The Real Story

This week, Owen Bennett Jones and his guests are looking at a radical new economic and social vision for the country proposed by the Saudi monarchy. It’s not simply a set of proposals to end Saudi Arabia’s dependence on oil. Beyond this, it seeks to provide new job opportunities for a generation of frustrated young Saudis, both men and women. With the end of the Saudi oil bonanza in sight, and dra...

This week, Owen Bennett Jones and his guests tackle the world of tax havens, financial transparency and money laundering. World leaders, activists and experts met in London for a major conference on fighting global corruption, but what practical measures can be taken to make financial flows more transparent, prevent the proceeds of corruption from being hidden away, whilst at the same time allowin...

On Monday the Philippines holds what are seen as the most hotly contested elections in its history. The country is a key regional ally for the United States as part of its ‘Pivot to Asia’ strategy, but it is also a nation of extreme of wealth and poverty that has faced a long-standing Islamist insurgency. The leading candidates include the son of ex-dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and the front-runner...

Owen Bennett-Jones is at the University of Texas in Austin, discussing sport and empowerment in the United States. The major professional sports in America make billions of dollars in revenue, and great wealth to a select few top athletes. But college players, many of whom are African-American and whose sports generate huge amounts of money, are paid nothing. Join Owen Bennett-Jones and his panel...

Owen Bennett Jones is in New Orleans, debating with his guests the relevance of feminism today. In many ways things have never been better for women; there are more female college graduates than men, the gender pay gap is the narrowest it has ever been, and the next president of the United States could well be a woman. So, is feminism really a political movement with clear goals, or has it become...

Oklahoma has one of the largest Native American populations in the United States. By using their right to govern themselves, Oklahoma’s tribes have become economic powerhouses, contributing hugely to the state economy. But is Oklahoma as much of a success story as it seems? Has the political influence of Native Americans – and the treatment of their culture – changed in line with growing economic...

This week, Owen Bennett Jones and guests are at the Oxford Literary Festival. Across the world student bodies have been have been asking universities to distance themselves from historical symbols of oppression. In Oxford, the protests took the form of the ‘Rhodes Must Fall’ campaign which began in South Africa and targeted statues of Cecil Rhodes - a committed champion of the British Empire. How...

Ever since the invasion in 2003 Iraq has faced ceaseless conflict. Today there are two parallel crises. In Baghdad protesters are demanding an end to elite corruption. And, on the battlefield, the Iraqi army and Shia militias are fighting so-called Islamic State. But Iraqis are wondering about the battles to come. Will the central government have to cede power to armed groups that control their ow...

We travel to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania - a country that many believe can teach a lesson to others seeking unity and stability, because right from the start the first post-independence leader Julius Nyerere insisted that everyone should learn Swahili. Well over a 100 other languages are still spoken in Tanzania but many people believe that Nyerere – partly because of his language policy - was a suc...

Is half a century of civil war about to come to an end in Colombia? Negotiators from the government and the FARC rebels are currently hammering out the final terms of a deal. The agreement will ultimately see disarmament and re-integration of FARC fighters, but serious hurdles remain. Colombia is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of cocaine, and the hope is that a lasting peace wi...

What does North Korea’s leader want? And, what do we really know about who runs the country? As the international community ramps up sanctions in response to Pyongyang’s latest nuclear test, will anything change? Join Owen Bennett Jones and his panel of experts – including a young North Korean defector – as they take an in-depth look at one of the world’s most secretive political systems. (Photo C...

What if governments paid all their citizens a basic income? Whether rich or poor, you would receive the same amount of money, and you would keep it whether you went out to work and received a salary or not. It is an idea that has been around for centuries, but one that has been gaining traction in recent times as welfare payments become ever more complex and expensive to administer. Proponents als...

Iran is holding its first elections since the nuclear agreement was signed last year under which international sanctions against Iran were lifted. We take a look inside Iran and asking whether real social, economic and political change is taking place inside the country, and if so, in what direction and what will it mean? Join Owen Bennett Jones and his panel of Iranian guests living both within a...

In the four years since the Syrian conflict began, a quarter of a million people have been killed and 11 million people - half the country’s population - have fled their homes. Despite each new set of talks, peace seems no closer to hand and as the fighting drags on, international powers become more and more involved. Owen Bennett Jones and his panel of experts discuss what each of the players in...

Billions of the world’s poorest people have no access to the internet. Connectivity is growing fast in many parts of the globe, but not everywhere. In large parts of Africa and South Asia, for example, the barriers to joining the information age are simply too great. So why has the Indian government just banned Facebook and others from operating free-access platforms to provide internet access? An...

As fears grow over the impact of the Zika virus and its suspected links to birth defects, Newshour Extra brings together a panel of global experts to discuss how best to tackle the virus and the dangers of global transmission. Owen Bennett-Jones and his guests also ask whether global health authorities should be taking more drastic steps to combat the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, and whether...

What will the cities of the future look like, and will we like living in them? Vast mega-cities are emerging, notably in the developing world, as people migrate towards urban centres in search of work. Cities in the richer world also need to find ways improve the quality of life for their inhabitants. How should urban planners cope with these pressures and develop strategies for the future? Owen B...

The world’s wealthiest business executives and most influential politicians are meeting this weekend in the exclusive Swiss ski resort, Davos. They’ll be striking deals, making decisions that will affect all our lives and fawned over by the world’s media. But how accountable are they? Join Owen Bennett Jones and his guests as they discuss whether a tiny fraction of the world’s wealthiest live by d...

After the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has descended into a chaos of warring factions. Western forces that initially supported the uprising are now largely absent and Islamic State militants have taken advantage of the power vacuum. The breakdown of a coherent administration has also allowed Libya to become a major route for African migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean into Europe...

In recent months oil prices have fallen to historically low levels. The impact is being felt from Saudi Arabia to Venezuela – revenues are collapsing, and producers are in trouble. Why has the price collapsed and what are the long term consequences? In this week’s Newshour Extra we ask whether global policies to cap carbon emissions could lead to a world in which alternative energy sources will fo...

What does the future hold for human space exploration? With more countries getting involved and costs falling, increasingly ambitious projects are being proposed. Is a permanent base on the Moon feasible? Are there vast mineral resources to be harvested in space? Will our descendants be forced to abandon planet Earth to live elsewhere? Join Owen Bennett Jones and his panel of extra-terrestrial exp...

Why are so many Eritreans fleeing their country? With a population of just six million, this young country in the Horn of Africa has accounted for the third largest flow of refugees into Europe this year, behind only Syria and Afghanistan. Join Owen Bennett Jones and his panel of guests on Newshour Extra this week as we try to understand the forces driving hundreds of thousands of Eritreans riskin...

Our world is getting warmer despite the best efforts of the scientists, politicians and diplomats. A global agreement in Paris on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions may help slow the rise in temperature, but it's rising nonetheless. What might the world look like if the temperature keeps rising? There will be many losers – but who are the likely winners? And what does humanity need to do to adapt...

Remarkable new techniques for ‘editing’ DNA – chemically cutting and splicing sections of genetic code – are revolutionising research in laboratories around the world. The potential for eradicating hereditary diseases is enormous. But are the benefits outweighed by the risks involved? And should these techniques ever be used on humans? On Newshour Extra this week, Owen Bennett Jones and his panel...

The rise of the Islamic State group has been both shocking and unprecedented. With ever more violent attacks on civilian targets come outpourings of anger and frustration at the inability of governments and security services to defeat them. The aftermath of the Paris attacks has been no exception. President Hollande has spoken of waging a “pitiless war” against those responsible. Amid the atrociti...