Nexus

176 died when Iran’s military shot down a Ukrainian plane over Tehran on January 8 2020. Why shoot at a plane? Why not close airspace? Why did Iran say it was mechanical failure? What do Iranian protesters think? And will there be a REAL investigation?

NEXUS, with Matthew Moore

176 died when Iran’s military shot down a Ukrainian plane over Tehran on January 8 2020. Why shoot at a plane? Why not close airspace? Why did Iran say it was mechanical failure? What do Iranian protesters think? And will there be a REAL investigation?

NEXUS, with Matthew Moore

Carlos Ghosn was on the verge of becoming a cautionary tale about doing business in Japan. The titan of the car industry, detained and indicted for financial misconduct in Tokyo, faced years in prison at the hands of the country’s ruthless justice system. That was until he disappeared on 29th December, turning up half a world away in Beirut. How did he escape and why?

Nexus investigates.

We take a look at some of the main stories to watch out for in 2020 and a look back at some the more unusual stories we covered in 2019.

Nexus with Matthew Moore

It’s a story about one man that dominated the whole year, dragging famous names into a quagmire of scandal and disgrace. When Jeffrey Epstein was arrested and charged with sex trafficking of young women, the ramifications touched on the wealthy and powerful throughout America and around the world. We visited the story three times, speaking to old acquaintances of Epstein, lawyers who wanted to put him behind bars, and confidantes of Britain’s royal family, which was left reeling following a car crash interview by Prince Andrew over his associations with the convicted sex offender.

10pm Thursday 12th December, Britain changed. The general election exit poll revealed Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party were on course for a massive victory over Jeremy Corbyn’s hapless Labour. The majority Boris secured would help him push through his controversial Brexit deal taking the UK out of the European Union, and give him five years to reshape the country. The question is, how will the country look when he’s done?

Three Korean Pop-stars, all in their 20s and with money in bank, have killed themselves in the past two months. Sulli was just 25 - she was beautiful and popular - but ended it all in October. The following month, her good friend Goo Hara did the same and in December, 27-year-old Cha In Ha was found dead by his manager. Three months, three apparent suicides. What drove them to it? Was it their time in K- pop, with controlling and exploitative managers? Cyber-bullying by jealous and possessive fans? Or is there something wrong with South Korean society more broadly?

Her killing left Malta in a state of shock, and reverberated around the world. Immediately, the government pledged to find the killers, and three men were arrested. But there was always suspicion that this was a plot conceived at the top. As time wore on with no more arrests and no one brought to trial, the public’s patience wore out.

Malta is in a state of crisis – and it’s been two years in the making. Back in October 2017 one of the country’s most high profile investigative journalists was blown up in a car bombing. The government, the same one she routinely exposed for endemic corruption, pledged to do everything it could to find the killers. Fast forward two years and one of the main suspects claims those killers are lying in the heart of the government. Ministers have resigned, the Prime Minister says he’ll go, but will it be enough?

Governments come and go, but the monarchy is forever. That’s the theory behind Britain’s politics, but in the past scandals have threatened to bring the royals down. And they’re facing a huge scandal now. Prince Andrew’s attempts to put down rumours over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein backfired spectacularly. Now the Queen’s favoured son has resigned from public life. Add to that a royal rift among the younger generation and it’s been a torrid year for the Royal Highnesses.