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BBC World Service

The Inquiry gets beyond the headlines to explore the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world.

The Inquiry

Conflict in the Middle East has led to volatility in global oil prices, pushing up fuel costs worldwide. Previous oil shocks prompted some countries to reconsider their reliance on cars, investing in alternatives such as cycling. In some places, this has become part of everyday life, while elsewhere it has proved more contested, reflecting wider political and cultural divides.

Cycling offers benefits for health and the environment, but it is not practical for everyone. For many people, including those in rural areas or with limited mobility, cars remain everyday essentials. 

As oil price volatility continues to affect motorists, questions remain about how far behaviour can change.

This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking: is it time to swap four wheels for two?

Contributors:
Meredith Glaser, CEO of Urban Cycling Institution, professor of cycling at Ghent University, Belgium, and a senior lecturer at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Levke Sönksen, research associate at the German Institute of Urban Affairs, Germany
Dr Eunhye Enki Yoo, professor of Geography at the University of Buffalo, US
Martin Tillman, independent transport consultant, UAE

Presenter: Gary O’Donoghue
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey

(Photo: Cyclists ride bicycles in Amsterdam. Credit: George Clerk/Getty Images)

Cycling: Is it time to swap four wheels for two?

Broadcasters from The Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, Spain and Slovenia are all boycotting May’s Eurovision Song Contest because Israel is participating. 

Sources within Israel’s broadcaster say calls for it to be banned are unjustified, and organisers of the contest insist it must remain politically neutral, describing the event as "a platform for displaying the importance of peace and unity in a divided world".

The boycott has sparked one of the biggest crises in Eurovision’s 70-year history. In several cases, the position to withdraw also reflects wider pressure from politicians and public opinion. How will countries boycotting Eurovision affect the contest?’

Contributors:
Natalija Gorščak, president of the management board of RTV, Slovenia
Dr Bárbara Barreiro León, lecturer in film and visual Culture, University of Aberdeen, UK
Dr Heather Dichter, associate professor of sport history and sport management, De Montfort University, UK
Dr Dean Vuletic, author Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest, Luxembourg

Presenter/Producer: Daniel Rosney
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Sound Engineer: James Bradshaw
Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey

(Photo: Eurovision flags. Credit: Georg Hochmuth/Getty Images)

How will countries boycotting Eurovision affect the contest?

For the second time in 12 years Glasgow is preparing to host the Commonwealth Games after Australia’s Victoria state pulled out because of increased costs. Victoria’s withdrawal raised questions about whether the 2026 games would go ahead before Glasgow agreed to step in. 

Staging a sporting mega-event is expensive and governments face increasing scrutiny over public spending. Victoria’s decision raised wider questions about affordability for potential hosts. At the same time, critics question the Games’ political relevance, given its origins in Britain’s colonial past.

The Commonwealth Games Federation says the event can be delivered in a more sustainable way and argues that it brings cultural and economic benefits to host cities, but recent editions have run into significant costs and budget pressures.

This week on The Inquiry, Tanya Beckett asks ‘Is it time to scrap the Commonwealth Games?’

Contributors:
Dr Stuart Whigham, senior lecturer in sport, coaching and physical education at Oxford Brookes University, UK
Dr Matthew McDowell, lecturer in sport policy, management, and international development at the University of Edinburgh, UK 
Dr Verity Postlethwaite, lecturer in strategic event management at Loughborough University, UK
Professor Gayle McPherson, associate dean for research at the University of the West of Scotland, and director of legacy and community engagement for Commonwealth Games Scotland, UK

Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Evie Yabsley 
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman
Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey

(Photo: 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medals. Credit: Adrian Dennis/Getty Images)

Is it time to scrap the Commonwealth Games?

Ireland has a new permanent government scheme providing regular cash transfers to 2,000 artists. The people who can access it range from circus performers to opera singers.

It follows a pilot of more than three years, which is believed to have brought a return on investment to the economy.

Big tech backs basic income schemes like this to offset the consequences AI is having on the workforce. Leading economists believe it could create a dystopian world. Nevertheless, more governments are piloting or planning to introduce schemes like this.

Contributors: 
Dr Jenny Dagg, assistant lecturer, Maynooth University, Ireland
Dr Catarina Neves, postdoctoral fellow, Utrecht University, The Netherlands 
Daron Acemoglu, 2024 Nobel Prize winner in economics, institute professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US
Dr Jurgen De Wispelaere, acting chair of the Basic Income Earth Network.

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Daniel Rosney
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman
Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey

(Photo: A customer withdraws euro bills from an ATM in Sofia. Credit: Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Why is basic income being debated?

Cuba is facing one of its most severe humanitarian crises in decades.

For years, Cuba relied heavily on oil from Venezuela. Those supplies have largely stopped, contributing to widespread fuel shortages. Electricity blackouts have become increasingly common, disrupting daily life across the country.

The United States has blocked fuel shipments to Cuba as part of wider pressure linked to its economic and political policies. Meanwhile, the Cuban government has warned it will resist any external interference in its domestic affairs.

With economic strain growing and living conditions worsening, this week on The Inquiry, we’re asking: ‘Is the revolution in Cuba over?’

Contributors:
Lillian Guerra, professor of Cuban and Caribbean history at the University of Florida, US
Ricardo Torres, research fellow at American University, US
Christopher Sabatini, senior research fellow for Latin America at Chatham House, UK
Renata Segura, programme director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the International Crisis Group, US

Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Technical Producer: Cameron Ward 
Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey

(Photo: Havana, the capital of Cuba, during a blackout in March 2026. Credit: Yamil Lage/Getty Images)

Is the revolution in Cuba over?

