Nexus

Athletes are arriving in Tokyo and Japan is pushing ahead with the Olympics next month, even though we're in the midst of a pandemic. The Japanese government says they can handle it - but a lot of people are worried. They’re worried about the athletes and their support crews possibly bringing new variants to Japan. And they’re worried about people getting together and creating a so-called ‘Olympic variant’ and spreading that around the world. Is holding the games really worth the risk at a time like this? Well whatever your opinion, it appears it’s too late to stop it now.

A manhunt has gripped Belgium over the past few weeks. The fugitive is Jurgen Conings, a heavily-armed 46 Year old army sniper who is described as far-right and believes the government is using the pandemic as a pretext to control and harm its citizens. In particular he singles out Belgium’s leading virologist - the controversial and provocative Marc Van Ranst - who is now under round the clock protection. While it’s easy to dismiss Conings as a lone-wolf conspiracy theorist - in actual fact, tens of thousands of Belgians have expressed their support for him online.

All fight fans were really looking forward to Tyson Fury v Anthony Joshua - which was meant to take place in Saudi Arabia this August - but for contractual reasons the fight’s been called off. Turns out that Fury is obliged to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time before he can face Joshua. This is all a huge disappointment for fight fans, but for some human rights campaigners it’s a good thing the fight’s not going ahead. They accuse Saudi of using the fight - indeed sporting events in general - to cover-up the country’s poor human rights record, a process known as sportswashing.

Matt Gaetz, the telegenic Congressman from Florida, who was touted as the ‘future of the Republican party’ is facing accusations of sex trafficking. Also, the prison guards who were supposed to be watching Jeffrey Epstein on the night he killed himself admit falsifying their work records. And finally, Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, will be the subject of a new docu-series called ‘Chasing Ghislaine’ made by the same people behind last years hugely successful Netflix series 'Filthy Rich'

The Middle East; on one side Israel, with one of the world’s most advanced militaries, and on the other side, Gaza, a tiny and impoverished Palestinian territory which has been blockaded for years and is run by Hamas. As always, the world has one eye on the United States, which, as Israel’s greatest backer, is supposedly the only country in the world with the power to intervene, but what is President Joe Biden really prepared to do? In his multiple runs for the Presidency beginning in the 1980s, he bent over backwards to support Israel, but he now finds himself in an invidious position and unsure of which way the political wind is blowing in America in 2021

Why did Bill Gates meet Jeffrey Epstein after he was convicted of sex offences? And did their numerous meetings prove to be the final straw for Melinda? After 27 years of marriage Bill and Melinda are divorcing. Melinda will become the second richest woman in the world. In this programme we hear Bill Gates explaining why he met Epstein - it was all in a good cause he says but admits mistake. We also hear from a top Hollywood divorce lawyer about who gets what and if the Epstein rumours make sense as revealed by the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Another lawyer in New York talks about Ghislaine Maxwell possibly ‘flipping’ and telling what she knows.

No matter how many times Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson is accused of being sleazy, dishonest, or a buffoon, he just keeps on winning. As if his ego wasn’t inflated enough, Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party he leads, are now even stronger after the UK went to the polls last week. Not a general election, but there were still lots of seats and positions of power up for grabs. Crucially the Conservatives gained an extra seat in Parliament by winning a by-election in Labour stronghold Hartlepool, the last time the Conservatives won there was 1974 , when ABBA topped the charts with ‘Waterloo’ It turned out to be Labour’s Waterloo.

What's really going on inside North Korea? The secretive nation - led by Kim Jong Un - claims to have zero Covid cases but with China right next door - can that really be true? We hear from Jake Kim, a North Korean who escaped more than 10 years, who doesn't believe it... or anything the North Korean government says anymore.

Exhausted Indian doctor tells us that people who have been double vaccinated and/or had Covid-19 last year are still getting infected with new 'double mutant variant' Dr Bhatti also tells us there are no beds, not enough oxygen, the government got complacent and now India is paying the price. Another guest, journalist Javed Ansari of New Delhi, says government critics and people asking for help are being shut down by Twitter b/c of Indian Govt. pressure.

Will airlines and other travel companies insist on their passengers being fully vaccinated to get aboard?

QANTAS say yes and cruise ship companies like P&O and Saga agree. Could we be headed towards 'no jab, no holiday'? Plus, find out which European airports are now the busiest....you may be surprised