On air

Why has Vladimir Putin sent a fleet of warships to Australia ahead of the G20 summit? Plus we hear the untold stories of the 33 men trapped in a Chilean mine in 2010 and visit the Hyper Japan tradeshow in London.

We discuss foreign sources of terrorism funding and look at a legal case against Shell in Nigeria. We also consider the future of smart weapons, review the Asian newspapers and talk to author Colin Jones about his book The Smile Revolution.

A look at developments in Ukraine and violence in Mexico. We also hear from John Ralston Saul on his new book The Comeback, Peter Wilson on the Australian newspapers and take a tour of Swiss fashion.

We look at escalating violence in Israel, Sheena Rossiter profiles Brazilian banker Joseph Safra, Roderic Wye reviews the Asian newspapers and Stephanie Strom of The New York Times explains an emerging legal war over mayonnaise in the US.

What obstacles lie in the way of Nicolas Sarkozy’s political comeback? We also analyse historic grievances in Catalonia, discuss the Keystone XL pipeline and head to Ireland for Europe’s first economics festival.

As Germany prepares to mark 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, we assess the role that both faith and music played in 1989 and their place in the nation today. Plus, we ask why Mexico has scrapped a high-speed rail project, and recommend how to spend your Friday night in Istanbul.

As thousands of people protest in the centre of Brussels against government-imposed austerity, we assess who might win the standoff. Plus, we ask why western militaries find it so hard to train the armies of other countries and visit the North Korean embassy in London for a rather unique art exhibition.

Updates from Burkina Faso, which is now under military rule, we ask whether the detainment of the mayor of Iguala in Mexico will help reveal the location of 43 missing students there, and enjoy a preview of this year’s Giller Prize for fiction taking place in Toronto.

On midterm election day in the US we hear from Kansas, Kentucky and New Hampshire on crucial Senate races. We also weigh up how Hezbollah intends to defeat Isis, while authors Jazz Johnson and Dirk Wittenborn describe the art of modern social climbing.

As Bolivia’s president commissions a new palace in La Paz, design writer Peter York assess why the homes of heads of state can be so politically potent. Plus a look ahead to the midterm elections in the US.