Rewilding, or letting nature take care of itself, can restore stability to damaged ecosystem components which support life on earth, like fungi, bacteria, vegetation, insects and animals.

But there's now a wider discussion to discover what it’s capable of on a wider scale.

International agreements for reducing the impact of climate change tend to set global targets.

However, individual governments decide how to work towards meeting those goals at a national level.

Some rewilding initiatives improve biodiversity, but it can have negative impacts too.

This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking ‘How can rewilding help combat climate change?’

Contributors: 
Carolina Soto-Navarro, head of Wilder Nature at Rewilding Europe
Brendan Fisher, professor in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, at University of Vermont, US
David Nogues Bravo, professor in biodiversity, University of Copenhagen, Denmark 
Steve Carver, professor of rewilding and wilderness science, University of Leeds, UK

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier 
Producers: Jill Collins and Daniel Rosney 
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Editor: Tom Bigwood 
Technical Producer: Cameron Ward
Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey

(Photo: Galapagos giant tortoise. Credit: Anadolu/Getty Images)

How can rewilding help combat climate change?

In February, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted a social media video celebrating new figures from the International Monetary Fund suggesting that the average person in Poland now has slightly more spending power than the average person in Spain, the European Union’s fourth largest economy. 

It’s a symbolic milestone for a country that emerged from communism just over three decades ago and once struggled with hyperinflation and economic upheaval. In 2025, Poland’s economy also passed the trillion-dollar mark, putting it in an elite group of just 20 countries globally.

Investment from across the EU has helped drive growth. But can Poland keep its edge as labour shortages grow and the war in neighbouring Ukraine continues to shape the region? 

This week on The Inquiry, Tanya Beckett asks: Why is Poland’s economy booming?

Contributors:
Dr Pawel Bukowski, lecturer in economics at University College London and Polish Academy of Sciences, UK
Iga Magda, associate professor at the Warsaw School of Economics, Poland
Katarzyna Rzentarzewska, chief CEE macro economist at Erste Group Bank AG, Austria 
Rafal Benecki, chief economist at ING, Poland

Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Technical Producer: Cameron Ward
Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey

(Photo: A high street in Warsaw. Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images)

Why is Poland’s economy booming?

Half a million people are in Spain without official permission. 

They come mainly from Colombia, Peru, Honduras, Paraguay, and Argentina. It’s thought that most outstay their work, student, or tourist visas. 

An amnesty to grant them legal status to remain and work is due to start within weeks.

It's a very different approach from most other countries in Europe that have been tightening controls on migration.

The prime minister has admitted “Some say we've gone too far, that we're going against the current”.

Opposition parties argue that this policy puts pressure on public services.

This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking: “How will Spain’s migrant amnesty work?”

Contributors:
Ismael Gálvez Iniesta, assistant professor, department of applied economics, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Spain
Donna Cabrera, independent researcher, international migration lecturer, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia
Alana Moceri, international relations professor, IE University, Spain
Joan Monràs, economics professor, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Daniel Rosney
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Technical Producer: James Bradshaw
Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey

(Photo: Pedro Sánchez the Prime Minister of Spain. Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images)

How will Spain’s migrant amnesty work?

Control of critical minerals is becoming a source of geopolitical tension. They are essential to modern technology and industries around the world, and China currently dominates the mining and processing industry.

As demand grows, governments in the United States and elsewhere are looking at ways to reduce their reliance on Chinese supply chains. That means investing in new mines and processing facilities even though they are expensive and environmentally toxic. 

Ultimately, the US and EU have a goal of diversifying the control of these lucrative elements. 

This week on The Inquiry, Tanya Beckett explores whether the rest of the world can catch up with China in the race for rare earths.

Contributors:
Julie Michelle Klinger, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US
Sophia Kalanzakos, global distinguished professor of environmental studies and public policy in the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayan scholars programme at NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE
Kalim Siddiqui, international economist, UK
Dr Patrick Schröder, senior research fellow in the Environment and Society Centre at Chatham House, UK

Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Evie Yabsley 
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford 
Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey

(Photo: Trucks transporting minded materials. Credit: Las Vegas Review-Journal/Getty Images)

Can the world catch China in the rare earths race?

The 2026 men’s football World Cup will be the biggest ever staged. For the first time, 48 teams will compete, playing more than 100 matches across North America.

But the expanded scale comes at a cost. Ticket prices are far higher than at the last World Cup in Qatar. With matches also spread across the US, Mexico and Canada, attending the tournament is becoming unaffordable for many global fans.

FIFA says higher revenues will be reinvested to grow the game worldwide and has released some lower-priced tickets for dedicated supporters, but some fan groups say this isn’t going far enough. 

This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking: Is the 2026 World Cup an own goal?

Contributors:
Dr Christina Philippou, associate professor in sport finance at the University of Portsmouth, UK
Dr Victor Matheson, professor of economics at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, US
Dr Johan Rewilak, associate professor of sport management at Loughborough University, UK
Miguel Delaney, chief football writer, The Independent newspaper in the UK

Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Technical Producer: Cameron Ward
Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey

(Photo: FIFA World Cup Trophy is displayed during the FIFA World Cup 2026. Credit: Pool/Getty Images)

How will countries boycotting Eurovision affect the contest?

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