//podcastplus.net/feed/the-inquiry~ac6813d6 The Inquiry gets beyond the headlines to explore the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world. Mon, 19 Oct 2026 16:13:29 +0000 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss-low/proto/http/vpid/p0lz2tqp.mp3 A far-right party which came to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic recently showed itself to be a contender to Japan’s centrist political establishment, when it grew from one seat, three years ago to 15 seats in the recent elections. Known as Sanseito, the party is led by Kamiya Sohei, whose YouTube videos spread conspiracy theories about vaccinations. Its political platform is a nationalist ‘Japanese first’ agenda and warns against a ‘silent invasion of foreigners’. Whilst for Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party coalition, the election results were bruising. The LDP lost its majority in the Upper House, having already lost control of the Lower House last year. But its embattled Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, whilst facing calls from within his party to resign, has said he has no plans to quit. Against this backdrop, there’s a growing unease amongst Japanese voters over issues like immigration, over-tourism and the economy and Sanseito are tapping into that. Joining us to dis... Tue, 26 Aug 2025 13:46:00 +0000 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss-low/proto/http/vpid/p0lz2tqp.mp3 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss-low/proto/http/vpid/p0lwzxt0.mp3 Children in Indonesia are now receiving free school meals — part of a bold new plan by President Prabowo Subianto to tackle malnutrition.Around one in five children in the country are stunted, meaning they are too short for their age.The lunch programme is central to Prabowo’s vision of a “Golden Indonesia” – a prosperous, high-income nation by 2045.But not everyone is happy.To fund this and other populist pledges, the president has reallocated billions in public funds, cutting budgets from ministries including health and education.There have also been reports of food poisoning linked to the programme.Meanwhile, millions of Indonesians are struggling. The International Monetary Fund warns the country's unemployment rate will rise to 5% this year — the highest among the Southeast Asian economies it tracks.On this week’s Inquiry, we’re asking: ‘Can Indonesia afford free lunches?’Contributors:Dini Widiastuti, Executive Director, Yayasan Plan International IndonesiaJulia Lau, Senior Fellow a... Tue, 19 Aug 2025 13:00:00 +0000 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss-low/proto/http/vpid/p0lwzxt0.mp3 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss-low/proto/http/vpid/p0lvxhx7.mp3 When the war in Ukraine began back in February 2022, the remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle or drone as its commonly known, was peripheral to the conflict. But three years on, the drone in all its shapes and sizes has taken on a central role in this battle, in the air, on land and at sea, for surveillance, reconnaissance, combat and other purposes. Now drone technology is evolving even further into the area of autonomous weapons.But whilst the drone can offer greater strategic and operational flexibility and a possible reduction in the number of military casualties, there are concerns that the drone, particularly in Ukraine’s case, has prolonged the war. Only last year the United Nations reported that 118 countries now had military drones, along with at least 65 non-state actors. And as an increasing number of countries have begun to manufacture and export their own array of military drones, many are concerned about how drone technology is presenting a big challenge in terms of defensive measures. ... Tue, 12 Aug 2025 13:00:00 +0000 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss-low/proto/http/vpid/p0lvxhx7.mp3 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-low/proto/http/vpid/p0ctd9h8.mp3 This Summer, countries across the world have experienced extreme weather events. Flash floods have killed people in South Korea, Uganda, Australia and the US state of Kentucky, and heatwaves have broken records across Western Europe, North America and Japan. However, countries across the world are developing ways to try to tame the weather. China, the UAE and the USA are at the forefront of research into methods of producing rain in drought-stricken areas. And some scientists are thinking even bigger; investigating technologies which could cool the entire planet. This week, the Inquiry asks: Can we control the weather?Contributors:Dr Rob Thompson, University of ReadingProfessor Katja Friedrich, University of Colorado, BoulderProfessor David Keith, Harvard University Professor Elizabeth Chalecki, University of Nebraska OmahaPresenter: Charmaine CozierProducer: Ravi NaikResearchers: Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty and Christopher Blake Technical Producer: Nicky EdwardsBroadcast coordinator: Brenda Brown(Hands cradli... Thu, 18 Aug 2022 07:30:00 +0000 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-low/proto/http/vpid/p0ctd9h8.mp3 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-low/proto/http/vpid/p0cs50b6.mp3 A recent visit to Taiwan by Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has heightened tensions between the US and China. Their relationship is the worst it’s been in decades. America has accused China of dangerous military provocations in the region. China has warned the US not to play