U.S. strategy in Central America and potential regional ramifications

---

Related Global Highlights

• [12:08–13:13] France’s Military Service Debate:
  Macron’s voluntary national service plan provokes a nuanced public reaction, mainly split by age and politics.
• [14:30–18:23] Macron’s Message to Russia:
  Largely symbolic, aimed at preparing public for potential future threats.
• [21:14–28:43] Asia Front Pages Review:
  Tokyo bureau chief Fiona Wilson covers a deadly Hong Kong apartment fire, Trump’s involvement in Japan–China tensions, cyberattacks on Asahi Beer, and Japan’s battle to keep eels off the endangered list.
• [31:32–37:09] Philippines “Floodgate” Scandal:
  Massive anti-corruption protests brews amid revelations of billions wasted on fake or unfinished flood control projects.

---

Memorable Moments

• Direct U.S. Endorsement:
  The show underscores how rare it is for a sitting U.S. president to so boldly back a foreign candidate, with Trump’s rhetoric intensifying regional divides.
• Potential for Civil Unrest:
  The legacy of Honduras’s 2017 contested election casts a long shadow over this vote.
• Global Implications:
  Honduras is not just a local issue—the outcome could decisively shape alliances in the era of renewed U.S.-China rivalry and shifting Latin American politics.

---

Conclusion

This episode frames Honduras’s elections not as an isolated crisis, but as a bellwether for the evolving U.S. strategy under Trump—marked by direct intervention, heightened rhetoric, and a hard geopolitical edge. The guests expect contested results and warn of deepening regional polarization. The U.S. administration’s priorities—security, China rivalry, and “democracy”—are all playing out in Honduras, with potential consequences far beyond its borders.

---

Transcript

[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.

[Georgina Godwin]

You're listening to the Globalist, first broadcast on 28 November 2025 on Monocle Radio. The Globalist in association with U. Hello, this is the Globalist broadcasting to you live from Midori House in London. I'm Georgina Godwin. On the show ahead, why is President Donald Trump taking such a close interest in the election in Honduras? We'll find out then.

[Monocle Radio Announcer]

Anovo Service National.

[Georgina Godwin]

As the dust settles around President Macron's new voluntary military service plan, we'll gauge the mood in Paris. We'll leaf through the day's papers with our Tokyo bureau chief. Look ahead to the weekend's planned protests in the Philippines.

[Andrew Muller]

Plus, we learned that the people of the Ompunja constituency in the Oshana region of Namibia were set to return to their local council. Adolf Hitler UNONA Andrew Muller brings another.

[Georgina Godwin]

Wonderfully offbeat look at the week's news. We'll head to Vienna for a sweep of the regional headlines. And we'll wrap up in Zurich, where our own Tyler Brulee is perfecting his secret glue vine recipe ahead of this weekend's Monocle Christmas market. That's all ahead here on the Globalist, live from London. First, a look at what else is happening in the news. A National Guard member has died after what investigators are calling a terror attack near the White House, prompting President Trump to launch broad reviews of asylum approvals and immigration vetting. Vladimir Putin says Russia will stop fighting only if Ukrainian troops withdraw from all Moscow claimed territory as US Led peace talks intensify. But Kyiv refuses to cede land and Venezuela has banned six major airlines that halted flights after a US Security warning accusing them of supporting US State terrorism amid a major American military build up offshore. Do stay tuned to Monocle Radio throughout the day for more on those stories.

[Andrew Muller]

Now.

[Georgina Godwin]

Honduras votes on Sunday in a three way race so close that Washington and the Organization of American States or the OAS are already warning it could be fraudulent and produce a contested result. Donald Trump has openly backed conservative Nasri Asfura, framing the choice as a stand against communism and pointing to President Xiomara Castro's warm ties with Cuba and Venezuela, which Washington labels dictatorships. Well, could this be a signal of how Trump intends to shape Latin American politics in his second term? I'm joined now by Maria Fernando Bosmoski, who's director for impact and operations and Central America lead at the Atlantic Council's Adrienne Arch Latin American Center. She joins us now from Milwaukee. And Maria, we're aware it's very, very early there, so many thanks for that. And closer to home, Andrew Thompson, a former broadcaster for the BBC's Latin America service and political risk analyst specialising in the region. Good morning to you both. Andrew, if we could begin with you. What makes this race so tight and so volatile?

[Andrew Thompson]

A whole combination of factors, I think it genuinely is tight and purely Honduran terms, where there's been an alternation of left and right wing governments and a high degree of polarization. But when you add in the, what you might call the Trump dimension, who's broken with tradition and actually endorsed one of the candidates, Nasrias, you get, if you like, another level of potential tension put on to what could be some very controversial elections.

[Georgina Godwin]

So, Maria, what does Trump's decision to jump in here tell us? I mean, particularly given Castro's alignment with Cuba and Venezuela, which of course, we're hearing about more and more in the news when it comes to Trump.

[Maria Fernando Bosmoski]

Sure, thank you. And I think that this is we've seen Washington export its, or at least President Trump has been very involved in domestic elections here in the United States. And I wouldn't say that his tactics vis a vis Latin America here. Elections are necessarily unprecedented. We've seen this throughout history, the US Meddling in elections, subtly endorsing a candidate or another. But yes, this is the first time that it's done so bluntly. And we're seeing him, as he likes to do in the United States, labeling his enemies or the candidates he does not like as communists and framing that election coming up on Sunday as one where citizens would be choosing between potentially communism or capitalism.

[Georgina Godwin]

I mean, Andrew, as you say, the race will be very tight. What happens if more than one candidate claims victory? And how likely is that?

[Andrew Thompson]

Well, that's a really important question. I think if you look back over recent Honduran history, contested results are quite likely as much. I'd say it's 50, 50 chance. And what happened, if you like, the last experience of this type in Honduras were in the 2017 elections when the outcome was contested. And the left wing Libre Party, which later came to power, led a series of demonstrations and protests against the victory that was claimed by the right wing National Party and that lasted for over a year of protests. So the possibility of, if you like, violent demonstrations is quite high.

