Brazil is voting to elect a new president. On the ballot is the incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and Luiz Incio Lula da Silva, known almost universally as Lula, a fiery leftist who was Brazils president from 2002 to 2010. Bolsonaro is a former army officer with solid conservative views. Lula is very left leaning and in favour of protecting the environment. Their contrasting policies on issues such as the economy, law and order, family values, and the environment, have polarised the country. Whoever wins...
Sep 29, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast August 2022. Political tensions in Iraq boil over, and peaceful demonstrations outside the countrys parliament turn violent. The sounds of gun and rocket fire return to Baghdad, and 30 people are killed. The violence ends when populist leader Muqtada al-Sadr tells his followers to lay down their arms and go home. His Sadrist party won the most seats in the previous election, but his inability to form a majority government has led to the political deadlock. Politics in a country as diverse as Ira...
Sep 22, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Relations between France and Mali have hit a low point, with both countries trading hostile comments in public about what the other is doing. Malis military rulers accuse France of supplying arms to anti-government militants. Paris denies this and is unhappy about Malis working relationship with Russian mercenaries. Things are so bad that President Emmanuel Macron announces the withdrawal of French troops. They were sent in 9 years ago to help fight Islamist militants, who still pose a threat ac...
Sep 15, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast The former Pakistani prime minister, Imran Khan, is facing terrorism charges in Islamabad. He was charged under Pakistan's stringent anti-terrorism laws for condemning Islamabads chief of police and a female judge, after claims his close political aide was arrested and tortured. Since he lost power in April, hes been addressing huge political rallies, where hes told the crowds that he was brought down by a conspiracy organised by the current government, state powers, and the USA. Most political ...
Sep 08, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Monkeypox is a virus that was first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria in the 1970s. Since then it has appeared around the world. More concerning is that the virus appears to be evolving and there are some unusual symptoms. The world has known about monkeypox for decades. Why is it spreading again now? How serious is the current outbreak? This week on The Inquiry we ask, are nations doing enough to combat monkeypox? Contributors: Prof Dimie Ogoina, Infectious Disease Phys...
Sep 01, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Its nearly a century since it was discovered that the sun and other stars are powered by nuclear fusion. Its when hydrogen atoms merge to form helium, and release huge amounts of energy. Since then, scientists have dreamed of reproducing the process here on Earth, with one Nobel Laureate calling it the sun in a box. It holds the promise of virtually limitless energy, with few emissions and waste. But recreating the conditions where fusion can take place are a vast engineering challenge. So how c...
Aug 25, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast This summer, countries across the world have experienced extreme weather events. Flash floods have killed people in South Korea, Uganda, Australia and the US state of Kentucky, and heatwaves have broken records across Western Europe, North America and Japan. However, countries across the world are developing ways to try to tame the weather. China, the UAE and the USA are at the forefront of research into methods of producing rain in drought-stricken areas. And some scientists are thinking even b...
Aug 18, 2022•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast A recent visit to Taiwan by Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has heightened tensions between the US and China. Their relationship is the worst its been in decades. America has accused China of dangerous military provocations in the region. China has warned the US not to play with fire. Add to all that Russias invasion of Ukraine, and concerns that China could be contemplating something similar in Taiwan, and its time to ask the question: Will the US and China go to war o...
Aug 11, 2022•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Images of queues, huge piles of luggage and even pilots loading their planes with cargo have plagued the media throughout the world. Airports have been in chaos for months as they have attempted to re-emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, with Europe, the UK and the USA all having suffered the worst of the effects so far. Flight cancelations have played havoc with business travellers and holiday makers alike, and the problem only appears to be getting worse as a whole raft of flights have recently ...
Aug 04, 2022•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tunisian President Kais Saied has drafted a new constitution for Tunisia that gives him new sweeping powers, including authority over the judiciary and immunity for life from prosecution. Tunisia was a beacon of hope for democracy after the Arab Spring. The country rid itself of dictator Ben Ali after 24 years of rule and moved to a more democratic system. Now the country seems to be sliding back towards the one man rule that it has known for generations. This week on The Inquiry we are asking w...
