Podcast Episodes

Why are murder rates in Chicago so high?

History and geography have conspired to give the city of Chicago an unenviable reputation for guns and gangs, but what will it take to bring the murder rate, which rose 55 per cent last year, down?

Lo…

Published on 4 years, 7 months ago

Will the Taliban rule Afghanistan again?

In the afternoon of Saturday 8th May in the Afghan capital of Kabul, just a few days before the end of Ramadan, students from the Syed Al-Shahda girls school were starting to leave for the day. Witho…

Published on 4 years, 7 months ago

Is peace under threat in Northern Ireland?

It was on Good Friday, 2nd of April 2021, that rioting erupted in a corner of Northern Ireland’s vibrant capital Belfast. In days, violence spread. It was on a scale that hadn’t been seen for years. …

Published on 4 years, 7 months ago

Covid: What went wrong in India?

Earlier this year, India’s ruling party was declaring victory in the fight against Covid-19. Some two months on, India set a global record for the highest number of cases recorded in a single country…

Published on 4 years, 8 months ago

Is the legal cannabis business about to go global?

Changes to the laws governing cannabis use are happening around the world. The number of States in the USA legalising cannabis is increasing rapidly. Uruguay and Canada have legalised it already, and…

Published on 4 years, 8 months ago

Is Africa the new power base for the Islamic State group?

Since Islamic State’s hold on Iraq and Syria has weakened in recent years the group has sought to expand into new territories, including Africa.

IS insurgents have reportedly killed thousands, includi…

Published on 4 years, 8 months ago

Why has Peru had such a bad pandemic?

Peru has suffered one of the highest excess death levels in the world. The government failed to take account of the structure of society and the needs of its people in its response to the pandemic. A…

Published on 4 years, 8 months ago

How will the concussion issue affect the future of sport?

Concussion is now a powder-keg issue in world sport, as concerns deepen about the potential links to brain disease.

The long-term effects of careers spent making and taking heavy tackles are being rev…

Published on 4 years, 8 months ago

Are ‘killer robots’ the future of warfare?

Could humans ever trust machines with the power to make life or death decisions on the battlefield? And have we already begun to?

Advances in artificial intelligence are slowly creeping into almost e…

Published on 4 years, 9 months ago

Why do Italy’s governments keep collapsing?

After the government of Giuseppe Conte collapsed amid an economic and public health crisis, Mario Draghi has formed Italy’s 65th administration in 73 years. So what are the long-term causes of Italy’…

Published on 4 years, 9 months ago