[Georgina Godwin]

And Maria, how does then Honduras fit into Trump's wider Latin American playbook?

[Maria Fernando Bosmoski]

Well, this Trump Vance administration is very engaged in the region. In fact, they see their homeland security as part of the Western hemisphere strategy. And Honduras is a very important node in terms of the cocaine and drugs coming into the United States. So the election that we're seeing, as Andrew was saying, is not just a Central American race. It's really where three main priorities of this administration are playing out. The US China rivalry, the drug war fight, so to speak, but also democracy. Will democracy prevail in a country where institutions are not the strongest? That's really what's at stake here, Andrew.

[Georgina Godwin]

Maria is mentioning an international aspect to this. How could this result shift Honduras between Beijing, Taipei and Washington?

[Andrew Thompson]

I think a victory for Rick Simon Carda, who is the candidate of the incumbent left wing party, would lead to continuing closeness with China in particular and a degree of alignment with the other authoritarian left wing regimes in Latin America, particularly Venezuela. A victory for Nasrias Fora, the candidate that Trump has endorsed, will be very much bringing Honduras closer into the US Sphere of influence, if you know what I mean. And the government under Nasrias Fuda would move closer to Washington in economic terms as well. And it would likely open up to market friendly policies and seeking to attract investment.

[Georgina Godwin]

So Maria, if Asfira does win, what kind of partnership do you think he and Trump would build? How would this shift power in that area of Latin America?

[Maria Fernando Bosmoski]

I think we would see a closeness as we see between Trump and Nayibukele. Neighboring El Salvador or even Trump and Melania lay all the way south in Argentina where Trump has stepped in and extended a lifeline with the 20 billion swap credit line. I think we would see more and more of that. Honduras and the United States are already cooperating very closely on all things migration. And I think we would see them cooperate even more on security. We would see them. If this shift back to, to Taiwan, to Taipei were to take place, I think that Honduras could become a very close ally of the United States.

[Georgina Godwin]

And Andrew, if ASFAR doesn't win, what might be early signs of trouble or indeed early signs of stability?

[Andrew Thompson]

I think we're probably looking at early signs of trouble and the first problem is going to be something called Trep T, R, E P or which is the system they're using to transmit polling station results to the central vote counting authority of the electoral Council in primary elections earlier this year, there was a lot of controversy over whether, if you like, on their way from the polling booth to central counting, whether there was corruption or basically vote theft going on. So if that flares up again, that will be, if you like, a warning sign that there could be serious conflict over the results.

[Georgina Godwin]

And Maria, finally, do you think that Honduras is a one off political flashpoint for Trump or is it the start of a more assertive regional strategy?

[Maria Fernando Bosmoski]

It for sure fits into this more assertive regional strategy where in a sense, the Western hemisphere is an extension of the US Homeland and we've seen this administration really ramping up their attention on the region. Remember that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is only the second Secretary of State in the country's history to choose Central America as its first international trip. Most definitely, this is a region that the president himself cares about a lot, but also his Secretary of State. And so I think that we're going to continue seeing this level of attention, this level of focus, whether it's welcome or not.

[Georgina Godwin]

Maria, thank you. That's Maria. Fernando Bosmoski and Andrew Thompson, thanks both very much. This is the global. It is just coming up to 12 minutes past 8 in Paris. That's 7:12 here in London. Now, France is still weighing Emmanuel Macron's plan for a 10 month voluntary military service, paid domestic and aimed at 18 to 25 year olds, which he says is needed to prepare the country for a tougher security environment without reviving conscription. The debate has been exacerbated by General Fabian Mandon, a senior military figure who caused an outcry by saying France must be ready to accept losing its children. Well, I'm joined now by Florence Biederman, who is Paris, a Paris based journalist and the former chief editor for Agence France Press. Florence, it's always lovely to have you on the show. Good morning to you. How is the French media framing Macron's plan?

[Florence Biederman]

Well, I would say it's nuanced. Like globally, the reaction is rather positive. It also depends on the political tendency of the newspapers on the far left. Like there are lots of critics and interrogation and there are some polls, if you can trust them. Like one of them says that eight French out of ten approves this voluntary conscription. The term voluntary is important, but amongst the young it seems to be much more nuanced, like the ones that are supposed to to be volunteering the 1824. Some agree, like they can see that it can improve national cohesion, this civic sense that sometimes lies in France. But others are more critical saying, is it really the right moment to spend? I think the amount of the estimate is like 2 billion euros in this plan, when France says budgetary problems and the other priority like employment, you know, cost of living. So I would say overall, the reaction is nuanced and a bit shared.

[Georgina Godwin]

You said that the criticism is mostly coming from the far left. Is it sticking?

[Florence Biederman]

Well, yes, like, you know, the idea is they are also critic on the, on the far right. The idea is that maybe Macron is exaggerating the threat coming from Russia. As you know, of course, this whole decision is linked to the situation in Ukraine and the perception that Russia is a threat. So this idea is more globally accepted in public opinion, but not by everybody. And how should you react to that? That's, that's where there are differences.

[Georgina Godwin]

Why is the voluntary element so politically important?

[Florence Biederman]

Well, I mean, compulsory conscription has been abolished by Jacques chirac in the 1990s. So if it had to be compulsory, there would be a big outcry. You mentioned rightly that the army chief of staffs in Hal Mondon recently said France should be ready to lose its children. And Macron was a bit mellowed, this really provoking statement somehow, saying, well, yes, no, there won't be compulsory constitution, it will be on a voluntary basis. So it changes a bit the optics. And certainly, no, there is no feeling that the country is ready to lose its children, which of course, in these terms is difficult to accept.

[Georgina Godwin]

And I mean, he is talking about it being domestic. So we're not talking about sending French troops to the front line in Ukraine, for instance?

[Florence Biederman]

Well, they are the service there would be. This military service would be 10 months long and they would be deployed, I mean, deployed only in France or French territories. But in the longer term, of course, it's seen as a way to prepare like future soldiers or reservists and then who knows what happens. But so far, no, of course, there is no question of deployments in Ukraine. It's rather, let's say defensive, something perceived as a defense against potential Russian threats.

