As top diplomats from the US and China meet in Washington, we discuss the growing unease between the two superpowers. Plus: the latest on the future of the Mueller investigation into the 2016 US election, Paris’s e-bike scheme and why two of Germany’s top department stores are announcing a merger.

Could Angela Merkel’s fragile political coalition be on the verge of collapse? We also examine Japan's energy strategy, ask whether Armistice Day has become a political football and examine what’s behind the variance in the global wine harvest.

What could Democrat gains in the US midterms mean for the 2020 presidential race? We also discuss plans for a European army, hear from an entrepreneur who is shaking up hotel offerings in Paris and ask whether China could become the world’s most visited country.

Monocle’s Tomos Lewis has the latest from Vermont as polls open for the US midterms. We also explore Japan's military strategy and ask why football in the Balkans can't escape the region’s turbulent political past.

We ask whether a diplomatic push by the king of Saudi Arabia is anything more than a PR exercise. Plus: China's attempts to promote free trade, the impact of Iranian oil sanctions and attempts by Nasa to send astronauts back to the moon.

What impact will the US’s new sanctions have on Iran, who is Brazil’s new justice minister and why is New Caledonia holding a referendum on whether to get independence from France? Plus: Amsterdam’s mayor is planning to change the face of the city’s infamous red-light district.

Why Stockholm turned down the opportunity for an Apple-funded overhaul of one of its parks and the mayor of Taipei’s new strategy for attracting young voters: the release of a hip-hop video. Plus: a highlight from last night’s special edition of ‘The Urbanist’, live from Midori House.

We ask whether the man investigating Russian interference in the US election is being deliberately smeared by right-wing critics. Plus: we consider Croatia’s attempts to join the euro, explore dramatic military drills off the coast of Norway and find out why London’s police service wants to launch a clothing range.

Will Donald Trump unequivocally denounce white nationalism before he visits Pittsburgh? We also find out what Australia’s spymaster thinks about Chinese meddling, get the latest business headlines from Bloomberg and take you on a tour of Sweden’s National Museum.

What should we know about the Lion Air plane crash in Indonesia? We also find out why Angela Merkel no longer wants to carry on as head of her CDU party, review the Brazilian newspapers and find out about a woman who became an accidental author.