World Weekly with Gideon Rachman

President François Hollande's socialist party took a serious drubbing in Sunday's local elections. He responded by swiftly sacking his prime minister and replacing him with Manuel Valls, a tough interior minister and economic reformer from the party's right wing. So does this appointment signal a modernisng direction for France? Gideon Rachman is joined by Hugh Carnegy, Paris bureau chief, and Ben Hall, world news editor and former Paris correspondent, to discuss.

Gideon Rachman is joined by Daniel Dombey, Turkey correspondent, and Leyla Boulton, head of special reports and former Turkey correspondent, to discuss Prime Minister Erdogan's ban on Twitter and what the year ahead holds for the country and its divisive leader. The Twitter ban adds to a growing cloud of controversy, with allegations of corruption and a blackmail ring also engulfing Turkey's political system, but Erdogan has retained much of his support from coservative groups and is still polling broadly above 40 per cent as this weekend's local elections approach

Ben Hall is joined by Peter Spiegel, Brussels bureau chief and Neil Buckley, East Europe editor to discuss Europe’s response to Russia’s summary annexation of Crimea, the first such grab for sovereign territory by a European nation since the second world war. President Vladimir Putin’s move has prompted outrage in European capitals, and the muscular tone of his speech to the Duma on Tuesday will have triggered some alarm about Russian intentions. But Europe’s response so far seems timid, as governments weigh their economic interests with standing up to Russian aggression.

While the crisis in Ukraine has grabbed the headlines, Venezuela, once the toast of the radical left around the world, has also been in the grip of a violent political crisis. In the last three weeks, protests have left at least 20 dead. Gideon Rachman is joined by Latin American editor John Paul Rathbone, and correspondent Andres Schipani to discuss the background to the situation, and where the country goes from here.

Russian troops are in effective control of many parts of the Ukrainian region of Crimea and the United States is threatening Russia with isolation if it doesn’t back down. In this week’s podcast, Gideon Rachman is joined by Neil Buckley, East Europe editor and chief US commentator Edward Luce to discuss how this dangerous situation is likely to develop

Viktor Yanukovich has fled the scene of last week's brutal crackdown on protests, but Ukraine still faces real danger from separatist tensions that could spiral into violence and the threat of financial meltdown. Ben Hall is joined over the phone by Neil Buckley, Eastern Europe editor, in Kiev, and Kathrin Hille, Moscow bureau chief, to discuss Russia's sabre-rattling, pro-Russian sentiment in Crimea and whether western capitals can come up with a financial lifeline for Ukraine

In Italy, the government of Enrico Letta has fallen and the country is set to have its youngest Prime Minister ever. Matteo Renzi promises to be a radical reformer. In this week’s podcast Guy Dinmore, Rachel Sanderson and Ferdinando Giugliano join Gideon Rachman to discuss whether Mr Renzi can break the political and economic deadlock that seems to be paralysing the country and what the stakes are for Europe

Even by Olympic superlative standards, the Sochi games are an extraordinary event. The most expensive Olympics ever, these games are the personal project of President Vladimir Putin, bankrolled by the country’s billionaire oligarchs. In this week’s podcast, Ben Hall, world news editor, is joined by Kathrin Hille, Moscow bureau chief and Neil Buckley, East Europe editor to discuss whether after the build up, snags and negative portrayal in western media, are we now seeing a normal winter Olympic contest?

The referendum on Scottish independence takes place in seven months and if the Scots vote to go it alone, they will break up a union which has existed for over 300 years. On Friday, Prime Minister David Cameron made an impassioned plea to Scots: “We want you to stay.” But Mr Cameron’s intervention has been treated by the Scottish Nationalists as a sign of panic from the government in London. Gideon Rachman is joined by Mure Dickie, Scotland correspondent, and John McDermott, commentator to discuss what is going on both in the polls and in the wider debate. Audio clip of David Cameron provided by Reuters

President Obama has just delivered his State of the Union speech to Congress. As usual, it was full of uplifting stories and calls for action, punctuated by standing ovations. But many believe that the sad reality is that this is a presidency that is running out of steam, and some of what Mr Obama had to say about the State of the Union was actually quite bleak. In this week's podcast, Gideon Rachman is joined by Richard McGregor, Washington bureau chief and Edward Luce, chief US commentator, to assess the speech and the state of the presidency in general.

World powers are gathering in Switzerland in an attempt to find a diplomatic solution to Syria's three-year civil war, which has cost more than 130,000 lives drawn in regional powers to fight a proxy sectarian war. The conference nearly fell apart before it began when the UN invited Iran to participate. But what chance of success remains? Roula Khalaf, foreign editor, and Borzou Daragahi, Middle East correspondent, join Ben Hall to discuss.

By an unfortunate coincidence, President François Hollande’s efforts to relaunch his presidency with an announcement of bold economic reforms have coincided with the revelation that he appears to be having an affair with an actress. Meanwhile, the economy continues to struggle, and the government is engaged in an effort to block performances by the controversial comic Dieudonné. Gideon Rachman is joined by Hugh Carnegy, Paris Bureau chief, and Ben Hall, world news editor, to discuss whether France is in crisis, or whether it’s business as usual

Turkey is in political turmoil. In recent weeks a corruption scandal has gripped the government, resulting in a series of arrests, the moving of hundreds of senior police officers, a challenge to the power base of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a split between Mr Erdogan and his former backers in the Gulenist movement. In this week’s podcast, Gideon Rachman is joined by Daniel Dombey, Turkey correspondent and Tony Barber, Europe editor, to discuss how these developments threaten the political and economic stability of this large dynamic country that is vital to the geopolitics of both Europe and Asia

Mass protests continue in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, against the government of President Viktor Yanukovych. The government had refused to sign an association agreement with the European Union, apparently in favor of closer ties to Russia. Neil Buckley, east Europe editor, and Roman Olearchyk, Kiev correspondent, join Gideon Rachman to discuss the still-volatile situation.

Aerial posturing over disputed territories in the East China Sea has caused concern among the international community. After China declared an air identification zone over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, the US despatched two B-52 bombers in an apparent show of defiance, but has instructed its civilian airlines to respect the zone. In this week’s podcast, Gideon Rachman is joined by Jamil Anderlini, Beijing bureau chief, and Geoff Dyer, US foreign policy correspondent to shed light on the situation