Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchCan ‘Islamic State’ Be Defeated?
We first asked this question over a year ago. So far, the answer has been no. The attacks in Paris killed 129 people. The day before that 43 people died when suicide bombers hit Beirut. Nearly two we…
Published on 10 years, 1 month ago
Have We Underestimated Plants?
New research suggests plants might be capable of more than many of us might expect. Some – controversially – even describe plants as “intelligent”, or even “sentient”. So, this week, we’re asking: ha…
Published on 10 years, 1 month ago
Is it too Late to Save Syria’s Antiquities?
Syria’s cultural heritage is being attacked from all sides - the Assad regime, opportunistic looters, opposition forces, Islamic State fighters and even Russian air strikes. Ancient sites like Palmyr…
Published on 10 years, 1 month ago
Why was Mohammed Akhlaq Killed?
Mohammed Akhlaq’s murder shocked India. A mob broke into his house last month and beat him to death. They believed a rumour that Mr Akhlaq, a Muslim, had broken a Hindu taboo by slaughtering a cow. W…
Published on 10 years, 1 month ago
How Do You Save the Rhino?
Rhinos are in trouble. The ancient Sumatran rhino has just been declared extinct in Malaysia, following the fate of black rhinos in West Africa in 2011. Central Africa's northern white rhino has been…
Published on 10 years, 2 months ago
Can Nigeria End Oil Corruption?
Oil accounts for around 75% of Nigeria’s economy, but no-one knows how much the country produces or refines. It means corruption is rife. Hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil are stolen every day,…
Published on 10 years, 2 months ago
Is Russia Vulnerable?
Russia’s intervention in Syria caught the world by surprise. Moscow gave Washington just one hour’s notice before it began its aerial bombardment. Russia claims its jets are attacking the so-called I…
Published on 10 years, 2 months ago
What Does the President Need to Know?
The CIA has just released 2,500 top secret presidential briefings from the 1960s. The President’s Daily Brief – or PDB – is the US intelligence agencies’ best assessment of global threats, delivered …
Published on 10 years, 2 months ago
Do Drone Strikes Work?
The United States, UK, Israel and now Pakistan all use drone strikes to kill. In September a general in the Pakistani army announced their first ever use of an armed drone. It was directed at a terro…
Published on 10 years, 3 months ago
Is Japan Abandoning Pacifism?
Japan is a pacifist country - at least that is what its constitution says. The wording, introduced under the occupying forces after World War Two, seems unequivocal: “the Japanese people forever reno…
Published on 10 years, 3 months ago