[Georgina Godwin]

And what are the realistic ambitions in terms of numbers of recruits, voluntary recruits?

[Florence Biederman]

Well, Macron hopes to have 2,3000 youngsters starting with the scheme, like next summer. And it's supposed to be more and more. And the final result is the government is Expecting is like 50,000 young volunteers in 2035. So it should be very progressive. And also according to the threat, like, it can be modified.

[Georgina Godwin]

And so is this definitively the end of the old universal national service scheme for teenagers?

[Florence Biederman]

Well, yes, it has been over since the 1990s. You know, there was a kind of service, but half military, half civic, that has been introduced with not great success in any case. No, this kind of old idea of everybody equal, everybody obliged to make this military service, this kind of equality between all the youngsters, wherever they come from, like the social media, etc. This idea is definitely over since the army has been professionalized and it's not going to come back in any case.

[Georgina Godwin]

And how much of this is aimed at sending a message to Russia and will it work?

[Florence Biederman]

Well, President Putin recently said no, he didn't want to attack Europe. There was no threat. I think it's more symbolic than anything and I think it's more, of course it will be. It's supposed to be a help for the French army. And by the way, there are some questions because are you really operational after only 10 months? But I think the idea is more to sensibilize the French public to the idea that there may come a day where you will have like to be part of this national efforts against a potential threat, whether it frightens Russia at this stage.

[Georgina Godwin]

Florence, thank you very much indeed. That's Florence Biederman there speaking to us from Paris. Now still to come on the program.

[Monocle Radio Announcer]

Silent Night.

[Maria Fernando Bosmoski]

Holy night, Silent.

[Georgina Godwin]

You'll be hearing that song back on the Monocle Radio airwave soon. As we get into the festive spirit, we'll head to Zurich to hear how preparations are going for this weekend's Christmas market. This is the globalist.

[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.

[Georgina Godwin]

Let's continue now with what the papers are covering in Asia. And I'm joined now by Monocle's Tokyo Bureau chief and Senior Asia editor, Fiona Wilson. Fiona Silenite. I mean, it's the Monocle song, right?

[Fiona Wilson]

I mean, just come to karaoke in Tokyo and you'll be hearing that. Absolutely dead, sir.

[Georgina Godwin]

Were you karaoke ing last night? I understand there was a massive party.

[Fiona Wilson]

I wasn't karaoking, but there was a bit of a dance floor. It was the 80th anniversary of the Foreign Correspondence Club of Japan. And they did, they had, they had a band playing a few ancient classics called Silk Haze, not familiar with their work, but they, they had the dance floor rocking. And yeah, it was a celebration of this club that it opened just at the end of the war when the Americans occupied Japan, 1945. And this club has just been going ever since. And it's just quite an institution in the city. So amazing that it reached 80.

[Georgina Godwin]

Extraordinary. So I hope you're feeling okay today and not too hungover to have a look through the papers for us.

[Fiona Wilson]

Not at all, no, no, don't worry. I was, I was keeping quite sober last night.

[Georgina Godwin]

Let's do open those papers because of course there's one story that's dominating front pages certainly all over Asia, but here too, and that's this Hon Kong apartment fire. What's the latest on that?

[Fiona Wilson]

Well, so the fire department's just been giving a press conference and the latest numbers, you know, death toll was inevitably going to rise, wasn't it? The latest number is 12889 bodies still not identified. 16 bodies, they're saying are still inside. So, yeah, that number's obviously going to rise. And they still don't know what was the cause of the fire they said they started. The fire seems to have started at the bottom and gone up. There's lots of speculation. You know, there were no fire alarms. You know, you're hearing reports from residents who had to flee the buildings that there was almost no warning, no fire alarms. There'd been some complaints about the materials they were using, that they weren't fire retardant. And there's also a suggestion the buildings are very close together. So seven of the eight towers have burned. So it is really a mess, that place at the moment.

[Georgina Godwin]

And there have been some arrests, we've heard, and also lots of human interest stories coming out about people going back to try and find their pets and so on.

[Fiona Wilson]

Yeah, that's right. So, yeah, a couple of executives and an engineer have been arrested. It's all a bit unclear. There is going to be a corruption investigation. It seems there'd been a lot of disquiet about this project. It was a very expensive renovation and it seemed that the tenants had to contribute. And, you know, it was costing about $40 million, this renovation. So I think there are a few questions to be answered. And John Lee, the Hong Kong chief executive, said that's going to happen.

[Georgina Godwin]

Right. Let's go to Trump's continued interference in the foreign policy of other countries. Apparently he has asked Takaichi to avoid escalating the dispute with China. Now, this is a story in the Japan Times, what does it say?

[Fiona Wilson]

Yeah, I mean, this story is everywhere in Japan, no doubt in China, too. I mean, so the latest bit of this rather long, complicated saga where Takechi really annoyed the Chinese by saying that if China were to invade Taiwan by force, that would present an existential threat for Japan, which would require it to come to the defense of Taiwan. Now, this is never really mentioned. People prefer this strategic ambiguity. You don't say these things, even if it may be the policy. And she said it, and with predictable results. You know, China has reacted very vocally, very publicly talked about. This is a sign of the rise of militarism in Japan, et cetera, et cetera. You know, it's not safe for Chinese people to go to Japan. Obviously, none of those things are true. But, you know, this is really about, you know, the sort of public perception. And now it's being reported. It was reported in the Asahi Shimbun here, the Wall Street Journal, that Donald Trump, after speaking to Xi, apparently he'd had a long conversation with Xi about their, you know, their improving relations about a trade. The trade situation. It seems he then called Takaichi and they are reporting, the Wall street journalists are reporting that he asked her to not to make the situation with China any worse. Now, I have to say the government spokesman in Japan says that is not a fact. That didn't happen. So I don't know what really happened. But it's. There's no doubt that it will not suit Donald Trump, who is obviously, you know, Japan is its very important ally in Asia. It can't fall out with Japan, but it wants to get that relationship with China back on track. So it's. It's a difficult moment. And, And Takechi has certainly had a few questions to answer from Japanese politicians who feel she shouldn't have said, you know, it may be commonly spoken about in her circles or within the ldp, her party, but it shouldn't have been said in public like that.

