World Reframed

Indonesia’s President Prabowo says enforcement of a rules-based order requires a credible military. And for his country of 17,000 islands, that means a powerful navy. So Indonesia is building a unique form of sea power - fast, agile and potent.

Ethiopia just held elections. The result is expected to be a clear victory for the ruling Prosperity Party. But millions were unable to have their say. The problem for the country is that it has never resolved longstanding questions about how best to represent the different regions and groups which make up the modern nation. The election may take Ethiopia further from an answer.

Sebastian Marset was one of the world’s biggest crime bosses who taunted police while on the run by sending them videos, playing league football and commissioning a crazy piece of art. From fake passports, armoured cars, gang hits and chickens, this is his story. We’ll travel from Paraguay and Uruguay through Dubai and Greece and Bolivia to end up in a US high security jail. And it’s an insane jou...

South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa faces an impeachment hearing as a result of an extraordinary case involving up to $4 million in cash disappearing from his farm house and a subsequent unauthorised investigation to try to recover it. And the Sudanese businessman who claims to have spent Christmas buying buffalo that he never received.

World Reframed explores the death penalty. What do religions say about it, is it cheaper than locking criminals away for ever, what is the most humane way to kill a person and what’s the connection between an American elephant and the way modern electric systems work? Ismail Akwei and Duncan Hooper consider one of the most controversial questions ever asked. Share your opinions in the comments.

Author and journalist Peter Schwartzstein joins Bella Lack to explore how conflicts often attributed to religion, ethnic divisions or political divides in fact have a common thread - unsustainable pressures felt by communities as a result of drought and famine. As a new report lays bare the cost of a warming planet, World Reframed hears how climate change fuels war and war fuels climate change.

Ismail and Duncan take on one of the biggest questions of our time and enter the Jollof Wars. Ismail explains the scandals behind recent competitions, the differences between cooking in Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana and Gambia in the kitchen. And offers his top recipe tips. Dinner time will never be the same again. #worldreframed #jollofrice #globalsouth This video is compiled and edited by Global South...

Several hundred years after the height of transatlantic slavery, African leaders believe they may finally be on a path towards justice. At a recent African Union summit, reparations for the mass human trafficking, colonialism and apartheid were designated as a flagship priority of the Union. The move marks a significant moment in a long-running effort to coordinate Africa’s position on one of the...

The JF-17 Thunder built in Pakistan with Chinese technology saw action against India last year. That episode, which reportedly saw the Indian airforce soundly beaten, has prompted a surge in interest in the cut-price fighter jet. Capable of aerial combat as well as attacking targets on the ground, the plane is in demand from air forces across the Middle East and Africa looking to modernise their k...

At the World Economic Forum, something unexpected happened. African presidents, former heads of state, and global institutions didn’t gather to ask for more aid — they asked whether aid itself has become the problem . This conversation had a name: The Accra Reset . From the Congolese president’s call for economic sovereignty, to Nigeria’s vice president rejecting dependency, to blunt warnings from...

The departure of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso dented ECOWAS' status. Its efforts to protect democracy ended in failure. Attempts to introduce a single currency have stalled. So the bloc needed a boost to end the year and an agreement to cut a large chunk off flying costs for its 450 million consumers could deliver it.

US forces have been bombing and detaining boats, threatening aircraft and massing in force off the coast of Venezuela. Their declared targets are drug gangs. World Reframed episode 22 explores how the drugs ecosystem in Colombia and Venezuela functions; why it is deadly, but not so much to Americans; and what the politics around the issue means.

The Russian president's trip to India has received similar coverage in the international media to any meeting he attends - a focus on the war in Ukraine. But there are many takeaways from the event which will have even more profound consequences for the world.

World Reframed 18 discusses the widely dismissed claim that Roman shipbuilding techniques were borrowed from Malay fleets and why the claim has been getting so much attention.

World Reframed 17 looks at the Madlanga Commission and why corruption in South Africa is so hard to root out.

With seven players - China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines - contesting the valuable waters off their coastlines, devious tactics are commonplace. From fake fishermen to fake islands, boat chases and beached ships each side is trying to get the upper hand. Duncan Hooper talks to Logan Zapanta about the fierce competition underway

Protests from Nepal to Madagascar have toppled governments accused of corruption and elitism. Mohammed Elnaiem of the Decolonial Centre says that they are the latest chapter in a long-running battle against a system designed to ensure the world's powerful nations can meet their desire for raw materials. He talks about the role of technology and multilateral institutions in maintaining this sys...

Africa has some of the world's leaders and some of the youngest populations. Tensions between the two are on the rise in several countries. Ismail and Duncan discuss Madagascar, Cote D'Ivoire and Cameroon and also explain how you measure the popularity of authoritarian leaders.

Episode 10. Typhoon Ragasa summoned winds of well over 250km/h and brought them to bear on some of the most populated areas of south east Asia. With a shrug, China moved almost 2 million people out of the way. The story of the typhoon and the response to it.

As Donald Trump’s war on drugs gets physical, it is exacerbating existing divisions within the Americas. Duncan and Ismail look into what you can do when the US starts bombing boats off your coast and explore how the Caribbean is moving towards becoming a war zone.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is impressive enough in name and statistics. But its symbolism looms even larger. For Egypt it is an existential threat. For Ethiopia a reminder of the unconquerable nation of its national spirit. In Episode 8 of World Reframed, Ismail and Duncan discuss what the project means from different perspectives.

Ismail and Duncan focus on the high tech weaponry on show at Beijing’s parade to mark the end of World War 2 and ask whether it’s likely to be used in anger? Featuring missiles, drones, robodogs and plenty more

Ismail and Duncan discuss a new initiative from El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele, aimed at obliging children to learn respect. They analyse a Global South World report by Eigenrac about Morocco’s plans to create a data and energy bridge with Europe. And they look at the spread of religion in Africa and what it might mean for development.

The enigma of Libya’s oil destiny and the world’s most polluted air: World Reframed In Episode 5 Ismail and Duncan discuss a report by Eigenrac for Global South World examining possible ends to the stalemate which has divided Libya. They look at the changes that are expected in Bolivia after voters turned their backs on 20 years of socialism and explore how electricity can save millions of lives i...

Duncan and Ismail discuss how Bolivia is set to reject the left-wing governments which have shaped it for two decades following an economic crisis. Also in Latin America, Colombia’s government is negotiating with the world’s biggest cocaine producer. Nepal is trying to encourage tourists to climb other mountains than Everest, and Happy World Elephant Day.