The Fourcast

Caution: This episode contains references to drug use. 

You may know it as an illegal party drug. But there's growing research to suggest that psychedelic drugs could be used , in a clinical setting, as treatments for depression, addiction and PTSD. 

Some clinical trials seem to show that these substances, when combined with therapy, can be effective for some of those who find antidepressants and other forms of therapy unhelpful. 

But this is a drug that has had proven negative-side effects such as addiction and bladder issues. 

Today, we look at one particular drug, ketamine, as the UK's first ketamine-assisted psychotherapy clinic prepares to open, and our reporter Keme Nzerem meets one person who's found this treatment transformative.

Could this clinic mark a shift in the way we view psychedelics? Or is it an expensive, under-researched and unproven experiment? 

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this episode, you can find information and support on our website: channel4.com/support

Sources: BBC News, ITV News, PBS News Hour, ABC News.

Black women report being dismissed and neglected by healthcare professionals throughout pregnancy, childbirth and beyond - and are four times more likely to die in childbirth than women of other ethnicities. 

So could inducing pregnant Black women, bringing their birth forward early, address that problem? 

That’s what one prominent medical committee, NICE, has proposed. 

Today we speak to a doctor who says it’ll make birth safer for mums and babies, and a campaigner who says that early induction is not the solution to a deep and complex issue, rooted in racism and inadequate healthcare for Black mothers-to-be. 

And a warning, this episode includes discussion about maternal death and stillbirth.

It’s 20 years since a clear, sunny morning in downtown Manhattan was transformed at 8:46am.

Four planes were hijacked on the east coast of the USA: two hit the World Trade Center. One hit the Pentagon, the heart of the country’s defence. Another went down in western Pennsylvania. It was a day that left nearly 3,000 dead.

It was a day that changed everything: from the way we live and travel and the threats we fear, to the global world order and modern terrorism. All of which still lives on today, from New York City to Kabul.

In today’s episode, Jon Snow takes us back to that fateful, generation-defining day, and recounts his visit to Ground Zero in November 2001. And a warning: this content contains distressing themes.

Downing Street has said the government will introduce vaccine passports for nightclubs and other crowded indoor venues in England and Scotland from the end of September, subject to votes in both parliaments.

For some, this makes sense: a public health measure that allows us to return to normality safely, and perhaps acts as an incentive to get vaccinated.

For others, it’s a threat to our way of life, and as we have seen in some countries where they’ve already been introduced, people are angry.

We look at the pros and cons of Covid passports, and turn to Israel, a country that has been using a type of domestic Covid passport since February.

Sources: Reuters, DW News, News For All, YouTube: Clive Harris 

For more than a year, Australia and New Zealand were sanctuaries away from the pandemic world.

But the Delta variant snuck in through Australia’s strict quarantine borders and called the whole strategy of Covid elimination into question.

With lockdowns affecting half of the population in Australia - and some tired of the endless cycles - the country has now shifted focus: Australia says suppressing Covid to zero is impossible and vaccinations will allow them to live with the virus.

But that shift has not been repeated in New Zealand. Jacinda Ardern has stuck to her original plan, believing strict and quick lockdowns combined with increased vaccinations can completely suppress the Delta wave.

What's next for both nations as they go their different ways?

Sources: Sky News, DW News, 7:30, 7 News

First it was Nando's, then McDonald's, and finally Greggs. Supply issues at major chains have forced a shortage of milkshakes and chicken, with the problems this summer seen as a warning of what's to come.

We speak to Business and Global Trade Correspondent Paul McNamara to discuss why there aren't enough lorry drivers and workers - and why the British workforce isn't queuing up to take the vacancies.

How bad could this all get? Could it damage our economy? And is this just the tip of the iceberg as we head for the winter months - with another Covid wave possible?

In China, women have had enough. There's a feminist awakening as groups challenge laws and customs, which they believe are entrenched in sexist ideas.

But as the movement grows, the ruling Communist Party wants to shut it down, labelling these liberal attitudes as contrary to their growing nationalist agenda. 

Today, we speak to the reporter, Jessie Lau, who tells us about the women on the front line of China's feminist fight back and we ask whether the MeToo movement in China can prevail. 

Sources: YouTube: TanWeiWei, DW News, CNN, ITV News

Italy was the first European country to feel the full force of Covid-19. The images of army trucks carrying bodies and of deserted streets in Milan and Rome were the first inkling we had, in Europe at least, of what was to come.

Antonello Guerrera, a journalist for the Italian newspaper la Repubblica, talks about how those scenes are embedded in the minds of Italians, forming a solidarity and caution that could mean they are more likely than others to embrace vaccinations and vaccine passports.

And do the recent sporting triumphs represent a redemption for the country, after the despair of 2020?

Sources: Sky Sports, Andrea Bocelli, CGTN, NBC News, France 24

Our climate is changing, and the consequences are playing out right before our eyes.

As the UN issues a "code red for humanity", Anja Popp is on the front line of our warming planet, reporting on floods in Germany and fires in Greece. In today’s episode of The Fourcast, she tells us what it’s like to witness the devastating consequences of climate change up close.

And our climate journalist Simon Roach explains what the recent IPCC report means and what, if anything, can be done about our rapidly warming planet.

If you thought the summer of sport was over, think again. It’s not just the football that’s back, it’s the Paralympics tomorrow.

But just like with the Olympics, with Covid cases increasing in Tokyo, there will be no spectators to watch the athletes.

Today, our sports reporter Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, who is out in Japan, tells us what we can expect from Team GB, who have finished in the top three in every Paralympics since the turn of the century. 

We ask how much has the Paralympics changed minds in society about people with disability - and do we finally put these games on a similar level to the Olympics?

Sources: CNN, World Watch News