[Georgina Godwin]

And I wonder how politicians are feeling about Donald Trump weighing in on their own foreign policy.

[Fiona Wilson]

Well, I think it's a difficult one because actually, interestingly enough, it would rather suit Japan if Donald Trump would say, we support Japan, which he hasn't done. You know, he hasn't criticized Japan. He said Takechi is a good friend, but he's also said, we've done great deals with, you know, China, with Japan, I want peace. You know, he's really focusing on the business angle, and he's not really getting into the matter of who he would support in this and, you know, the US itself, you know, operates this policy of strategic ambiguity itself, where it prefers not to say explicitly what it would do in the event of Taiwan being invaded by China.

[Georgina Godwin]

Well, as you say, business is important and it's going extremely badly for a beer company after a big cyber attack. Tell us more about this.

[Fiona Wilson]

Well, I mean, Asahi Beer, what a nightmare for them. It's a big beverage group. It's not just beer. They were. Yeah, they were the victims of a cyber attack. And, I mean, we don't know that many details, obviously keeping them fairly quiet. Believed to be based in Russia, hacking group. They say that no ransom was paid and getting their systems back in order and they think it will be up and running fully by February. Apparently they're still taking orders by fax at the moment. So if anyone was thinking about ditching those faxes, get them back up and running. So it's still doing things by phone, by fax. But, you know, the latest thing is the President had to reveal that nearly 2 million names, addresses, details of employees and clients were taken in this cyber attack. So I feel this story is going to run and run and never mind the fact that beer deliveries weren't going out as they were supposed to, which seemed to be the main focus of many of the reports.

[Georgina Godwin]

Absolutely. Finally, we're going to talk about eels. I have to say, not on my favourite list in terms of culinary highlights. How about you? Do you like eels?

[Andrew Muller]

Do you know what?

[Fiona Wilson]

I do like eel. And I think if I had never lived in Japan, I wouldn't have crossed my mind to eat an eel, to be quite honest. But they do love eel here. We have an eel restaurant really close to the office. Very good. They grill it. It's absolutely delicious. And in the summer, people think if you have eel, it's good for stamina, it will help you withstand the kind of the. The brutality of the Japanese summer. But the latest thing is, you know, eel numbers are dropping and many people say, in the eu, feel that it should be. Exports should be restricted. It needs to be properly listed as endangered and really everyone needs to stop exporting it. Now, that's a disaster for Japan, which relies on imported eels. It doesn't have enough of its own eels and it claims that the Japanese eel is not endangered. That is up for discussion. But it does need these young eels that come partly, you know, some of them come from the eu, some of them come from China and it doesn't want the exports restricted. So there's a big discussion about that Washington Convention signatories are discussing that in Uzbekistan. And I think Japan has corralled enough people. I think 100 countries are opposing the initiative, 35 in favor. So it doesn't look like there will be an export ban because of course.

[Georgina Godwin]

Japan is the world's largest consumer of eel, right?

[Fiona Wilson]

It is. I mean, that's such an interesting detail, isn't it? But I, you know, if you're here, you do see eel restaurants a lot. The trouble is that because they are harder to come by, the prices, like everything else in Japan, the price has rocketed. So a nice lunch of grilled eel has become a bit of a luxury.

[Georgina Godwin]

Gosh, slippery question. Fiona, thank you very much indeed. Monocle's Fiona Wilson there speaking to us from Tokyo. And Fiona, I'm looking forward to seeing you at various Christmas markets and Christmas parties here back in London. Thanks very much for joining us on the globalist. Now here's what else we're keeping an eye on today. A 20 year old national Guard member has died after an ambush near the White House allegedly carried out by an Afghan national who entered the US in 2021 under a resettlement programme and was granted asylum this year. President Trump blamed what he called past vetting failures and ordered sweeping reviews of asylum cases and green cards issued to citizens of 19 countries as investigators fighters pursue the attack as a terrorism case. Vladimir Putin has reiterated that Russia will only halt its offensive if Ukrainian forces withdraw from all territory Moscow claims. Even as the U.S. ukrainian and European envoys race to refine a new draft peace plan first floated in Geneva. Washington says only a few issues remain unresolved. But Kyiv refuses to give up parts of the Donbas. It still holds. And European leaders doubt Putin's intentions. And Venezuela has barred six major international airlines from landing after they ignored a 48 hour deadline to resume flights suspended. When the US warned of heightened military activity around Caracas, the government accused the carriers of siding with Washington as the US Deploys a large naval force offshore, a build up the US Calls counter narcotics but Caracas insists is aiming at toppling Nicolas Maduro. This is the globalist. Stay tuned. It is 1530 in Manila, 830 in Zurich. The Philippines is bracing for major anti corruption protests this weekend with one Manila Central rally possibly topping 100,000 people. Anger is centred on floodgate billions spent on flood control projects that turned out to be unfinished, substandard or simply fake. Seven people have been arrested. More warrants are out And President Marcos Jr says big fish are coming. Well, I'm joined now by Dave Grunbaum who is A freelance Southeast Asia correspondent for outlets including cbc, Deutsche Welle and npr. He's been covering this story from the Philippines, and he joins us now from Kuala Lumpur. Dave, now I know you've been in Manila recently. What is the mood there ahead of the protest?

[Dave Grunbaum]

People are absolutely furious. They want transparency in their government. They want accountability. I mean, as you said, we're talking about billions of dollars allegedly swindled from flood control projects. I mean, I've been to a number of past protests, and when you hear the chance, if you translate it from Tagalog to English, what you often hear is jail the corrupt, and people want anyone and everyone who's connected to the scandal locked up.

[Georgina Godwin]

How did floodgate first come to light?