with fire. Add to all that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and concerns that China could be contemplating something similar in Taiwan, and it’s time to ask the question: Will the US and China go to war over Taiwan?Contributors:James Lin from the University of Washington and expert on Taiwanese historyDr Yu Jie, Senior Research Fellow on China, Chatham House(Photo: China and Taiwan boxing gloves - credit: Getty Images) Thu, 11 Aug 2022 07:30:00 +0000 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-low/proto/http/vpid/p0cs50b6.mp3 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-low/proto/http/vpid/p09m9lbg.mp3 In just under a month’s time Japan’s capital city Tokyo will host the 32nd Olympic Games. They were due to take place last year but were delayed because of the pandemic. But even 12 months later the Japanese public is far from enthused at the prospect of thousands of athletes and their entourages turning up just as the country is experiencing a fourth wave of the coronavirus.So, Tanya Beckett asks if Japan can pull off the greatest show on earth during a pandemic?Produced by Soila Apparicio and Rob Cave.(People pose next to the Olympic Rings in Tokyo, Japan, March 2020. Credit: Carl Court/ Getty Images) Thu, 24 Jun 2021 07:30:00 +0000 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-low/proto/http/vpid/p09m9lbg.mp3 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-low/proto/http/vpid/p0959d12.mp3 Donald Trump has moved out of the White House, he’s been banned from Twitter and suspended from Snapchat, Facebook and YouTube. Parler, a twitter alternative for conservatives, went offline after Amazon stopped hosting it. Amazon say this is because they found dozens of posts on the service which encouraged violence. All of this has raised questions about the power of tech companies and who should decide who’s voice is heard on social media. So this week Charmaine Cozier asks, has big tech gone too far in limiting free speech?Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producers: Sharon Hemans and Bob Howard Editor: Richard Vadon(Twitter suspended Donald Trump's account for violating app rules, January 2021. Credit: Jakub Porzycki/ Getty Images) Thu, 28 Jan 2021 02:30:00 +0000 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-low/proto/http/vpid/p0959d12.mp3 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-low/proto/http/vpid/p091rjfs.mp3 With countries shutting their doors to foreign recyclable waste and a lack of processing capacity back home, is the recycling system broken?China used to accept 55% of the world’s plastic and paper waste. But it closed its doors in 2018. Initially other countries in South East Asia, like Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam took over China’s waste processing role. But they too are now sending much of the waste back, arguing it is contaminated and is harming their own environments.This has created major problems for countries in the West who traditionally relied on others to process their recycling waste. In addition, there’s confusion about what households can and cannot put into their recycling bins, along with that lack of recycling capacity back home. So what is the answer to the growing mountains of what was supposed to be recyclable waste? Could Sweden, which has reduced the amount of household waste it sends to landfill to under one per cent, have an answer? It’s not one everyone agrees wit... Thu, 07 Jan 2021 08:06:00 +0000 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-low/proto/http/vpid/p091rjfs.mp3 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-low/proto/http/vpid/p08pq6yy.mp3 The massive explosion that tore through Beirut on August 4th left more than 200 people dead, 6,000 injured, and as many as 300,000 homeless. The explosion was caused by a fire that ignited 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored at the port. When the blast hit, Lebanon was already in the middle of an unprecedented economic and political crisis that has triggered hyperinflation, poverty, and hunger. Many Lebanese feel that the blast was not the cause of catastrophe in Lebanon, but the result of it. Tanya Beckett asks, what’s gone wrong in Lebanon?Producer: Viv Jones(Lebanese protester waves a national flag amid clashes with security forces in Beirut, August 10 2020. Credit: Joseph Eid/Getty images) Thu, 27 Aug 2020 07:30:00 +0000 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-low/proto/http/vpid/p08pq6yy.mp3 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-low/proto/http/vpid/p08mtd1q.mp3 Winter is coming in the northern hemisphere and traditionally it is time for colds and flu.This has raised fears that coronavirus will surge when the seasons change, possibly leading to a second wave of the disease that is even bigger than the first.However, predicting what a Covid winter will look like is complex and uncertainty reigns - there are reasons both to be worried and to be reassured.Contributors: . Micaela Martinez, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University. Katherine Wu, a health and science journalist with The New York Times. Judit Vall, a professor in health and labour economics at the University of Barcelona. Dominique Moisi, the author of The Geopolitics of Emotion.(A man walks through a snowfall in Sarajevo, wearing a mask as protection against Covid-19. Credit Mustafa Ozturk / Getty Images) Thu, 06 Aug 2020 07:30:00 +0000 http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-low/proto/http/vpid/p08mtd1q.mp3