The Real Story

Canada is a vast country with rich natural resources. For decades it has relied on global trade and a stable international order to prosper. As Canada heads to polls on the 21st of October, it finds itself with challenges at home and abroad that could bring significant changes to the idea of what Canada is. Its more powerful and influential neighbour to the south, the United States, is in turmoil...

Following a late evening phone conversation with the president of Turkey, President Trump approved the Turkish decision to send troops in parts of Syria that are now controlled by American backed Kurdish forces. He said that it is time for the US troops to be pulled out. The announcement caught America’s allies by surprise, and the president’s supporters off guard. The move is seen as a major shif...

In the United States, the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump - only the fourth president to face such an investigation - has become the most talked about issue in Washington. At the centre of it is a phone conversation in which president Trump allegedly solicited the help of the Ukrainian president to undermine a political rival. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the Democratic Party controlled l...

This week China marks the 70th anniversary of its founding. The great fanfare playing out across the country could be overshadowed by events in the southern territory of Hong Kong, which is part of China but maintains separate judicial and economic freedoms. For months, people there have been taking to the streets every weekend to rally against a controversial extradition bill. These protests have...

In October thousands of delegates are expected to arrive in the Russian resort of Sochi for an extraordinary gathering. It will be the first ever conference between Russia and the countries of Africa. President Putin is due to hold meetings with African heads of state to discuss Russia's ties to the continent. Russia is rekindling links with Africa that existed during the Cold War and creating new...

South Africa is one of the richest countries in Africa. Its businesses and investments have been a catalyst for growth on the continent and according to the World Bank, African immigrants have made a positive impact on South Africa’s economy. Yet foreign workers come under regular attack in South Africa. In the most recent spate of violence, hundreds of foreign owned businesses were damaged by pro...

Every summer at a mountain resort in Wyoming, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas hosts a symposium of central bankers and academics to discuss the global economy. This year at Jackson Hole, the outgoing Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, grabbed headlines by calling for a new global monetary system to replace the US dollar as the world’s main currency reserve. A new digital currency, he...

The Amazon rainforest is an essential part of maintaining the earth's ecosystem and weather patterns. But this year thousands of fires are ravaging there - the most intense blazes for almost a decade. Brazil's indigenous and environmental groups have raised alarm at the rate of deforestation caused by the fires, many of which are thought to have been started deliberately by farmers and loggers. Th...

The on-going protests in Hong Kong and Russia come as Eastern Europe begins to mark the 30th anniversary of one of the most important geopolitical shifts of the 20th century - the collapse of Communism. The 20th century struggle against communist dictatorships lasted decades and claimed thousands of victims but eventually reached its aims. So, what about the protests of the 21st century? We have w...

The British Green MP, Caroline Lucas, this week called for an 'emergency cabinet' of women from across the UK’s political spectrum to help prevent Britain from leaving the European Union without a deal. Women, she said, were better placed to deal with 'difficult, intractable problems'. So, is this true? Women have had to fight to gain a place in national politics in countries around the world, and...

In recent years the formula for winning elections has moved away from reaching out to all voters and charting a middle ground. Instead, politicians are promoting wedge issues and activating voters along issues of identity and against the status quo. The polarising nature of this variety of politics was on view this week in the aftermath of the tragic mass shooting in Texas. It was also seen in Ind...

In his first speech to the British parliament as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson promised a “radical” overhaul of the British immigration system modelled on an Australian-style points-based system where applicants are judged on the contribution they could make to the economy. Concerns about immigration are said to be one of the main driving factors behind Brexit - with many voters unhappy with the r...

Boris Johnson has become the prime minister of Britain at a time when the country is facing numerous challenges at home and abroad. His supporters admire him for his colourful politics and quick-witted oratory skills, but he has also been described as untrustworthy and divisive by members of his own party. So what kind of politics can Boris Johnson offer? Join Ritula Shah and guests as they discus...

The Italian government has been calling on European countries to come up with a new plan to absorb migrants reaching its shores via the Mediterranean Sea. A tougher approach to migration was one of the campaign promises of the deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, and after his League party's victory in 2018, Italy banned migrant rescue ships from docking in its ports. The actual number of migrant...

This month in 1969 Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the Moon. It was a culmination of human and technological achievement. Both the United States and the Soviet Union claimed victory in space, but for the rest of the world, the race between the two superpowers paved the way for the advancements of military and commercial aviation technology, improvements in health and medical res...

The rollout of the internet in Africa has been patchy. Some countries have used it to leapfrog others, boosting their economies. For many others, new networks and technologies have yet to bear fruit. From Sudan to Ethiopia to the DRC, the continent is marred by regular internet shutdowns, with the aim of stopping anti-government protesters from organising. And very few countries have taken steps t...

Fifty years ago, when gay protesters clashed with New York City police outside a nondescript bar, the Stonewall Inn, few expected it to become one of the turning points in the gay rights movements in the world. But the encounter motivated and galvanized a generation of gay men and women who demanded to be accepted in society for who they were. Change came slowly and same sex marriage and equal pro...

A global survey of public attitudes to health and science has found that twenty percent of Europeans have no confidence in life-saving vaccines. The figure was highest in France where a third of the adult population does not believe that immunisation is safe. Vaccination rates have stalled in many regions, and cases of infectious diseases, like measles, have soared. At the same time, many people w...

After eight gruelling years of war, the rebels in Syria seem to be making a last stand in the province of Idlib. The opposition stronghold in the northwest of the country has been under intense bombardment from government forces backed by Russia. Idlib is where many fighters from the defeated parts of the country were moved. It is also home to three-million civilians and the UN has warned of anoth...

One year ago this week, the government of Myanmar signed an understanding with the United Nations that would pave the way for hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees to return home from camps in southern Bangladesh. But the UN says, no family has volunteered to return. Ever since the mass exodus of the Rohingya began in August 2017, the Burmese government and the military have received universa...

This week the European elections have generated intense discussion: The turnout was the highest for twenty years. And for the first time in decades, the traditional Centre-Right and Centre-Left failed to win enough seats to form a majority. They are under pressure to forge fresh partnerships with smaller blocs, like the Far-Right, the Liberals or the Greens, who have been returned with a bigger sh...

This week the tech giant Google announced it would not provide some of its services to the Chinese company, Huawei, the second biggest mobile handset maker in the world. The Trump administration alleged that Huawei might spy on America and its allies on behalf of the Chinese state, a claim rejected by the company. It said it was a victim of the trade war between Washington and Beijing, and its tec...

WikiLeaks has never been far from controversy since the release of its first cache of documents in 2006. Its supporters have welcomed the organisation as a bearer of truth and transparency. Its method of publishing troves of sensitive documents from governments and other organisations is seen as a way to fight against secrecy and censorship. Its detractors see it as an irresponsible leaker that ha...

Biodiversity – that’s the subject of a major report from the UN this week – and it comes with an alarming warning: the variety and fabric of life on earth is in rapid decline all over the planet. Because of human behaviour, nearly a million species are facing extinction and many ecosystems are being irreversibly degraded. Using knowledge from both scientists and indigenous groups, the report highl...

China is located nearly 3,000 kilometres from the Arctic Circle but that hasn't stopped it taking a keen interest in the region. Last year China described itself as a 'near Arctic State' and said that it plans to play a crucial role in the Arctic's future. The melting of the polar ice has made it possible to exploit the Arctic’s riches, from natural gas and oil to rare minerals, which are crucial...