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Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University examines the virtually-unreported battle in Syria earlier this year between US commandos and Russian mercenaries. He also discusses recent statements from Michael Gove and Priti Patel and asks what the Conservative Party actually stands for and poses the question everyone wants the answer to, what IS going to happen with Brexit.

James Cameron-Wilson casts his eye down a subdued UK box office chart with new Star Wars film Solo dropping almost 50%. He reviews Book Club, starring the likes of Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton and Candice Bergen, as well as On Chesil Beach with Saoirse Ronan. He also discusses Francois Ozon's new movie, L'Amant Double, which he believes may have one of the most controversial openings in the history of the movies!

The Chancellor recently pledged to boost Britain's broadband network, though pledged no money to do so. Dave Millett of communications consultancy Equinox, laments the way the UK is falling behind every European country in broadband provision and speed. In fact, he says, we're doing so badly we don't even register in the league table of fibre provision to the home. We need desperately, he says, to stop relying on the technology of previous centuries such as railways and copper wiring, abandon HS2 and switch the money into creating a proper fibre broadband network.

Steve Caplin scrutinises a Japanese digitizer that makes it easier to get shoes that fit first time, VR Boggle, hostage-takers thwarting the FBI with drones, why Octopi come from outer space, Uber delivering food by drones and an app that tells you what a song is when you lift and lower your phone - IF it's a Norwegian folk song!

The herd mentality that assumes university is the only path to reaching one’s full potential has come under fire in recent years. Student loan debt – and the interest on that debt – is rising, and yet a university degree certainly seems to be no guarantee of securing decent, highly-skilled jobs. Today we’re joined by Professor Len Shackleton, Editorial Fellow at the IEA. Interviewed by Digital Officer Madeline Grant, the pair discuss whether Britain’s love affair with higher education is sustainable, and whether students are getting a raw deal from their time at university. They also examine ways in which the university funding model could be reformed to create better outcomes for students and the wider economy.

Adam talks to transformational coach, Effie Kli, about her story that not only led her to transformation, but started her on a pathway to helping others do the same. Effie speaks about the tragic loss of her mother to suicide while she was still a child; she shares how this taught her resilience, but also led to her living a life rooted in shame and self-deception. She reveals how, from all of this, she eventually discovered her true path in life – and now uses her experiences and insight to help other people live their truth unapologetically.

Want to keep up with the latest earnings updates from the States? Well join Chris Hill and the Motley Fool Radio Show team here on Share Radio, direct from Washington DC, for news, views and analysis of the US stocks that matter. In this week's show: we revisit some of our favourite conversations about investor behaviour; best-selling author Carl Richards talks about the benefits of the overnight test; and Christopher Chabris talks invisible gorillas and intuition.

Global financial markets have been flying up and down and all over the place this week, and it’s all to do with one boot-shaped country in the Mediterranean. Italy has found itself embroiled in a power struggle between Eurosceptic populists – winners of the March general election – and the pro-EU establishment. The ramifications have spread across the globe and will affect Britons from big-time investors to anyone building up a pension pot. Also in this episode, This is Money editor Simon Lambert, presenter Georgie Frost and personal finance editor Rachel Rickard Straus talk about what you can do to stop your dream house move falling through, and whether proposals to make tax on savings and dividends simpler will work – or just see savers pay more tax. And finally, in troubled times for the high street, the team look at one retailer bucking the trend.

Joining Sue Dougan in the hot seat is Sarah Kelly, CEO of Stagecoach Performing Arts, for Stagecoach’s 30th anniversary since its inception in 1988. She discusses the importance of performing arts in helping children to develop well-rounded life skills for adulthood, as well as providing a safe space for self-expression and creativity – especially in the wake of a huge drop in Government funding for the creative arts in mainstream education. Sarah shares her earliest memories of visiting her father at his chain of butcher shops, and how she developed her strong work ethic from him – as well as never forgetting her mother’s saying, “Choose what you enjoy and you’ll always be good at it”. Plus, she talks about how her own experience of amateur dramatics as a teenager feeds into the way she approaches her CEO role now; why she thinks pushing boundaries and moving with the times is so central to successful business; and how failure is important for future success.

Helal Miah of The Share Centre discusses recent statements from packaging group RPC, W H Smith and Auto Trader and looks ahead to what we might expect from Tesco, still losing market share, and BAT, feeling the impact of declining tobacco sales.