[Dave Grunbaum]

Well, the president, Ferdinando Marcos Jr. His popularity, you know, was going down. And so he brought this up in his State of the Nation address in July to say that he was going to go after the corruption, that there was this corruption. He was going to be on top of it. But what we've been really learning as things have gone on from the ongoing investigations and public hearings and is how these sort of schemes would work. And lawmakers would put money into the national budget for flood control projects. They would then steer these projects towards specific private contractors who would then give kickbacks to these lawmakers. And also, we should say the costs are often just really inflated from what they should really cost. Then in addition to this, the people who are responsible for monitoring these projects to make sure they're done and done properly, this could include engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways. Well, some of them are being paid off to look the other way. And the results, you know, some projects marked as complete are nowhere near finished. Some of them are built substandard, and other projects that are marked as complete were never even started ghost projects. And I was in just a few weeks ago, several communities with ghost projects, one of them Bulacan Province, one of the many in Bulacan Province. I should point out that Bulacan Province is sort of the epicenter of the scandal so far because there's so many ghost projects there. I was in one community in Bulacan with a ghost project where people at the time I was there were walking through floodwaters chest deep. I went to another community in Quezon City, which is part of Metro Manila, that had a ghost project, and I spoke to people there who told me sometimes the floodwaters are so bad it reaches the ceilings of their ground floors. And what I heard in both of these communities was just absolute frustration. And people furious. They say, how dare these crooked people, politicians, private contractors or government bureaucrats or engineers. How dare these people steal money and line their pockets with money that should have been spent on flood control projects to mitigate these problems and instead other people are pocketing it.

[Georgina Godwin]

So there is going to be retribution. I mean, the president's talked about big fish. How high could this investigation reach?

[Dave Grunbaum]

Well, you know, there have been people saying that the president himself knew about this, but those are allegations that have not been proven. But hypothetically, it could go that high. You know, we'll see how this plays out down the road. I mean, the president's own cousin, he was the speaker of the House of Representatives. He's been implicated in some of the public hearings. He's denied any wrongdoing, although he did step down from his position at House of Representatives. Speaker, we also have the former Senate president who stepped down as the Senate president because he was implicated again denying any wrongdoing. And then someone who's been a staunch ally of the Duterte camp. Keep in mind Marcos Jr. The president, his current political rivals, the vice president, Sarah Duterte, who's the daughter of Marcos jr. S predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, a senator who's aligned with the Duterte camp. He's also come under suspicion, but he denies any wrongdoing.

[Georgina Godwin]

Right. So let's look ahead to Sunday when we know that these big protests are going to take place. Why are students now driving this movement?

[Dave Grunbaum]

You know, students are a big part, obviously in a lot of countries. You know, young adults drive these sorts of things. They're so active, they're energetic, they're coming of age and they want to be part of this. So, you know, do expect to see there's going to be protests all over the country on Sunday. You mentioned the largest one, which is going to be in Metro Manila, could very well drive, draw in more than 100,000. But students are motivated by this. They're the generation that's coming up and they want clean government.

[Georgina Godwin]

Do you think the public believes the president when he claims this is not political? What exactly has he said about it?

[Dave Grunbaum]

You know, he says he's not connected these scandals, that he's trying to get on top of it and that he's trying to weed out anybody who's been, you know, wrongdoing along the way on this. But his popularity is sinking. You know, it's really, you know, you talk to some people in the public, they'll say he definitely must have at least known about it. You hear Other people saying, look, maybe it's possible he didn't know about it, but he should have known about it sooner. Implications that people are split on this. I should also point out, though, that the organizers of this really large protest that's gonna go on in Metro Manila, it's gonna go on at the People Power Monument. I should point out that was the center of the protest movement that drove out Marcos Jr. S father, Marcos Sr. That drove him out of power 40 years ago. That protest there, which is supposed to be the largest, the organizers of that one are saying that they are not calling for Marcos Jr. To step down, because one thing I hear from many of the people that I speak to, they believe that there is corruption across the board, and they believe Marcos Jr. Stepping down would just lead to one administration being replaced by another corrupt administration, in their opinion. So they're not calling for Marcus Jr. To step down in many cases, but what they want is full accountability here. They don't want there to be any sacred crowds and anybody left out of this. If you're corrupt, they want you locked up, and they want the money returned so they can actually go to flood control projects.

[Georgina Godwin]

Dave, thank you very much indeed. That's Dave Grunbaum in Kuala Lumpur there. This is Monocle Radio. Now, as it's Friday, it's time for Andrew Muller's weekly news roundup.

[Andrew Muller]

We learned this week that French President Emmanuel Macron had ordered operatives of the French intelligence services to assassinate the bemusingly popular American conservative podcaster, Candace Owens. Not sure the gasp is quite right. Do we have an ominous accordion sting? Close enough. We learned this, admittedly, from Candace Owens herself, who has not always, perhaps been the most reliable or indeed non bonkers of analysts.

[Maria Fernando Bosmoski]

For example, I realize this, I've never been a person that believed in the moon landings. Always just felt a little foolish to me talking on the moon. Yeah, here we are. I don't know. In 1990, we had basically nothing technologically, and then we sort of just stopped going after a period of years during which our government really wanted to distract us from some stuff that they were doing overseas.

[Andrew Muller]

You can gong her off whenever you're ready. Keep the somber accordion going, though. Quite enjoying it. Anyway, we learned, or at least decided to take Owen's word for the purposes of mockery, that President Macron had taken further umbrage. Come on, you know you want to. Taken further umbrage at Owen's recent assertions that Madame Macron, that is first lady of France and mother of three, Brigitte Macron, is In fact, a chap a claim which has already prompted legal action by the Macrons and raised the prospect of a trial which must be doing absolute wonders for popcorn futures.

[Maria Fernando Bosmoski]

And then, of course, right about the time that President Donald Trump personally called me and told me that Emmanuel Macron asked him to order me to just stop talking about his wife's penis, yeah, then the world knew something was going on here, because that's not normal.

