As the UK enters the final days of its election campaign, we ask whether the outcome is really as certain as the polls suggest. Plus: Sydney approves a new round of skyscrapers and Hong Kong marks six months of pro-democracy protests.

How Austin is taking its first steps in making the city more pedestrian friendly. Plus: acknowledging the power of audio.

The UK heads to the polls in less than a week for the most important election in decades. But how certain can we be of the result? Also in the programme: what we’ve learnt from this week’s news.

Montenegro says that it will be the EU’s next member state – but will it? Plus: tourism in Sri Lanka, what the film industry might learn from the unlikely legacy of ‘Showgirls’ and a dispatch from Design Miami.

John Everard takes us inside the city of Samjiyon, North Korea’s new ‘socialist utopia’. Plus: New Zealand moves to block foreign meddling in its politics, New York moots new mayors for cyclists and pedestrians, and why a thriving food culture demands more than Michelin stars.

The Chilean president skips the COP25 climate summit as protests continue. Plus: Angela Merkel’s coalition hangs in the balance, residents of Cincinnati raise a glass at relaxed drinking laws, and Christopher Cermak uncovers some quirky Christmas traditions.

As reports surface that the German government is planning to outlaw all activities of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group in the country, Michael Clarke, the former head of Rusi, explains why the issue has reared its head again.

Can good design help combat the effects of climate change? We hear from Dan Cook, the CEO of the Landscape Institute. Plus: Andrew Mueller wraps what we’ve learnt after another week of news headlines and Robert Bound pays tribute the great Clive James.

Is the US Republican party influencing populist movements around the world? Plus: Canada’s aviation sector takes a step towards sustainability, why Brazil’s print media is thriving despite its bleak politics and Monocle’s Andrew Tuck on what we can learn from village-church architecture.

What’s really fuelling massive protests in Georgia? Plus: Netflix snaps up a cinema, San Francisco takes aim at lazy landlords, and why good retail is all about giving people a reason to get dressed and get out.