The Inquiry podcast

The Inquiry

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

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

 

#570

How can Nigeria stop its kidnap crisis?

In November gunmen seized more than 300 pupils and a dozen teachers from a Catholic school... more

16 Dec 2025

24 MINS

24:04

16 Dec 2025


#569

Is it last orders for the wine industry?

Changing tastes, climatic conditions, health warnings, economic factors are all creating a... more

09 Dec 2025

24 MINS

24:05

09 Dec 2025


#568

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

On 10 December 2025, Australia will become the first country in the world to ban under-16s... more

02 Dec 2025

24 MINS

24:06

02 Dec 2025


#567

Is Cyprus moving closer to reunification?

The eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invade... more

25 Nov 2025

24 MINS

24:02

25 Nov 2025


#566

Is the new Pope woke?

Cardinal Robert Prevost made history earlier this year, when he became the first American ... more

18 Nov 2025

23 MINS

23:56

18 Nov 2025


#565

Is the world ready for more climate migration?

From floods in Pakistan to droughts in the Horn of Africa, extreme weather events are alre... more

11 Nov 2025

23 MINS

23:58

11 Nov 2025


#564

Is trouble brewing for the worldwide tea industry?

Matcha, a long-time popular drink in Japan, has gone global. Major chains now serve it, an... more

04 Nov 2025

23 MINS

23:59

04 Nov 2025


#563

Is the UN Security Council still relevant?

In the aftermath of World War Two, the charter that founded the United Nations was signed,... more

28 Oct 2025

22 MINS

22:58

28 Oct 2025


#562

Can Benin win back its diaspora?

Benin has long tried to highlight its role in the transatlantic slave trade through monume... more

21 Oct 2025

23 MINS

23:00

21 Oct 2025


#561

Can Gen Z shape a new Nepal?

At the beginning of September 2025, within 48 hours, Nepal’s government had been toppled, ... more

14 Oct 2025

23 MINS

23:00

14 Oct 2025


#560

Is Trump building a crypto economy?

Donald Trump once dismissed cryptocurrencies as a scam. But since returning to office, his... more

07 Oct 2025

23 MINS

23:02

07 Oct 2025


#559

Why are more people getting Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection passed on to humans by infected ticks. Symptoms can ... more

30 Sep 2025

22 MINS

22:58

30 Sep 2025


#558

Why does Mexico owe the US water?

The major rivers of the Rio Grande and the Colorado run through both the United States and... more

23 Sep 2025

22 MINS

22:59

23 Sep 2025


#557

Is it time to copyright your face?

Deepfakes are videos, picture or audio clips made with artificial intelligence to look rea... more

16 Sep 2025

22 MINS

22:58

16 Sep 2025


#556

Is time up for TikTok in the US?

In January, the popular Chinese social media app TikTok went offline for its 170 million A... more

09 Sep 2025

22 MINS

22:56

09 Sep 2025


#555

How much of a threat is satellite warfare?

“There is no longer any debate that space is a war fighting domain,” These were the words ... more

03 Sep 2025

22 MINS

22:59

03 Sep 2025


#554

Is Japan moving to the right?

A far-right party which came to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic recently showed it... more

26 Aug 2025

23 MINS

23:00

26 Aug 2025


#553

Can Indonesia afford free lunches?

Children in Indonesia are now receiving free school meals — part of a bold new plan by Pre... more

19 Aug 2025

22 MINS

22:59

19 Aug 2025


#552

How are drones changing the landscape of modern warfare?

When the war in Ukraine began back in February 2022, the remote-controlled unmanned aerial... more

12 Aug 2025

22 MINS

22:59

12 Aug 2025


#551

What does Syria’s recent conflict tell us about al-Sharaa’s presidency?

In July, a brutal highway hijacking in southern Syria sparked tit-for-tat clashes between ... more

05 Aug 2025

22 MINS

22:58

05 Aug 2025


#550

How has one leaked phone call shaken Thai politics?

What lies behind the clashes on the Thai Cambodian border is a fractured friendship betwee... more

25 Jul 2025

22 MINS

22:56

25 Jul 2025


#549

What will Chile’s latest telescope tell us about the universe?

In Chile, a powerful new telescope has just given a taster of what we can expect from it l... more

22 Jul 2025

22 MINS

22:59

22 Jul 2025


#548

Is AI eroding our critical thinking?

More and more of the tasks we perform in our daily lives are been guided by artificial int... more

15 Jul 2025

23 MINS

23:00

15 Jul 2025


#547

Can Brazil’s supercows feed the world?

Brazil’s Zebu cattle, or “supercows” are bred for size, strength, and meat quality. Every ... more

08 Jul 2025

23 MINS

23:00

08 Jul 2025


#546

Does Trump care about Taiwan?

Ahead of last year’s US Presidential elections, Donald Trump was asked if he would defend ... more

01 Jul 2025

22 MINS

22:58

01 Jul 2025


#545

How crucial is the Strait of Hormuz to global oil supplies?

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most important energy corridors in the world. It i... more

25 Jun 2025

22 MINS

22:59

25 Jun 2025


#544

Are we closer to a European army?

During a speech to the Spanish parliament earlier this year, the country’s Prime Minister ... more

17 Jun 2025

23 MINS

23:01

17 Jun 2025


#543

Have we seen a breakthrough in preventing genetic diseases?

The creation of a landmark gene editing drug used to treat a baby with a rare genetic muta... more

10 Jun 2025

22 MINS

22:59

10 Jun 2025


#542

Are diamonds forever in Botswana?

The economic fortunes of the Southern Africa country of Botswana were transformed back in ... more

03 Jun 2025

22 MINS

22:59

03 Jun 2025


#541

Can we stop killer fungi?

Fungal diseases are becoming more common, more dangerous, and more difficult to treat. The... more

27 May 2025

23 MINS

23:00

27 May 2025