[Andrew Muller]

However, we have now learned or yes, played along because there's at least two minutes of monster in it, that President Macron has arranged insurance against any home ground officiating by any American judge.

[Fiona Wilson]

In a lengthy post on X, she says she was informed of the plot.

[Maria Fernando Bosmoski]

By a high ranking employee of the.

[Andrew Muller]

French government and dispatched a hit squad comprised of apparently a female French assassin and a male Israeli one. Those guys always up to something with their shenanigans, and that the funds to underwrite the operation are being funneled through something called the Club Descentes, which is, hang on, aha. A dining club of restaurant critics which meets Thursday lunchtimes at Maxims.

[Maria Fernando Bosmoski]

Hmm.

[Andrew Muller]

We learned when we dug wearily further down this rabbit hole that Owens may have meant Les siecle, another regular drink up, which occurs at the French Automobile Club and does tend to convene the currently or formally powerful. But at that point we began to resent the feeling that we were putting in the yards that Owens herself could not be bothered to. Which seems unfair given that more people listen to her than do to us. Which is itself, when you think about it, an absolutely damning indictment of the podcast listening public. Am I right? Besides which, we learned who America's real enemies are, and they are US Navy fighter pilots turned astronauts and senators. Verily, there is the resume of a treacherous ne' er do. Well, We learned that US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth we're not calling him Secretary of War and he can't make us had determined, determined to go full Joe McCarthy at of all people, Mark Kelly, who among other career highlights, flew 39 combat sorties during the first Gulf War, served aboard four space shuttle missions, winning along the way awards including but not limited to two Defence Superior Service Medals, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, four Air Medals, the Legion of Merit and the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, took a career pause to care for his wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, after she was severely injured in an assassination attempt before getting elected to the US Senate himself by the people of Arizona. We know what you're thinking. What a deadbeat like certainly no Pete Hegseth or anything anyway.

[Georgina Godwin]

Today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has presided over a series of deadly military strikes in the Caribbean of highly questionable legality, announced that the Pentagon will initiate an investigation into Senator Mark Kelly, one of six Democrats who participated in a video simply reminding active duty service members of their duty to refuse illegal orders.

[Andrew Muller]

So we learned that it's bad for some, almost certainly non sinister reason to gently remind serving troops of their right and indeed responsibility to disregard unlawful orders, their oath being to support and defend the Constitution, not whoever happens to be redecorating the White House to look like Elton John's bathroom at any given moment. So bad indeed that the highest authority was demanding the severest punishment.

[Monocle Radio Announcer]

Today, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social, seen right here, branding Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and five other congressional Democrats as traitors who desired the death penalty for urging military members to reject illegal orders.

[Andrew Muller]

We learned, however, that Senator Kelly, who has the advantage of having been frightened by professionals once or twice, seemed pretty confident of evading the noose on the basis that Hegseth may not have thought this, or indeed anything entirely through.

[Dave Grunbaum]

He can go after me under the Uniform Code of Military justice, which is.

[Tyler Brule]

The law in the military, which is.

[Andrew Muller]

Kind of wild because we recited something in the Uniform Code of Military justice and he's going to prosecute me under.

[Dave Grunbaum]

The Uniform Code of Military justice for.

[Tyler Brule]

Reciting the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

[Maria Fernando Bosmoski]

It is. It is.

[Andrew Muller]

We learned, however, however, that it could be worse.

[Georgina Godwin]

Good morning and conference of Earth.

[Andrew Muller]

We learned and that Adolf Hitler had been re elected. To be clear, we do not mean this in any hacky, satirical or metaphorical sense by way of deriding any particular current prominent national leader. To whom on earth did you think we might have been referring? We mean that Adolf Hitler has literally been re elected. Or at least that's how exit polls were tracking as of this recording.

[Maria Fernando Bosmoski]

Interesting.

[Monocle Radio Announcer]

Tell me, see where this goes.

[Andrew Muller]

We learned that the people of the Ompunja constituency in the Oshana region of Namibia were set to return to their local council. Adolf Hitler UNONA of the South West Africa People's Organisation Party, who has to be fair, succeeded admirably in electoral politics despite the consequences of, one assumes, his parents lighting upon the first installment of the biography of a decorated soldier soldier who reinvents himself as a painter and never getting around to acquiring volume two. For Monocle Radio, I'm Andrew Muller.

[Georgina Godwin]

Thank you, Andrew. This is the globalist on Monocle Radio.

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[Georgina Godwin]

This is the Globalist on Monocle Radio. The time here now is 7:42, and we're going to have a news roundup from Austria and Hungary. I'm joined now by Monocle's Vienna correspondent, Alexey Korolov. Alexei, I hear you've been getting in some skiing.

[Monocle Radio Announcer]

Well, not exactly, but I have been to one of Austria's premier ski resorts, Kids Buhl, recently. Yes.

[Georgina Godwin]

And I understand you had an exciting encounter. Oh, that sounds a bit rude. What I mean is. You met someone important.

[Monocle Radio Announcer]

Well, exactly. I met the. The. The Austrian National Women's curling team. And that was very exciting because, you know, it's such an interesting sport and Kids booth the town, it has the only dedicated curling arena in Austria. So that's why they're. They're there, they're based there and I just sort of watched them train, trying to figure out the rules of the game because, you know, it still beats me, but it was just fun and very exciting being there and sort of seeing them in action.

[Georgina Godwin]

Is Curly in the one where it looks like they're sort of just sweeping things with a broom?

[Monocle Radio Announcer]

Yeah, that's what it looks like, but I'm sure there's more to it.

[Georgina Godwin]

I'm sure there is. I look forward to you explaining the rules to me in absolute detail at some point. Listen, let's talk about Sebastian Kurtz because. Because speculation is mounting that Austria's disgraced former chancellor, who quit over corruption allegations, might be plotting a political comeback. Now, this is all to do with a press visit to Israel. Tell us more.

