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The issue of Brexit and the popularity of SNP leader and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have put the idea of Scottish independence back on the agenda. Public opinion polls show a majority in favour, but with implacable opposition from Boris Johnson assured, what paths are there to an "Indyref 2"? Denis Staunton reports. And Guy Hedgecoe in Madrid explains the social complexities behind the jailing of a Catalan rapper for insulting the royal family and glorifying terrorism.

Suzanne Lynch reports from former president Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial. Under attack from a well-organised prosecution, Trump's own legal team have not impressed. But will it matter? Plus, a decade after Hosni Mubarak was toppled, what remains of Egypt's revolution? We talk to Declan Walsh, chief Africa correspondent at the New York Times.

A few months ago Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was lying in hospital in Berlin, recovering from being poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok. This week he was imprisoned after returning to Russia to continue his campaign against Vladimir Putin, despite the clear risks. But who is Alexei Navalny? And does his campaign have any chance of success? We talk to our correspondent Dan McLaughlin. Plus, the story of the Chinese writer first praised but then shunned for sharing her insider account of the Wuhan lockdown.

Today on the podcast: Tom Hennigan on the dire Covid-19 situation in Brazil, where the second-highest number of people have died of the disease. A more spreadable variant of the disease has deepened the crisis, as has the corruption and dysfunction of the national response, led by anti-vaxxer President Jair Bolsonaro.

Our Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch was one of the lucky few to attend President Joe Biden's inauguration yesterday. She talks to foreign editor Chris Dooley about the message Biden sent in his address and his early policy moves. And we talk to Omar Wasow, an assistant professor of political science at Princeton University. He says the violent events of January 6th were more akin to a lynch mob than a riot or a coup, and explains why he thinks calls for unity are unlikely to work in the long run.

The race is on to roll out the coronavirus vaccine across the European Union. Denmark is sitting proudly in first place, with 2% of their population already vaccinated. All EU countries have had the same level of access to the first vaccine approved by the bloc, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, so how has Denmark managed to administer doses at such an efficient rate? Joining David McKechnie to discuss the different elements of the rollout process and the reasons behind the delay in some member states is our Europe Correspondent Naomi O’Leary.

Yesterday the world watched on in disbelief as a group of pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol, in a violent display of loyalty to the president. While Congress gathered to certify the election results, thousands of flag-waving supporters broke through police barriers and gained access to the historic building, tearing through offices, breaking furniture and smashing windows. In today’s episode, Irish Times Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch joins David McKechnie to discuss how the dramatic events unfolded.

In this week's podcast, Chris Dooley speaks to foreign policy expert Thomas Wright about the incoming Joe Biden administration and the issues that the president-elect will have to deal with when he takes office in January. How will president Biden deal with China? What will an international taxation agreement mean for Ireland's relationship with the US? Can Biden hold the Democratic Party together? Thomas Wright is a Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution, a Washington-based foreign policy think tank, where he is also the director of the Center on the United States and Europe.

To mark the end of the year with something a little different, we asked a handful of our regular contributors - Denis Staunton, Naomi O'Leary, Sally Hayden and Derek Scally - to choose a moment or a theme that stood out for them in this most eventful of years. Happy Christmas to all our listeners from the World View team. Produced by Declan Conlon and Suzanne Brennan.

Last month Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed a peace deal after six weeks of fierce fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Tens of thousands have died and up to a million people have been displaced, since a bloody war between the two countries ended in a ceasefire in 1994. Central and eastern Europe correspondent, Daniel McLaughlin, explains the background to the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and its regional and global implications.

Paris correspondent Lara Marlowe on the destruction and salvation of the city's iconic Notre Dame cathedral, destroyed by fire in April 2019. Lara has spoken to the people at the centre of the cathedral's expensive and at times controversial reconstruction.

A month after the US election, President Donald Trump has yet to concede to President-elect Joe Biden and continues to cry foul over the process. Despite recounts, legal challenges and Trump’s claims on Twitter that he will “win”, local officials have quietly gone about their business certifying the results. Suzanne Lynch talks us through recent events and what's to come between now and Biden’s inauguration on January 21st.

Sally Hayden recently visited Ethiopia, just before the outbreak of a conflict between the central government and a region in the east African country's north that threatens to escalate. Sally joins deputy foreign editor David McKechnie to discuss what is behind the outbreak of fighting that has reportedly already left hundreds dead and caused a refugee crisis.

A power struggle at Downing Street, Dominic Cummings out and a damaging gaffe by the Prime Minister to do with Scottish devolution, all while the Labour party finds itself at odds, once again, over former leader Jeremy Corbyn. Will the upheaval in Boris Johnson’s team make a Brexit deal more or less likely? London editor Denis Staunton reports on a turbulent week in British politics.

Our hard-working Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch is back to discuss President Trump's failure to concede the election battle he has clearly lost to President-elect Joe Biden. Is it just Trump being Trump or is there more to it? What are his fellow Republicans thinking? And how will it all affect the now-crucial Georgia Senate elections in January?

Suzanne Lynch with the latest from the US presidential election on Thursday, November 5th. Biden is on course to win, but doubts remain over whether votes remaining to be counted in key states will turn out to be red or blue.

Suzanne Lynch is back with one last report before polling day in the 2020 US presidential election. What do the final polls tell us, what what final moves are Joe Biden and Donald Trump making?

As many EU countries reenter lockdown, we ask Naomi O'Leary what went wrong with Europe's Covid-19 response. Plus, Suzanne Lynch on what the final few days of campaigning will look like as Joe Biden carries a slim lead into the last stage of the US presidential election.

Suzanne Lynch on the swing state battles that will decide the election, Lindsey Graham's battle to save his seat and Barack Obama's return to the campaign trail for the final two week stretch of the campaign.

Suzanne Lynch and Chris Dooley dig into five election battles to watch for seats in the US Senate and House of Representatives, in Texas, Maine, South Carolina Arizona and Montana. Plus, does Joe Biden have a Cuban-American problem in Florida, a crucial state in the race?