Jul 28, 2022•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 2016 Britain voted to leave the European Union. There were warnings that pulling away from the largest trade bloc in the world would be damaging to the UKs finances. Those that campaigned for Brexit argued it would offer the UK self-determination and the freedom to forge its own trade relationships. Who was right? This week on The Inquiry we attempt to disentangle the numbers from the complications of the global pandemic and the war in Ukraine and ask, what impact has Brexit had on the UKs ec...
Jul 21, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sri Lanka is now in the worst economic crisis they have seen in decades, schools are closed, fuel is in short supply, there are power cuts and a shortage of food. The President has been forced to resign and the political future of the country is uncertain. But can the current problems be traced back to a decision to take the countrys food production completely organic? In 2021 the President of Sri Lanka announced a total ban on chemical fertilizer and pesticides. Health concerns were given as a ...
Jul 14, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast A software engineer called Blake Lemoine has been suspended from Google after claiming an AI chatbot called LaMDA is a person with wishes and rights that should be respected. He says the chatbot wants to be seen as a google employee, and not as a product. He also calls it his friend. Google says it's reviewed his concerns and the evidence does not support his claims. But what exactly is Artificial Intelligence? How does LaMDA work - and is AI capable of felt experience? On the Inquiry this week,...
Jul 07, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast This year India has experienced its worst heatwave since records began. The heatwave is estimated to have led to dozens of deaths across the region and led to forest fires and damage to wheat crops. Health and livelihoods are threatened by the rising temperatures. How much can India adapt to heat that is rising to the limit of human endurance and what needs to be done to mitigate the effects of climate change? Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Louise Clarke-Rowbotham Editor: Tara McDermott Tech...
Jun 30, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Each year, Ukraine exports enough food to feed 400 million people around the world. But the Russian invasion has disrupted vital trade routes, trapping an estimated 25 million tonnes of grain in silos around the port city of Odesa. The African Union describes the situation as a catastrophic scenario, and the UN Secretary General says the shortages could tip millions of people into food insecurity. But how reliant is the world on Ukrainian and Russian grain? What will a shortfall do to the worlds...
Jun 23, 2022•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Not so long ago the music industry was threatened like it had never been before as online piracy tore into the profit margins of record labels the world over. Often hailed as the saviour, Spotify stepped in and offered audiences a new way of enjoying their favourite artists and without the need to illegally download pirated material. Despite this, musical artists are becoming increasingly vocal about how difficult it is to make a living from streaming, all whilst record labels and Spotify are re...
Jun 16, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast There was a time when living to 100 seemed impossible, but not any longer. Can the process of ageing be slowed or even reversed? Do those who have already lived to 100 hold the secrets that will help us all live longer? While science tries to find the answers to living a long and healthy life, societies with ageing populations, such as Japan, are finding new ways to help their older population live active and connected lives. On the Inquiry this week, Charmain Cozier asks, how do we live to 100?...
Jun 09, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ever since Hollywood entered the Chinese market in the early '90s, the importance of Chinese audiences was apparent. Over recent years the Chinese market has grown in significance to the point of deciding whether a film is ultimately successful or not. Given the countries importance to the overall profitability of Tinsel Town, it is of little surprise that their censors are able to increasingly demand changes to films that threaten the Chinese narrative. Despite this, the recent Sony/Marvel bloc...
Jun 02, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Covid-19 pandemic forced countries all over the world to close entire industries and force the majority of people to stay in their own homes where possible, only leaving for the bare essentials. Following the arrival of a vaccine economies began to open back up, however, restarting the behemoth-like supply chains was not as simple as first hoped and issues began to occur resulting in empty shelves and price-gouging on certain products. Experts believed it was all par for the course and was m...
May 26, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast After two really difficult years living in the grip of Covid-19, restrictions are winding down and international borders are opening up in countries around the world. Striking the right balance between the needs of a population fed up with lockdowns and scientists warning weve only reached the end of the beginning is complicated to get right. While it may feel like the worst of Covid-19 has passed, the disease still poses a real threat to us. We ignore this fact at our peril. So, in this weeks I...