[Monocle Radio Announcer]

That's correct, yeah. I mean, you know, rumors of Sebastian Quote's mounting a political comeback began almost the moment he stepped down. So that was nearly five years ago, in December 21. Because, you know, then as now, it just seemed inconceivable that somebody like him would just give up on their ambitions and simply disappear without a trace. I mean, of course, he couldn't just disappear because he's still the subject of several corruption allegations, which was indeed the very reason that he stepped down. But, yeah, indeed. I mean, he's made. He's never been out of the headlines since then, at least in Austria, and recently has been making lots of appearances, media appearances, and at the beginning of the month, he invited a group of select journalists to Israel to sort of survey his cybersecurity startup dream and sort of check out his new life, because he now has gone into business. He has a consultancy, has this cyber security startup as well, but based in Israel. Yeah, partly in Israel, but also in Vienna and in Abu Dhabi. But, you know, there's always been this speculation that he might at some point come back.

[Georgina Godwin]

Back.

[Monocle Radio Announcer]

And he also gave an interview recently to the Financial Times in which he spoke, among other things, about Austria's growing political divisions. And of course, the irony there is that he himself did quite a lot to inflame those divisions. And he also defended his decision in that interview to team up with the far right, which was again, one of the reasons that he had to step down.

[Georgina Godwin]

This description of the press visit following him around Israel sounds a little bit odd.

[Monocle Radio Announcer]

Well, yeah, it is odd. But, you know, he is very keen to sort of show, to present himself as this very successful business person with, you know, business now and who knows what he's doing, because that was one of the accusations and allegations leveled against him during his time in office that he does not, in fact, know what he's doing. So now he is very keen to present himself as this very knowledgeable, a very sort of professional person. And, you know, quite apart from all of that and from his political agenda, his policies, all his shortcomings as a person, as a politician, it is true that, you know, no other figure in modern Austrian history is sort of talked about quite the same way as courts is. And indeed, that's why all this speculation is still there.

[Georgina Godwin]

And so do you think there is any way back for him? I mean, would he want that? And also with these allegations hanging over him, could he. He realistically achieve it?

[Monocle Radio Announcer]

Yeah, I mean, he's been dropping hints, you know, every now and then that he's considering it. And indeed, that report about that Israel trip it also talks about that came out in the Viennese weekly Falta, I should say that also mentions how, you know, an increasing number of members of the People's Party, the Conservative Party that quotzled, are sort of pining for him to return. So there's that. And also, you know, he was recently acquitted, actually, in one of the, in one of those investigations. I mean, he was convicted of perjury and he was acquitted of this conviction. So, you know, that's also sort of. That's also something that's there. But as I say, you know, that's all speculation. Of course, we don't know. And he's never said anything definitive well.

[Georgina Godwin]

If he does return, it won't be on the much anticipated third Runway at Vienna Airport because they've decided against building it. Tell us more.

[Monocle Radio Announcer]

That's correct. I mean, you know, coming back to Kurz, of course, all this talk about him coming back and all this speculation, that's all very welcome distraction from the real problems in Austria. Austria's inflation is among the highest in the EU, running at 4%, which is well above the EU average. And it really affects everything, you know, the rising cost of living, prices going up and indeed big infrastructure, public projects like the Vienna airport. The Vienna airport said it had been planning this third Runway for almost three decades now. In all that time, authorities insisted that the airport simply wouldn't be able to function properly without it and of course promised thousands of jobs. But now this week, they suddenly came out with this press release saying that the project now has been deemed too expensive. You know, it would have required rerouting a motorway and lots of other things. And now they are saying, you know, the airport will manage just fine with its two existing runways.

[Georgina Godwin]

And this also comes out after Wizzair, that Hungarian low cost airline, has pulled out from Vienna.

[Monocle Radio Announcer]

That's correct. I mean, this is the real tragedy here because, and that's, you know, quite separate from the third Runway, but very much tied again to those wider economic worries is that, you know, Ryanair is phasing out its fleet in Vienna and Wizz Air is pulling out completely, you know, and that is going to, this is what's going to hit passengers and not the, you know, the third Runway.

[Georgina Godwin]

Wizz Air, of course, owned by Hungary, as we said. And let's have a look at a Hungarian story because the Budapest office of the US funded Radio Free Europe or Radio Liberty has closed. And that's down to Donald Trump.

[Monocle Radio Announcer]

Yeah, of course. I mean, you know, Viktor Orban, Hungary's leader, is no friend of critical media and neither is Donald Trump. So Radio Free Europe or Radio Liberty was founded in 1950 by the US by the government, by the US government to sort of beam into the then countries of the Eastern Bloc, communist countries. And they, all of these offices and all these journalists largely stayed after the fall of the Iron Curtain. And there was one office in Budapest as well, which shut down then in 1993, but was revived in 2020 with the explicit aim of pushing back against Orban's illiberalism and his clampdown on independent media. Because that's indeed what Orban has been doing all this time, all his time in office, you know, repressing independent newspapers and outlets and really tightening his grip on the media landscape. And now, just recently, I think it was a week ago, the US Government said, you know, they were not going to use taxpayer money, US Taxpayer money anymore to destabilize Hungary and undermine Trump's foreign policy by opposing the duly elected prime minister of Hungary. So that's the reasoning behind that. But of course, you know, it has been seen as just yet another blow to independent media and to the free press in Hungary, because, you know, Orban has been tightening his grip on it, on the media landscape recently, quite a lot, because he faces a very tough election next year that could end his long rule. You know, he's been at the helm in Hungary for about 15 years. His party Fides is trailing in the polls, and he's looking potentially at the biggest challenge to his rule in years.

[Georgina Godwin]

Well, it would appear that's not dampening the Christmas spirit in Budapest, though, because Budapest Christmas market has been voted Europe's most popular.

[Tyler Brule]

Yeah.

