Two of the most high-profile Russian dissidents freed as part of a major prisoner swap say they refused officials' demands to plead for mercy from President Putin to secure their release. Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin said they considered him a tyrant, a murderer and a war criminal.

Also in the programme, the Venezuelan government cracks down on protests against last weekend's disputed election.

And North Korea is hoping that Donald Trump becomes the next US President - that's according to a senior North Korean defector.

(Photo: Released prisoners make press statement in Bonn following prisoner swap between Russia and the West, Germany - 02 Aug 2024. Credit: EPA)