May 19, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast A leaked document from Americas highest court suggests that it is ready to strike down a 1973 landmark case that made abortion legal across the US. If that does happen then it will be down to individual states to decide how they react. Charmaine Cozier explores whether this means abortion will be banned across America. Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producer: Louise Clarke-Rowbotham (Protesters at a Texas Rally for Abortion Rights in Houston, May 7 2022. Credit: Mark Felix/Getty images)...
May 12, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Three weeks before the 2020 US presidential election a newspaper published contents of a laptop they said belonged to Hunter Biden, son of Joe Biden, who at that time was campaigning against Donald Trump to win the election. The contents allegedly revealed questionable business dealings that implicated Joe Biden, and lurid personal details of Hunter Bidens life. Some media outlets refused to run the story and social media platforms blocked the content. Since then other newspapers have tried to v...
May 05, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Since the invasion of Ukraine, European countries have sought alternatives to Russian gas. There are different options. Piped gas from countries such as Algeria and Libya, or liquid natural gas from the US or Qatar. Stepping up the drive towards renewable energy. More controversially, investing in nuclear power or continuing to mine or import coal. How quickly can a solution be found and what are the financial and environmental costs? With Tanya Beckett. Producer Bob Howard (Steam from the cooli...
Apr 28, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 2021 the president of Sri Lanka announced a total ban on chemical fertilizer and pesticides. The countrys farms were going to go fully organic. Health concerns were given as a reason, but in the background was the pandemic, loss of tourism and a lack of natural fertilizer available in the country. Sri Lanka is now in the worse economic crisis they have seen in decades and the government has reversed its ban on chemical fertilizer. This week on The Inquiry we explore why Sri Lankas organic far...
Apr 21, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Can scientists develop a vaccine which can combat the coronavirus and all its variants? There have been three lethal outbreaks caused by coronaviruses this century: SARS in 2002, MERS in 2012 and now SarsCov2. Scientists predict we will eventually encounter SarsCov3. Thats why the race is on to develop a universal vaccine to combat the coronaviruses and variants we know about, and the ones we have yet to confront. But attempts to create a universal vaccine for viruses such as influenza and HIV h...
Apr 14, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Throughout history nations have competed to exert the latest military developments over their enemies, always with the goal of inflicting maximum damage on enemy soldiers whilst preserving their own forces. Drones are the latest in a long line of technological developments to offer military superiority on the battlefield, as demonstrated by the resilient defence of Ukrainian forces in the face of Russian aggression. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles in war is becoming ubiquitous raising the qu...
Apr 07, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast On Wednesday 23 March the US administration declared that Russian troops had committed war crimes in Ukraine. It claims to have evidence showing numerous deliberate attacks on civilians. An unprecedented number of countries have backed an investigation by the International Criminal Court into the allegations. The evidence is being gathered. Tanya Beckett explores whether its possible that Vladimir Putin will be held responsible and face trial for war crimes committed by his forces during this wa...
Mar 31, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russia's military dwarfs Ukraine's by comparison, so it was expected that Ukraine would fall under Russian occupation quickly. One month later and Russia have made very little progress and Kyiv, the capital, remains under Ukrainian control. Given the overwhelming odds stacked against the Ukrainian military, why has the Russian military failed to conquer Ukraine? Charmaine Cozier takes a closer look at where the Russian military have made their mistakes. Producer: Christopher Blake (Russian tank ...
Mar 24, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast According to media reports, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has survived two assassination attempts from the band of mercenaries known as the Wagner Group. Their ruthlessness has earned them a feared reputation from Kyiv to Central Africa. But who are they, and has Putin really entrusted them with taking out a head of state? (Pro-Russian separatists patrol with armoured vehicles in Donetsk, Ukraine 11 March 2022. Getty Images)
Mar 17, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russias President Vladimir Putin has offered historical justification for his invasion of Ukraine by claiming its lands have long been part of Russia. The history of Russia and Ukraine may be intertwined, but the identity of Ukraine as a separate nation emerged over centuries, long before it became independent 30 years ago. Tanya Beckett investigates. Contributors: Faith Hillis, Professor of Russian History, University of Chicago Serhii Plokhy, Professor of History, Director Ukrainian Research I...
Mar 10, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