[Monocle Radio Announcer]

You know, as a resident of Vienna, a city that likes to think that, you know, it is the birthplace of Christmas markets, I naturally disagree. And, and in that ranking, Vienna is. Is number three. But, you know, on the other hand, it's easy to see why, why Budapest came out on top, because, you know, it's the same story of rising prices. Budapest is just cheaper than Vienna. And of course, the other thing is that the Budapest Christmas market, which is right in the central square on the Pest side in Budapest, it has another advantage. It's open for two whole months, whereas the markets in Vienna and the markets in Switzerland or Germany are typically open for about three weeks and they close after Christmas because they've sort of served their purpose by then. Whereas the one in Budapest, as I understand, will stay open for longer than that.

[Georgina Godwin]

Well, I can't promise you two months. But I can say if you stay listening, I will be telling you about a Christmas market to rival even that. Monocle's Vienna correspondent, Alexey Korilov. Thank you very much indeed. This is the Globalist on Monocle Radio. It is 8:53 in Zurich, 753 here in London. Now, I have been away from Midori House for a couple of weeks, and I returned yesterday to find the building decorated for Christmas and looking very jolly. Now, Monocle does many things well, but we excel at Christmas. And this weekend sees our festive celebrations kicking off in Zurich. So I'm joined now from Zurich by the man with the beard. No, not that one. Monocle's editorial director and chairman Tyler Brule. Good morning to you, Tyler.

[Tyler Brule]

Yeah, and not that beard either. Georgina, good morning.

[Georgina Godwin]

Yours is a little more refined and not grey.

[Tyler Brule]

Good morning. Good morning.

[Georgina Godwin]

Good morning. Good morning. Now obviously we can't rival the huge markets in Budapest or in Vienna, but what we do have is a very refined, curated and fun, intense experience at our Christmas markets in several different locations. The first of which happens tomorrow. Tell us about what's going on at Dufestrasse 90.

[Tyler Brule]

Indeed. I just take issue with Budapest for just a moment. When you have a market that goes on for two months, you call it Christmas. It's just a market. It's not a Christmas market at that point. Anyway, as you said. Yes, ours are very intense. They are, they are two day affairs. It does kick off tomorrow, bright and early, 10 o' clock here in Zurich for two days and. And then it really becomes a bit of a global tour, Georgina. Then it is on to Paris next weekend and then we're in London. But also this year there'll be many markets happening also in Hong Kong and Tokyo and Toronto as well. And then we also do a special evening, not quite a market in Marana, so we have all of our shops around the world taking part. But this is also the kickoff of the Sunday shopping season.

[Andrew Thompson]

Woo hoo.

[Tyler Brule]

Here in Switzerland as well, that you're able to actually go out and shop on a Sunday, really sort of with great freedom. And that allows us to do the market of course, across the two days as well.

[Georgina Godwin]

And I mean this is a favorite time of year for all of us at Monocle. What do you think makes this year special? When you look back, what's. What's been great?

[Tyler Brule]

What's been great? Well, I think this is probably. It's funny that we're talking about events and bringing people together, but I would say that if I Look back across 2025, this has been the year, Georgina, where we have just done a record number of events bringing brands, you know, having residencies. I look back to Jakarta for the Chiefs. I look back to Barcelona for our Quality of Life conference. We just had our weekender in Abu Dhabi last week. But then if I look at, I would say the weeks and months ahead, there's just a really kind of a cascade of more just gatherings, events all over the world. So I'd say that's been the defining thing and part of the evolution of a contemporary media brand as well.

[Georgina Godwin]

Absolutely. And that contemporary media brand, a subscription to it is a perfect gift. Tell us more.

[Tyler Brule]

It is. Well, this is like I was telling a very, very brief story the other day. I was returning from Stockholm to Zurich and I was at Arlanda airport and it just struck me. We've touched on this a few times, but every time you go to an airport, and airports, of course, are places where you will tend to find a lot of Monocle readers. And it's also part of. Airports are really part of the story where we launched this brand when I was looking at how people were consuming their media, their print media. And it's very hard to do that study now because many of the bookshops are no longer at airports. The convenience or kiosk shops that used to sell magazines are not in that business anymore. They're in the business of selling hot dogs and cinnamon buns and other things. It's very, very difficult to get your hands on a magazine. And. And here's the story. Once a magazine distribution point goes away, it's not that, oh, Georgina suddenly went and migrated 4km somewhere else to go and buy her favorite magazines. You tend to stop buying magazines or those favorite titles. And that is why we want people, of course, to subscribe and listen. A copy of. To be able to deliver a copy of Monocle every month or to have a subscription. Georgina, it's less than probably half an espresso in Swiss francs per day. It's absolutely. It's a steal, really. So you sort of think about coffee consumption. It's considerably less. In fact, you know, you buy two subscriptions for the price of a coffee. Price of a daily coffee in Switzerland.

[Georgina Godwin]

Yeah. And the thing is, if you already have a subscription, you could then become a patron, which opens all of these other doors, doesn't it?

[Tyler Brule]

Absolutely. And we're growing our circle of patrons around the world. We had a number of them here in Zurich the other evening because we lost our designers on sofas book here with Nick Moniz and Andrew Tuck were here. And that's just a wonderful upgrade as well. Not to mention, of course, if you become a subscriber, aside from supporting good journalism, you get a 10% discount, of course, on all purchases at Monocle, which is always a nice thing as well.

[Georgina Godwin]

Tyler, very happy Christmas to you. Where will you be spending it?

[Tyler Brule]

I will. I think you're asking that question many times over the coming weeks, Georgina. But, yeah, I will be up in the mountains as ever, and we should, we should say that also. Our Samuraitz outpost will also be returning, but I look forward to seeing you in London in a few weeks.

[Georgina Godwin]

Absolutely. Tyler Brulee, many thanks for joining us. So Zurich market November 29th and 30th, will be in Paris December 6th and 7th, and London the 13th and 14th. And that's all for today's program. Sadly, I didn't get Tyler to sing Christmas Eve live on air. That was my aim. But perhaps another time. Still a month to go for Christmas. Thanks to our producers, Hassan I. Anderson, Laura Kramer and Monica Lillis, our researcher, Joanna Moser, and our studio manager, Steph Chungu. I'm Georgina Godwin. Thanks for listening.

[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 advice is our craft.