PODCAST

The Inquiry

BBC World Service

The Inquiry gets beyond the headlines to explore the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world.

news news commentary

All Episodes

24:03

Will there ever be a single global language?

The Inquiry ·

2025/12/23

Christmas is a time of year when many families and friends come together for a period of joy, peace and goodwill. The story of the birth of Jesus Christ has been translated into thousands of languages over thousands of years.And while you may hear it differently, the message is the same.From carols to conversations, Christmas reminds us how united we can be. But there’s still one thing that sets us apart and prevents us from truly understanding one another - language.Esperanto, created in the late

24:04

How can Nigeria stop its kidnap crisis?

The Inquiry ·

2025/12/16

In November gunmen seized more than 300 pupils and a dozen teachers from a Catholic school in northern Nigeria. While authorities have rescued around 100 children, many remain missing. Kidnapping has become a recurring reality in many parts of the country, and in late 2025 President Bola Tinubu declared the crisis a national security emergency. He pledged to boost security in remote areas, but rights groups say the true scale of abductions is hidden by widespread underreporting. The sheer number of

24:05

Is it last orders for the wine industry?

The Inquiry ·

2025/12/09

Changing tastes, climatic conditions, health warnings, economic factors are all creating a perfect storm for the global wine industry. The origins of wine-making date back to around 9,000 years ago, when it was a drink mostly associated with elite society. Since then, it has had a long association with major occasions like weddings and funerals, as the beverage of choice. And it has been integral to different forms of worship and spirituality. Up until the 20th Century it was even considered a

24:06

Will Australia’s social media ban start a global trend?

The Inquiry ·

2025/12/02

On 10 December 2025, Australia will become the first country in the world to ban under-16s from using social media apps. Children will have their accounts deactivated on most platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, X, and Facebook.Critics say the ban could push children to unregulated platforms, but prime minister Anthony Albanese argues the new law is to safeguard vulnerable members of society. World leaders are watching with interest.Politicians from the UK, Denmark, Greece and France

24:02

Is Cyprus moving closer to reunification?

The Inquiry ·

2025/11/25

The Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded the north after a military coup backed by Greece. Since then, the northern third has been run by a Turkish Cypriot government. This self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognised as an independent state only by Turkey, while the rest of the world sees it as part of Cyprus. The southern two-thirds of the island is run by an internationally recognised government led by Greek Cypriots. Whilst

23:56

Is the new Pope woke?

The Inquiry ·

2025/11/18

Cardinal Robert Prevost made history earlier this year, when he became the first American pontiff to lead the Catholic Church. And when he stepped out onto the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica as Pope Leo XIV, dressed in traditional papal robes, some conservatives in the church took it as a sign of a symbolic shift away from what they saw as the liberal drift of his predecessor the late Pope Francis. Francis, who had put social justice at the heart of his papacy, divided opinion. Some Catholics

23:58

Is the world ready for more climate migration?

The Inquiry ·

2025/11/11

From floods in Pakistan to droughts in the Horn of Africa, extreme weather events are already forcing millions of people to move. Most are displaced within their own countries but rising temperatures and sea levels could soon push many across national borders.Yet international law offers little protection for those uprooted by the changing climate, and few countries appear ready for the scale of movement predicted in coming decades.Charmaine Cozier explores how communities, governments and

23:59

Is trouble brewing for the worldwide tea industry?

The Inquiry ·

2025/11/04

Matcha, a long-time popular drink in Japan, has gone global. Major chains now serve it, and coffee start-ups are competing to offer their own photogenic takes on the vivid green drink.But the growing craze exposes bigger problems for the wider tea industry.Tea is a delicate crop, highly sensitive to changing weather conditions. Around the world, farmers are reporting falling yields, altered growing seasons and a higher risk of disease due to climate change. Labour shortages and economic issues are

22:58

Is the UN Security Council still relevant?

The Inquiry ·

2025/10/28

In the aftermath of World War Two, the charter that founded the United Nations was signed, with the aim of preventing a third global conflict. The UN Security Council, one of six organs of the UN, has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It’s made up of 15 member countries, there are 10 rotating non-permanent members who are elected for two-year terms by members of the UN General Assembly, the body that represents all UN members. And there are five

23:00

Can Benin win back its diaspora?

The Inquiry ·

2025/10/21

Benin has long tried to highlight its role in the transatlantic slave trade through monuments and memorials in the country, in the hope it would attract tourism.Now it has a new plan.It is offering citizenship to descendants of enslaved Africans around the world.US singers Lauryn Hill and Ciara received their citizenship in July. Filmmaker Spike Lee and his wife Tonya Lewis Lee have also been made Benin’s ambassadors to the African-American population in America.The move is an attempt to attract

23:00

Can Gen Z shape a new Nepal?

