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The Inquiry

Latest episodes

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May 27, 2021 • 24min

What are NFTs and are they really the next big thing?

In 2005 a photo of four-year-old Zoë Roth standing in front of a burning house went viral on the internet. It became a meme known as “disaster girl”. In April 2021, the image sold for $473,000 as an NFT, or non-fungible token - that’s sort of a digital record of ownership.And the sales keep coming. Another NFT recently sold for $69 million. The first ever Tweet went for a huge $2.9 million … and a GIF of a pixelated rainbow cat sold for $690,000. But what is an NFT, and is it really the next big thing? Suzanne Kianpour explores the world of NFT’s.Produced by Soila Apparicio and Olivia Noon.(CryptoPunk digital art NFT displayed on a digital billboard in Times Square NY City, May 12 2021. Credit: Alexi Rosenfeld /Getty Images)
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May 20, 2021 • 24min

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?Low conviction rates and an unwillingness on behalf of witnesses to give evidence play their part in the problem. But others think the time has come to treat murder like any other deadly disease that afflicts the poor.Charmaine Cozier examines the reasons for the city’s stubbornly high murder rate and the options to stop the killing.Produced by Nathan Gower.(a small flag depicting bullet holes at an anti-gun violence march in Chicago Dec.31 2020. Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski /Getty Images)
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May 13, 2021 • 24min

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. Without any warning, a car bomb went off. Then a second explosion, followed by a third.The Afghan Government blamed the Taliban, the hardline Islamist movement that has fought a long civil war in Afghanistan. The Taliban, although they have previously targeted the education of girls, denied it and blamed the Islamic State Group.Things were supposed to be getting better in this war torn country. Earlier this year President Joe Biden announced US troops were going to be removed in September. But what will happen after they’ve gone?Produced by Rob Cave and Soila Apparicio.(Taliban militia move towards the front line in Kabul, February 1995. Credit: Saeed Khan /Getty Images)
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May 7, 2021 • 23min

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. With fears of a return to the troubled period of violence from Northern Ireland’s past, Tanya Beckett asks if the fragile peace is under threat.Produced by Beth Sagar-Fenton and Soila Apparicio.'A previous version of this programme gave an incorrect title to Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster this has been corrected.'(Nationalists attack police on Springfield Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland, April 08 2021. Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
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Apr 29, 2021 • 24min

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.Kavita Puri asks what went wrong.Image: A queue near a vaccination centre in Mumbai, 26 April 2021 (Credit: Divyakant Solanki/EPA)
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Apr 22, 2021 • 24min

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 Mexico may soon follow suit. Tanya Beckett looks at the different models of legalisation and at what might be holding the global cannabis industry back.
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Apr 15, 2021 • 23min

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, including children, and displaced thousands more in Mozambique, Mali, and Somalia, among other territories across the continent. It is believed that IS franchises its brand to local militant groups, providing support, claiming responsibility for deadly attacks, all while spreading its influence in these new territories. Charmaine Cozier asks if Africa is a new power base for the Islamic State group?Producer: Paul Connolly(Al-Shebab fighters, an Islamist insurgent group in Somalia. Credit: Mohamed Abdiwahab/Getty Images)
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Apr 8, 2021 • 23min

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 culture of corruption and political turmoil are persistent themes that have led to an underfunded health system and a lack of focus how Peruvian people would be able to cope during the dark months of a deadly pandemic. Instead vast numbers of casual workers lost their jobs and started to trek home, taking the virus with them. Also remote communities were cut off by the freeze on transport and unable to get access to vital medical supplies, amid a dwindling supply of oxygen to treat them. We take a look at what lies beneath Peru’s terrible experience during the pandemic.Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Nathan Gower(Peruvians protest at a political rally, March 25, 2021. Credit: Ernesto Benavides/Getty Images)
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Apr 1, 2021 • 24min

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 revealed in ever-increasing detail, but the risks are not exclusive to so-called full contact sports.Some governing bodies have sprung into action, implementing new rules and safety measures. But others turn a blind eye. So, we’re asking – how will the concussion issue affect the future of sport?Presenter: Paul Connolly Producer: Stefania Okereke(Photo: Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker (83) lays on the field after getting a concussion in the second quarter. Credit: Getty Images)
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Mar 25, 2021 • 23min

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 every aspect of the world, including warfare. Suzanne Kianpour explores the technology, fears and even potential advantages of developing autonomous weapons.Producers: Nathan Gower and Viv Jones(Mock-up of the IAI Harop Drone, a loitering munition. Credit: Aviation-images.com/Getty Images)

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