From his Oscar winning score for The Lion King, through 12 Years A Slave to a series of superhero blockbusters, including the latest - Batman vs Superman - Hans Zimmer is, as one director put it, "quite simply the contemporary composer to work with". German born, British educated, he never received formal musical training and he's a champion of technology. Hardtalk's Shaun Ley asks Hans Zimmer whether the technology he so loves is killing the music makers?

Vladimnir Putin's projection of Russian power, from Ukraine to Syria, has sowed seeds of alarm across Europe and America. The United States is beefing up its military presence in Europe in response to what the Americans call Russian aggression. Stephen Sackur asks Russia's Ambassador to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, can the Kremlin sustain a longterm confrontation with the West?