The Fourcast

In the first episode we heard about how the public reacted to the report from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. It was commissioned following the George Floyd protests last summer and it concluded family structure and social class had a bigger impact than race on how people’s lives turned out.    In part two, we looked into the controversy around those conclusions and whether critics of the report had a point. We delved into the state library corridors of academia to find out who exactly peer reviewed the report, as well as the data and methodology that lay behind the recommendations.    In the final episode in our series, we look at the recommendations of the report. What does Tony Sewell and his commission think can be done to address the disparities that ultimately, he doesn't dispute still exist today?   Serena Barker-Singh will look into some of Tony's recommendations that he says, if they're taken up by the government, could improve the lives of people of colour across Britain. This summer, the government has to respond to the report and say what they'll do to tackle these inequalities.   Sources and Music:   Sky News War/ Bob Marley, Carlton Barrett, Allan Cole / Island Records

In the second episode of this three-part series, Serena Barker-Singh sets out to find some of the academics and experts cited in the report, some who say their work was misinterpreted in the dossier, and we also find out whether the report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities was peer reviewed.   In the first episode, we heard about how the public reacted to the report from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. It was a report commissioned following the George Floyd protests last summer and it concluded family structure and social class had a bigger impact than race on how people's lives turned out. But what did academics and experts think of the findings?

Two months ago, the government released a landmark report on race, commissioned after the death of George Floyd.

Boris Johnson said this report was going to look at all aspects of inequality in our society. It was a big ask, but an exciting one; a race report to end all race reports, written by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities.

In this three-part series, we investigate allegations that this dossier did not achieve its objectives, as critics of the report ask: was this genuine attempt to tackle discrimination that lost its way, or a symptom of something more endemic?

Serena Barker-Singh has spent weeks digging into the report. In this first episode, she revisits what happened the day the report was released.

Police officers are meant to protect our society, our community, our families. 

But what if police officers themselves are the ones causing harm? 

Channel 4 News can reveal more than 100 women have come forward in the last two years with claims of being raped, beaten and coerced by their police officer spouses and partners. 

Our correspondent Minnie Stephenson has spoken to 14 women about the abuse they faced and their experience of a “double helplessness”: the powerlessness that many victims face, compounded by a belief that the police force itself won't help them.

Warning: This episode contains reference to domestic abuse and includes distressing testimony some listeners may find upsetting.   If you think you are, or someone close to you is affected by any of the issues mentioned in this podcast you can call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit Refuge.co.uk

 

20 years, four presidents, thousands dead, an emboldened Taliban, and women's rights far from protected.

What’s changed in Afghanistan after years of international involvement? Or rather, why does it feel like nothing’s changed?

President Biden has announced the withdrawal of troops by September this year, although they are already leaving in droves. 

Our international editor Lindsey Hilsum finds a nation still as fragile and unpredictable as before, but also discovers hope and optimism from the women who want to build a better future.

It’s half term. It’s nearly the summer. We all need a holiday. But should we go abroad?

Travel bubbles, pre-flight testing, post-flight testing: they’ve all been buzz words for more than a year, and yet we seem none the wiser.

Why didn’t we close our borders? Why did we allow holidays last summer without any Covid testing before flying and after?

And is this all just hindsight or did we not follow the evidence?

Today, we talk to Dr Adam Kucharski from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the WHO’s Dr Margaret Harris on the risks of flying abroad this summer.

As the number of tigers in Thailand slowly grows, so does the grisly tiger trade.

An illicit network of poachers, dealers and smugglers have made millions from a sinister, sometimes deadly trade in both farmed and wild tigers.

Jonathan Miller has been to Thailand to meet the country’s tiger kingpins. 

The current - and one former - occupants of 10 Downing Street are under investigation: one for how he funded his flat renovations and a holiday in the Caribbean, the other for his lobbying dealings after leaving office.

But what exactly are Boris Johnson and David Cameron accused of doing - and what are the possible consequences?

Today, we speak with our investigations team about all the inquiries, all the jargon and all the alleged sleaze, and we ask whether the bodies there to investigate and ensure transparency in our politicians have the necessary clout to make an impact, or whether they are a charade on top a tower of scandal in the trifle of British democracy?

From Italy’s triumph to the UK receiving zero points at Eurovision this weekend, what does it really take to win this legendary competition? And can you really separate the politics from Eurovision?

It’s the contest that played a role in a coup in Portugal and was once a vital cultural symbol during the Cold War.

In today’s episode, Kiran talks to expert, Paul Jordan, aka Dr Eurovision, and the UK’s most recent winner and pop legend, Katrina from Katrina and the Waves, as we delve into the weird and wonderful world of Eurovision.

Sources:

Eurovision Song Contest, BBC News. 

European Broadcasting Union Signature Tune / Prelude to Te Deum / Marc- Antoine Charpentier 

Net als toen / Guus Jansen / Willy van Hemert

Puppet on a String / Bill Martin / Phil Coulter

Un jour, un enfant / Emil Stern / Eddy Marnay 

E Depois de Adeus / Jose Calvario  

Everybody / Ivar Must / Maian-Anna Karmas

Diva / Tzvika Pick / Yoav Ginai 

Hard Rock Hallelujah/ Miss Awa / Mr Amen / Mr Kalma / Mr Kita / Mr Lordi 

Flying the Flag (For You) / Russ Spencer / Morten Schjolin / Andrew Hill / Paul Tarry

Cry Baby / Martin Isherwood

Waterloo / Benny Andersoon / Bjorn Ulvaeus / Stig Anderson

Ne partez pas sans moi / Nella Martinetti / Attila Sereftug

Euphoria / Thomas G:Son / Peter Bostrom

Love Shine a Light / Kimberley Rew

Walking on Sunshine / Kimberley Rew

 

In the Central American, “Dry Corridor” extreme weather conditions, caused by climate change, have prompted one of the largest human climate migrations the modern world has ever seen. 

Years of drought conditions, followed by two hurricanes, Eta and Jota in November last year, have devastated communities, leaving them on the edge of an economic precipice and forcing many to flee.

Our Latin America Correspondent Guillermo Galdos followed one Guatemalan farmer desperately trying to make the journey of a lifetime - travelling into the US and placing his life in the hands of human smugglers.