Why Are the Taliban So Resilient?
The Taliban have staged devastating attacks in the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, in recent weeks. And a BBC study has discovered the group is active across the majority of the country – pushing beyon...
8 Feb 201823min
How Did We Get Hooked on Plastic?
The story of how the search for a material to replace ivory changed our lives forever. In the 19th century a billiard ball company placed an advert in a newspaper offering $10,000 to anyone who could ...
1 Feb 201823min
What Does China Want in the South China Sea?
China has long been keen to assert its authority in the South China Sea. In recent years, it has undertaken a huge programme of island-building to stake its claim to the region. Fiery Cross, once a ti...
25 Jan 201823min
What’s the Greatest Threat to Poland?
The EU’s launched the ‘nuclear option’ against Poland, the first time it’s triggered the disciplinary measure in its history. They say recent changes to the legal system mean there is a serious threat...
18 Jan 201823min
What is IS doing in the Philippines?
In 2017 the black flag of the Islamic State group flew in the southern Philippines as a mixture of local and foreign fighters attacked the Islamic City of Marawi. While the government did eventually r...
11 Jan 201823min
Is Zero Tolerance the Right Approach for FGM?
In 1994 a United Nations conference, backed by 173 countries, announced that ‘female genital mutilation’ was a “violation of basic rights and a major lifelong risk to women’s health”. Agreeing it shou...
4 Jan 201823min
What’s The Point Of Bitcoin?
Making sense of the digital currency and the ideology of its founders, fans and future.In 2010 a developer spent 10,000 bitcoin to buy two pizzas. Seven and a half years later that was the equivalent ...
28 Des 201723min
North Korea deep dive
What next for North Korea? Kim Jong-un's nuclear ambitions and their global repercussions are explored in this special, extended edition of the programme.After a year of repeated weapons testing by th...
22 Des 201750min
