Philippines President Duterte has divided his country and the international community. From championing a ‘war on drugs’ which has led to thousands of deaths to promising to save Filipina maids abused in the Gulf countries - no one can predict what he'll do next. His crackdown on drug users has attracted criticism - but he says he’s just cleaning up the streets. How far will he take it?

On this episode of Nexus was…

· Carlos H. Conde - Researcher at Human Rights Watch covering the Philippines, and former New York Times journalist

· Bruce Rivera Conferido - Lawyer and Political News Commentator

· And Phoebe Dimacali - Former Filipino maid in the Middle East & Chairperson of the Filipino Domestic Workers Association

Hungarian-American mogul George Soros has donated almost $700,000 to an anti-Brexit campaign - pushing for a second referendum for the UK. But as an outsider, why does he care? What social change can billionaires influence overseas - and are they right to get involved? Are they becoming political puppet masters?

On this episode of Nexus was….

· Matt Qvortrup - Professor of Political Science & International Relations, Coventry University

· And Kevin Craig - CEO and Founder, Political Lobbying and Media Relations agency

Jacob Zuma is out, Cyril Ramaphosa is in. Allegations of corruption shadowed his nine year presidency. Can the ANC clean up its act now he’s gone? And after supporting him through so much scandal – why did they choose to ditch him now?

On this episode of Nexus was….

* Oliver Dickson – Political Analyst

* Jonathan Shapiro – Cartoonist

* Feziwe Ndwayana - Spokeswoman, African Democratic Change Party

Is China's President Xi Jinping becoming the most powerful man in the world? Recently he's been making friends in all the right places - securing business deals worth billions across the globe. With one of the world's fastest growing economies and advancing military might – is China on course to take America's place as the world's top superpower?

On this episode of Nexus was…..

* Kerry Brown - Professor of Chinese Studies, King's College London

* Yan Bennett - Managing director, Center on Contemporary China, Princeton University

* And Dennis Wilder - Chinese Military Expert and Former White House Adviser

Would Oprah make a good US president? She's denied that she'll run - but that hasn't stopped people calling for her to join the 2020 race. Coming from humble beginnings - how did Oprah become an icon?

On this episode of Nexus was….

* Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Arizona, Samara Klar

* Professor of American Studies at Birmingham University, Scott Lucas

* And journalist Laurie Laird

Operation Olive Branch has Turkish special forces backing the Free Syrian Army against the YPG in Syria. It's President Erdogan's response to America's decision to build a so-called "Terror Army" along the Turkey-Syria border. How will this border mission affect the region, the war, and Turkey’s relationships with its NATO allies?

President Trump’s first year has been one of the most controversial in US history. He’s fired more people than any other president in recent history, and made quite a few enemies outside of the White House along the way. What kind of ‘Fire and Fury’ will his next year in power bring?

Today's guests are:

* White House correspondent, John Gizzi

* Member of the National Advisory Board of Trump 2020, Mica Mosbacher

* And psychologist, John Gartner

Iran’s regime has subdued the biggest protests the country has seen in almost 10 years. Have they died down for good or will thousands of Iranians continue to try and bring down their government? Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has been in power since 1989 – but is his ‘ultimate authority’ starting to wane?

On this episode of Nexus to discuss the fallout from Iran’s protests is….

Mark Zuckerberg is one of the most powerful people in the world. As his media empire grows by the day - are there enough checks on the influence his social media platforms have on our everyday lives? Is Facebook connecting societies or tearing them apart?

On this episode of Nexus to discuss the power of Facebook we have….

* Parenting and lifestyle vlogger Nilly Dahlia

* Broadcaster and psychotherapist Lucy Beresford

*And Professor in Social Media Marketing Aleksej Heinze

Vladimir Putin has announced he’ll run for re-election as Russian president in 2018. He’s expected to win a landslide victory – which would extend his 18 years in power by another six. Who is Vladimir Putin – and how has he dominated domestic and international politics for so long?

On this episode of Nexus to discuss Putin’s unwaning power we have….

* Former Kremlin adviser Alexander Nekrassov

* Russian vlogger Dmitry Ivanov

*And journalist Craig Copetas