The Inquiry ·

2025/10/14

At the beginning of September 2025, within 48 hours, Nepal’s government had been toppled, and more than 70 people had been killed, with many more injured. The trigger for all of this had been a government ban on 26 social media platforms, but the primary reasons ran much deeper. Nepal became a republic in 2008, following a decade long civil war, but since then, the promised stability and prosperity have failed to materialise. The country has been subjected to short term coalition governments,

23:02

Is Trump building a crypto economy?

The Inquiry ·

2025/10/07

Donald Trump once dismissed cryptocurrencies as a scam. But since returning to office, his view of them has shifted dramatically. In July, President Trump signed new legislation aimed at integrating crypto into the financial mainstream. Members of the Trump family have launched their own ventures, generating significant profits and boosting the visibility of digital currencies in American politics. Supporters say this could reassert the dominance of the US dollar in a changing global economy, while

22:58

Why are more people getting Lyme disease?

The Inquiry ·

2025/09/30

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection passed on to humans by infected ticks. Symptoms can range from fatigue, joint pain and a circular shaped rash to facial paralysis and heart arrythmia. According to a British Medical Journal (BMJ) global health review, Lyme disease has likely infected about one in 10 people across the globe. Recently, pop star Justin Timberlake went public about contracting the condition. If treated quickly, most people will recover but there are still issues around diagnosing

22:59

Why does Mexico owe the US water?

The Inquiry ·

2025/09/23

The major rivers of the Rio Grande and the Colorado run through both the United States and Mexico and they are the source of a water sharing agreement between the two countries that dates back to 1944. Under the terms of this treaty, Mexico must send 430 million cubic metres of water per year from the Rio Grande to the US, to supply Texas and dozens of cities near the border. Whilst the US sends a much larger allocation of nearly 1.85 billion cubic metres of water a year, from the Colorado River

22:58

Is it time to copyright your face?

The Inquiry ·

2025/09/16

Deepfakes are videos, picture or audio clips made with artificial intelligence to look real.Although sometimes used for fun, they can also be used to defame or discredit people. Anyone from politicians to celebrities to normal members of the public can become the subject of deepfake imagery. So how can we protect our image from being used maliciously?In Denmark, the government is proposing a new law which would give people copyright-like protection over their face, voice, and appearance. In this

22:56

Is time up for TikTok in the US?

The Inquiry ·

2025/09/09

In January, the popular Chinese social media app TikTok went offline for its 170 million Americans. The outage marked a turning point in a long-running dispute over data privacy and national security, with US lawmakers concerned about the app’s Chinese ownership. A law passed by Congress required ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to sell its US operations or face a ban.Although ByteDance did not meet the deadline, the newly inaugurated President Trump postponed enforcement, introducing a

22:59

How much of a threat is satellite warfare?

The Inquiry ·

2025/09/03

“There is no longer any debate that space is a war fighting domain,”These were the words of Commander General Stephen Whiting from the US government’s Space Command at a conference earlier this year. China, the US, India and Russia have tested anti-satellite weapons in space, and technology is blurring the lines between civilian and military satellites.But will there be war in space?Joining us to discuss the threat of satellite warfare are: Dr Raji Rajagopalan, a resident senior fellow with the

23:00

Is Japan moving to the right?

The Inquiry ·

2025/08/26

A far-right party which came to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic recently showed itself to be a contender to Japan’s centrist political establishment, when it grew from one seat, three years ago to 15 seats in the recent elections. Known as Sanseito, the party is led by Kamiya Sohei, whose YouTube videos spread conspiracy theories about vaccinations. Its political platform is a nationalist ‘Japanese first’ agenda and warns against a ‘silent invasion of foreigners’. Whilst for Japan’s

22:59

Can Indonesia afford free lunches?

The Inquiry ·

2025/08/19

Children in Indonesia are now receiving free school meals — part of a bold new plan by President Prabowo Subianto to tackle malnutrition.Around one in five children in the country are stunted, meaning they are too short for their age. The lunch programme is central to Prabowo’s vision of a “Golden Indonesia” – a prosperous, high-income nation by 2045. But not everyone is happy. To fund this and other populist pledges, the president has reallocated billions in public funds, cutting budgets from

22:59

How are drones changing the landscape of modern warfare?

The Inquiry ·

2025/08/12

When the war in Ukraine began back in February 2022, the remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle or drone as its commonly known, was peripheral to the conflict. But three years on, the drone in all its shapes and sizes has taken on a central role in this battle, in the air, on land and at sea, for surveillance, reconnaissance, combat and other purposes. Now drone technology is evolving even further into the area of autonomous weapons.But whilst the drone can offer greater strategic and

573 results

The Inquiry

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

Expres Ráno

Expres FM

PBS News Hour - Full Show

PBS News

CD Voice

China Daily

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

Noa Levi

Jeffrey Epstein: The Coverup Chronicles

Bobby Capucci