The House of Commons is set for a showdown as rebel Tory MPs seek to introduce legislation today, blocking a no-deal exit from EU. Prime minister Boris Johnson held a last-ditch meeting with potential rebels within his party this morning, including former cabinet ministers, but is reported to have failed in his bid to win them over. Denis Staunton is on the line from London to explain how things might play out this evening and whether a general election is likely to be called. Johnson, meanwhile, has yet to provide the EU with alternatives to the Irish backstop as outlined in the Withdrawal Agreement. Europe editor Paddy Smyth reports on how the goings on at Westminster are being viewed in Brussels. Is there any truth to Johnson's claim that negotiations are bearing fruit?

Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro found himself under the spotlight at last weekend’s G7 summit, amid international alarm at a spike in fires in the Amazon, linked to his administration’s disdain for environmental controls. Eight months after he was elected by a comfortable margin, Brazil's economy is still staggering along and Bolsonaro has so far failed to deliver on reforms he promised during his election campaign. Yet, many Brazilians still support him and believe he is doing a good job. In this week's podcast, Irish Times South America correspondent Tom Hennigan talks to Chris about why that is and how long Brazilians are likely to put up with Bolsonaro's autocratic leadership style.

The Chinese say their vocational training centres are voluntary and aimed at eradicating extremism and terrorism. Others say they are extra-judicial detention centres and part of an elaborate system to assimilate Muslims into Han China. Irish Times correspondent in China Peter Goff visited some of these centres in the country's barren northwest Xinjiang province, where an estimated 1.5 million Uighurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other Muslim minorities have been placed over the past few years. He speaks to Chris Dooley about what he saw. He also talks about the Hong Kong protests, how the authorities have reacted there and what could happen next.

The death in prison of financier Jeffrey Epstein has thrown up many questions, not least among them, how did US authorities allow this to happen? But who was Jeffrey Epstein and why was he such a notorious figure even before his arrest? Suzanne Lynch has the latest on this story from Washington.

Plus: Large parts of Kashmir remain under a communications and security lockdown, more than a week after the Indian government stripped the troubled Himalayan region of its special rights. Rahul Bedi reports from New Delhi on the continuing fallout from the Indian government's decision.

This week's podcast is a discussion with foreign policy expert Thomas Wright on:

- The emergence of global "Great-power competition"

- How Trump views the EU, and why the EU's 'wait-and-see' approach to Trump's presidency makes sense

- The logic behind Trump's North Korea policy

- The role of foreign policy in the Democratic Party's challenge to Trump in 2020

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.

Donald Trump launched fresh attacks on black political opponents this week, labeling civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton “a con man” who “Hates Whites & Cops”. It follows comments he made on Sunday about Congressman Elijah Cummings, an African-American Democrat who represents Baltimore, describing the city as a “rodent-infested” place where “no human being would want to live”. Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch reports on the controversy, which comes after the president told four non-white female members of congress to “go back” to the countries they came from earlier this month. Is it all part of a plan, and if so, is it working?

Plus: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has spoken to British prime minister Boris Johnson for the first time since his appointment, in a phone call described as “warm” by both Dublin and London. Denis Staunton is on the line to assess Johnson’s first week in the job.

Boris Johnson is poised to become the next British prime minister after a resounding victory in the Tory leadership contest, beating his rival Jeremy Hunt by 92,153 votes to 46,656. Johnson began his career as a journalist and is the author of a number of books. London editor Denis Staunton has explored his back catalogue and in today’s podcast he speaks about what he has learned about prime minister designate from his writing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party is on course to secure a historic win in the country’s parliamentary election, with Servant of the People expected to claim around 253 of 424 available seats. The vote is an endorsement of the reform agenda of its new president, a former comedic actor, who came to power three months ago. Daniel McLaughlin reports.

President Trump's tweets calling for four Democratic congresswomen to 'go back to where they came from' have elicited a strong international backlash - but not much condemnation from other Republicans. Will it matter in 2020? Meanwhile, for the Democrats the controversy may have helped heal some internal division. Washington Correspondent Suzanne Lynch talks to Foreign Editor Chris Dooley about the story.

Reporter Sally Hayden talks to Foreign Editor Chris Dooley about the plight of migrants from countries across Africa and the Middle East who, while trying to make their way to Europe, have instead been detained in Libya. Some of them have talked to Sally about the conditions there, including indefinite imprisonment, forced labour and a shortage of food. Last week an air strike on one detainment centre killed dozens of them, an act the UN is describing as a potential war crime. Why have they been attacked, and what is Europe's role in their predicament?

Also on the podcast, Peter Goff reports from Hong Kong where protestors remain sceptical and defiant despite city's leader Carrie Lam describing the proposed law at the heart of the trouble "dead".

Washington Correspondent Suzanne Lynch is live in studio to talk with Foreign Editor Chris Dooley about the Democratic Party primary debates, President Trump's own 2020 campaign launch, and the escalating tensions between the US and Iran.