The Fourcast

On the morning of the 9th of April, La Soufrière , a volcano on the island of St Vincent and the Grenadines, awoke for the first time in more than 40 years.

This beautiful nation is now divided into safe zones and no-go areas, the lush green of the Caribbean replaced by blankets of grey - the slug caused by the volcano’s ash mixing with rain.

And while there have been no deaths - there is still danger. Water supplies are running low, crops have been destroyed, livelihoods at a loss, and with thousands still unable to return home.

This volcano has not erupted since 1979 - the same year St Vincent became independent from British rule - now a member of the Commonwealth, will the UK step up to help?

Britney Spears fans across the world have formed a Free Britney campaign. They want the pop star out of a legal arrangement called a conservatorship.

The controversial arrangement gives her father control of her career, estate and much of her personal life.

Now their views are being talked about in big documentaries raising questions about the whole process as well as the singer's treatment by the media.

As the latest court case in this saga is to take place on the 27th April, Ayshah Tull takes us on her journey as a Britney fan and  what she's discovered about the life and complexities of her childhood icon.

'Overprotected' / Max Martin / Rami
'...Baby One More Time' / Max Martin / Rami 'Oops!... I Did It Again' / Max Martin / Rami
'Toxic' / Cathy Dennis / Christian Karlsson / Pontus Winnberg / Henrik Jonback
'Framing Britney Spears' / New York Times / FX / FX on Hulu
'How I Met Your Mother' / 20th Century Fox Television / Bays Thomas Productions
'The X Factor USA' / Syco Televesion / Fremantle                          'The View / ABC News
'Clarrissa Explains It All' / Rachel Sweet / Anthony Battaglia / Willa Bassen
'Aw, Here It Goes' / Victor Concepcion
'I Want You Back' / Max Martin / Denniz Pop 
Good Morning America / ABC News, ET News, Barcroft Media, Entertainment Tonight, NBC, Clevver News 

Australia has just opened a travel bubble with neighbouring New Zealand: two nations that have suppressed Covid-19 and have everyday normality. Australia, home to 25 million people, has seen just under 1,000 deaths in total and daily Covid cases are often in the single digits. But suppression of the virus comes at a cost: its borders to the rest of the world have been shut for more than a year. That means people inside the island haven’t been able to leave - and thousands are stranded abroad. In this podcast, we speak to two Australian Channel 4 News journalists - one stuck in New South Wales and one stuck in London - and ask about the pluses and minuses of the Australian model, and whether a slow roll out of the vaccine may mean the borders are closed for a lot longer.

Even since the Black Lives Matter protests and the tearing down of the Edward Colston statue in Bristol, there have been calls for a reckoning with Britain’s history - for a decolonising of the curriculum and a greater understanding of our past. That in turn has spurned a backlash, with a defence of Britain’s empire and a rallying around the flag.

But what exactly does our curriculum say? What should we be teaching? And should history create some form of national identity or simply give us a better sense of our place in an ever-changing world?

In this podcast, we ask: what’s the point of history?

On March 24th, a group of jihadis struck the town of Palma in Mozambique, killing dozens and burning government buildings to the ground.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack - but doubts have been cast over who was behind the siege. With a wave of Islamist extremism sweeping up Africa’s Eastern coast and across the Sahel, the origins of the attack could be far-reaching. 

Our international editor, Lindsey Hilsum, explains how attacks like these are on the rise across the African continent; a consequence of poverty, domestic grievances new and old, and Africa’s resource “curse”, which paradoxically impoverishes people living on land which is rich in natural resources.

Sources: Africanews, ITN

Throughout most of the major events of this ever-changing, ever-twisting and turning century, there has been one constant: Angela Merkel, a calming, pragmatic presence amidst the chaos.

For 16 years, she has not just been the consensus building chancellor of Germany, but the conscience of Europe.

Yet she will not be standing for a fifth successive term in September, leaving her party and her country at a loss.

Our Europe Editor, Matt Frei, explains how Merkel became the powerful presence she is today, someone uniquely qualified for the role: a unifier, a pragmatist, the most talented politician of her generation.

It’s already protected millions from Covid and is an essential tool in the fight against the pandemic. 

But is the AstraZeneca jab safe? Spoiler alert: yes, probably. So why has it been dominating the headlines for weeks? And do broken promises and missed targets mean that the supply of the AstraZeneca vaccination is under threat? 

The award-winning Channel 4 News FactCheck team have been looking into the AstraZeneca saga, and today, FactCheck’s Paddy Worrall explores the scale of the risk of potential side effects from the jab, and a potentially bigger problem: can AstraZeneca deliver?