The Fourcast

Nearly a year after Putin invaded Ukraine, how might Western tanks change this war and should Nato countries go a step further and also supply Kyiv with fighter jets? 

Moscow’s aggression has been roundly condemned by the West, but words have been plenty and military aid less forthcoming. 

Having successfully fought back since the summer, now Ukraine wants to go on the offensive once more, and they need tanks to do it.

In today’s Fourcast, our Europe editor Matt Frei discusses what western tanks mean for Ukraine, why countries like Germany have been so reluctant to send them and whether this is all too little too late ahead of a possible Russian offensive this spring.

Producer: Alice Wagstaffe and Freya Pickford

Last year, Iran was rocked by some of the biggest protests the country has seen since the foundation of the Islamic Republic - as people were calling not just for women’s rights, but ultimately for regime change. 

Yet how realistic is regime change in a nation where the crackdown against the protests has been brutal and where the leaders are unwilling to alter the theological and ideological basis of their power?

In this week’s episode of the Fourcast, we speak to the head of middle eastern studies at the Royal United Services Institute, Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi. She discusses whether the regime is weak right now and how worrying it is that as Iran becomes more ostracised from the west, it draws closer to Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Sources: AP, Al Jazeera

Producer: Freya Pickford

NHS strikes, hospital waiting times and nurses walking out - it’s a conversation that has stretched back for years: the NHS in crisis.

Almost 55,000 people waited more than 12 hours in A&E last month.

And the Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimates up to 500 people are dying a week as a result of these delays.

The government says its putting record funding into health and social care, but is this more than a crisis - is it an existential emergency for an NHS that needs major reform? 

In today’s episode of the Fourcast we speak to our health and social care editor, Victoria Macdonald, about her experience on the frontline of the NHS, how we got here and what steps the government could take to improve the state of our NHS.

Producer: Freya Pickford

Last year there was of course one major story that transformed geopolitics - the war in Ukraine. 

Putin’s war has had knock-on effects across Europe and the world, so how will this year play out? What could happen to that conflict and the rest of the world in 2023. 

And what other global news stories can we expect to develop in 2023? 

In today’s episode we speak to Channel 4 News’ our international editor, Lindsey Hilsum, as she previews the year ahead in geopolitics - not offering predictions but focusing on what we should look out for this year, a year that could be pivotal especially to the future of the war in Ukraine.

Producer: Freya Pickford

This was the year where we saw Putin start a war in Ukraine, a winter of strikes, three prime ministers and two monarchs.

To look back at the past year and look a little bit ahead too, we sat down with our policy correspondent Paul McNamara, to take stock of the year that was 2022 - and the year that will be 2023.

Producer: Freya Pickford

Harry and Meghan’s documentary is now out in full and criticises the relationship between the monarchy and the media, and alleges racism in the treatment of Meghan Markle.

In today’s episode we speak to Anna Whitelock, professor of the history of the monarchy at City, University of London and Director of the Centre for the Study of Modern Monarchy, about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix series. We ask her about what the documentary says, the fall out and what it means for the future of the monarchy.

Sources: Netflix, AP

Produced by: Freya Pickford and Nina Hodgson

After 10 months of war, Russian advances and Ukrainian counter-offensives, winter weather has arrived in Ukraine.

Russia may have retreated from Kherson in early November but Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure over the last month signal a new phase of the war, as Putin weaponises the cold weather.

So as parts of Ukraine plunge into sub-zero temperatures and pressure mounts on Putin to negotiate, how might this war evolve as we enter the winter months?

In today’s episode of the Fourcast, we speak to our international editor Lindsey Hilsum - who is currently on her fifth trip to Ukraine since the war began - about what it’s like to be in the muddy trenches with Ukrainian soldiers, Russia’s culture war against Ukraine and if we can expect the war to slow down in the coming months.

Sources: AP

Producer: Freya Pickford

Three years after coronavirus was first detected in China, it remains the only major nation pursuing Zero Covid. So as maskless fans enjoy the World Cup and countries all over the world move on, China remains stuck and the people are protesting.

After the initial outbreak in Wuhan back in 2020, authorities were quick to clamp down on any emergence of the virus - pursuing a zero-Covid policy. 

That has seen China officially record a low number of both cases and deaths, a message to the world of how to do it right.

But it’s all different, as the country is currently seeing a record number of cases.

Today, our present Matt Frei discusses the widespread demonstrations in China and the government’s move to ramp up vaccinations - is the government bending to the will of the people or does Xi Jinping remain all supreme?

Producer: Freya Pickford

It’s been one month since Rishi Sunak became prime minister of the United Kingdom and so he’s now just three weeks off lasting longer at Number 10 than Liz Truss did.

After the disaster of the mini budget, Sunak has been the safe pair of economic hands needed to calm things down, reassure the markets and try to get the Conservatives back on track after disastrous poll numbers.

But how long can the new prime minister keep the country and his party calm and quiet?

In this episode, our political editor Gary Gibbon looks at the first few weeks of the reign of Rishi and whether his autumn statement will be enough to shore up support and ensure the Conservatives aren’t thumped at the next election.

Produced by: Freya Pickford and Ka Yee Mak

Donald Trump has announced his Presidential run, undeterred by last week’s US midterm elections, where the red wave of Republican victories never came, and many in his only party blamed him for putting up bad candidates and spouting election lies.

In today’s episode, we’re joined by Patrick Murray, the Director of Monmouth Polling, one of America’s leading pollsters, to dig down into last week’s results and understand why the Democrats bucked the historical trends to have a very decent Midterms, and why the Republicans appeared to miss an open goal and a chance to win comfortable majorities in both Houses of Congress.

Sources: AP, NBC

Producer: Nina Hodgson