Episodes
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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 been cancelled in the UK.
All this begs the question, Why are things so bad right now and how do we fix the situation? So this week on the inquiry we ask, Will air travel ever return to normal?
Producer: Ravi Naik and Christopher Blake
Editor: Tara McDermott
(Photo: Flight boards at the height of the summer rush July 2022 Frankfurt Airport, Germany/credit: BBC images) -
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 why Tunisia has turned its back on democracy.
Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Louise Clarke-Rowbotham
Researchers: Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty and Christopher Blake
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
Editor: Tara McDermott
(Tunisian presidential Kais Saied in Tunis. BBC Images) -
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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 UK’s 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 UK’s economy.
Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Louise Clarke-Rowbotham
Researcher: Christopher Blake
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman
Edited by: Tara McDermott
(image: Trade between UK and EU. Getty images) -
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 country’s 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 reason, but in the background was the pandemic, loss of tourism and a lack of natural fertilizer available in the country.
After protests the ban on chemical fertilizer was reversed, but had it already caused too much damage?
This week on The Inquiry we ask, did organic farming cause Sri Lanka’s collapse?
Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Louise Clarke-Rowbotham
Researcher: Christopher Blake
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
(Anti government protesters invade the president's office in Colombo, Sri Lanka. 9 July 22 Credit: Tharaka Basnayaka /Getty Images) -
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, Charmaine Cozier asks, has AI developed consciousness?
Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Produced by: Ravi Naik and Christopher Blake
Editor: Tara McDermott
Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown -
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
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman
(A worker stops for water in scorching heat near India Gate, New Delhi. Credit: Arvind Yadav/ Getty Images) -
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 world’s most vulnerable countries?
On the Inquiry this week, Charmaine Cozier asks, has the war in Ukraine sparked a global food crisis?
Producer: Ravi Naik
Researcher: Chris Blake
Editor: Tara McDermott
Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown -
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 reporting huge profit margins.
This week, Tanya Beckett takes a closer at how online streaming services are affecting the music industry.
Produced by: Chris Blake and Louise Clarke-Rowbotham
Editor: Tara McDermott
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown -
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?
Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Produced by: Louise Clarke-Rowbotham and Ravi Naik
Editor: Tara McDermott
(Chocolate 100th Birthday Cake. Credit: Getty images) -
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 blockbuster Spider-Man did not appear to challenge Chinese values.
Tanya Beckett takes a closer at How China’s increasing influence is affecting the movie-making process in Hollywood.
Producer: Christopher Blake
Editor: Richard Vadon
(Giant billboard screens advertising Spider-man in Hong Kong, China. Dec 2021. Credit: Budrul Chukrut /Getty Images) -
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 merely a transitory period whilst global supply chains regained their flow. Then Russia invaded Ukraine. Then China locked down Shanghai, the world's largest shipping port. Tanya Beckett takes a closer look at how these two developments have changed the outlook on global inflation.
Producer: Christopher Blake
Editor: Richard Vadon
Image: Shoppers at a market in Istanbul (Credit: Diego Cupolo/NurPhoto via Getty Images) -
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 we’ve 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 week’s Inquiry Sandra Kanthal will be asking how pandemics really end.
Produced and presented by Sandra Kanthal
Editor: Richard Vadon
Guests:
Dr Margaret Harris, Spokesperson, World Health Organisation
Nicholas Christakis, Professor of Social and Natural Science, Yale University
Aris Katzourakis, Professor of Evolution and Genomics, University of Oxford
Dora Vargha, Professor of History and Medical Humanities, University of Exeter
(Covid face mask lying on the ground. Getty images) -
A leaked document from America’s 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) -
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 Biden’s life. Some media outlets refused to run the story and social media platforms blocked the content. Since then other newspapers have tried to verify the laptop data and it still remains controversial today with hints there are more revelations to come. Charmaine Cozier asks what is the truth about Hunter Biden’s laptop?
Producer: Louise Clarke-Rowbotham
(Photo: President Joe Biden embraces his son Hunter Biden at his inauguration in 2020. Credit: Andrew Harnik-Pool/Getty Images) -
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 cooling towers of German energy giant RWE power AG in Neurath, Germany April 2022. Photo: Ying Tang/Getty Images) -
In 2021 the president of Sri Lanka announced a total ban on chemical fertilizer and pesticides. The country’s 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 Lanka’s organic farming dream failed.
Presented by Charmain Cozier
Produced by Louise Clarke-Rowbotham
Researched by Christopher Blake
(Woman picking tea on plantation in Sri Lanka. Credit: Getty images) -
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.
That’s 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 have been going on for decades - without success.
Before 2020, proposals to create a vaccine against coronaviruses were not thought important enough to pursue since many just cause the common cold.
Now that we understand their real threat, can scientists succeed in creating a vaccine to fight this large family of viruses?
Produced and presented by Sandra Kanthal
(image: Covid vaccines/Getty creative) -
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 question, are drones the future of warfare? Tanya Beckett takes a closer look at how drones are changing the battlefield landscape.
Producer: Christopher Blake
Editor: Richard Vadon
(The 'Bayraktar TB2' (Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in Istanbul, Turkey Feb 22, 2021 Credit: Baykar /Getty Images) -
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 it’s possible that Vladimir Putin will be held responsible and face trial for war crimes committed by his forces during this war.
Producer: Louise Clarke-Rowbotham
Researcher: Chris Blake
(Banner reads 'Wanted Dead Or Alive Vladimir Putin For Genocide' in Przemysl, Poland. 5 March 2022. Credit: Beata Zawrzel /Getty Images) -
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 destroyed by Ukrainian forces on the side of a road in Lugansk. Credit: Anatolii Stepanov /Getty Images) - Show more
