Algorithms don’t drive the truth

Amol Rajan speaks to Eliot Higgins, founder of the open-source investigative organisation Bellingcat, as the world grapples with the growing threat posed by misinformation and conspiracy theories being deliberately spread online.

The organisation uses open-source research methods, which involve analysing publicly-available data that can be accessed and used without any special permissions or restrictions.

It has investigated a variety of subjects of public interest, including the shooting down of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine to police violence in Colombia and the illegal wildlife trade in the UAE.

Higgins argues that the need for organisations like Bellingcat has never been more important, as conspiracy theories flood the internet and some people avoid mainstream news outlets altogether. He believes this is partly down to a lack of trust in institutions, which is subsequently leading to a crisis in democracies all over the world.

Thank you to the Radical with Amol Rajan team for their help in making this programme.

Presenter: Amol Rajan

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(Image: Eliot Higgins. Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images)

Coffee is a big responsibility

Julia Caesar speaks to Giuseppe Lavazza, chairman of coffee giant Lavazza, about the multiple challenges facing the industry today.

However, the industry itself is facing major challenges, including an increase in the cost of raw materials due to changing weather patterns, growing concerns over geopolitical instability impacting shipping routes, and economic uncertainty due to tariffs.

The coffee market, which was valued at approximately $495.5 billion in 2023, is a far cry from when Lavazza coffee was first established nearly a century ago in Turin, Italy.

Presenter: Julia Caesar

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(Image: Giuseppe Lavazza. Credit: Jaimi Joy/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Captain Jim Lovell, commander of the doomed Apollo 13 space mission to the Moon. Jim, who died this month at the age of 97, tells how he helped guide his stricken craft safely back to Earth after it suffered a near catastrophic explosion in an interview first broadcast in April 2020 on the BBC series 13 Minutes to the Moon. He talks to Kevin Fong about the doomed Nasa mission, from the shocking moment of the explosion to the enormous relief of splashdown. Lovell shares the story of the lunar landmark he named in honour of his wife. And he reflects on survival, the global impact of Apollo 13, and what it meant to finally come back to Earth.

(Image: Jim Lovell, Credit: Nasa)

World must focus on creating jobs

Rahul Tandon speaks to Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank.

Born in India in 1959, Mr. Banga’s career in business began in the early-1980s, when he started out as a management trainee with the food multinational Nestlé. He then made the move into finance over a decade later, when he joined the Citigroup bank. He quickly rose through the ranks to become the Chief Executive of the bank’s Asia-Pacific business, before then moving onto Mastercard, where he eventually became CEO.

During this time, Mr. Banga, who became a US citizen in 2007, also advised a number of senior US politicians - including President Barack Obama and later, Vice-President Kamala Harris. It was Harris’ boss, President Joe Biden, who subsequently nominated him to lead the World Bank in 2023.

The World Bank is a group of international organisations, such as the International Development Association and the International Finance Corporation, that provide grants and loans to low and middle-income countries for the purpose of economic development. As some of these countries are considered to be too high-risk by the international financial markets, the World Bank is an important source of financial support.

Since the middle of the last century, the group has navigated multiple global political and economic challenges, adapting along the way to ensure that that financial support continues. Going forward, Mr. Banga believes there’s an overriding priority for sustainable development - jobs.

Presenter: Rahul Tandon

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We have a purpose to help people survive

Jewel Kiriungi speaks to Pieter Engelbrecht, CEO of Shoprite, South Africa’s largest supermarket chain, who is trying to keep prices low despite economic challenges across the continent.

Shoprite employs 163,000 people, more than any other in the country’s private sector. Engelbrecht stresses the importance of keeping food affordable, with a quarter of South African children not receiving enough protein.

He explains that food security in the country is the worst it has been in 10 years, with insufficient ports and railroads making it difficult for the country to join the global supply chain.

Shoprite is trying to expand throughout Africa, but Engelbrecht says this is difficult due to corruption, high inflation and devaluing currencies. Despite continued success in South Africa, the chain has closed its operations in Nigeria and Kenya.

Thank you to the World Business Report team for helping to make this programme.

Presenter: Jewel Kiriungi

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(Image: Pieter Engelbrecht, Credit: Getty Images/Bloomberg)

Suranjana Tewari speaks to John Denton, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), about the impact of global tariffs.

Mr. Denton also reveals how new markets are forming away from the US and its tariffs, with South East Asia transitioning from an export-based economy to one of consumption. And despite all the chaos, he points out the World Trade Organisation, and other economic architecture, has actually continued to function. He praises those who have not issued retaliatory tariffs.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Suranjana Tewari

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(Image: John Denton. Credit: John Lamparski/Getty Images North America)

Maria Jevstafjeva speaks to Czech President, Petr Pavel about ending the war between Ukraine and Russia.

The first military officer from the former Eastern Bloc to hold the post, he oversaw the Alliance's responses to a number of crises - including the fallout from Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine.

As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues into its third year, Western leaders are renewing efforts to bring an end to the bloodshed and implement a ceasefire. Mr. Pavel, who was elected on a platform of closer ties with the EU and Nato, believes the only way to do this is by getting Putin to the negotiating table - even if that means allowing Russia to occupy parts of Ukraine, but without recognising Moscow’s claim to them.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Maria Jevstafjeva

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(Image: Petr Pavel. Credit: Martin Divíšek/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

We face a special challenge in America.

James Naughtie speaks to veteran US politician John Kerry about the state of American politics and his long career at the top of global affairs.

As well as standing for president himself as the Democratic candidate in 2004, he served as Secretary of State in the Obama administration and as Joe Biden’s climate envoy.

Secretary Kerry was at the centre of some of the most significant global crises in recent history from Iraq to Iran and Syria. He still believes one of America’s greatest foreign policy mistakes was invading Iraq in 2003 without first seeking formal approval from the US Congress.

He is forthright in his views on America today, saying he has never seen anything like what the country is living through. He describes politics as defined by greed and insensitivity, and guided by the lowest aspirations. For his Democratic party to return to power once more, he challenges them to face and address the issues the American people care about, including immigration.

Thank you to the Politically team for its help in making this programme.

Presenter: James Naughtie

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(Image: John Kerry. Credit: Reuters)

Sarah Rainsford speaks to Belarussian opposition activist Sergei Tikhanovsky about his imprisonment after challenging the country’s authoritarian leader, President Lukashenko.

Tikhanovsky had planned to run against the Belarussian leader in the 2020 presidential election, but was detained before the vote.

A year later, he was sentenced to serve 18 years in prison, convicted on charges of organising mass protests against President Lukashenko. His trial was condemned as a sham by international observers.

Tikhanovsky’s wife, Svetlana, stood in for him in the 2020 election. But the day after Lukashenko claimed a disputed victory, she fled to Lithuania with her children fearing for her safety. In her absence, she was convicted by a Belarussian court on charges including high-treason and conspiracy to seize power.

Tikhanovsky is now reunited with his family in Lithuania, where he is living in enforced exile following his release from prison.

Thank you to Sarah Rainsford, Davide Ghiglione and Franceso Tosto for their help in making this programme.

Presenter: Sarah Rainsford

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(Image: Sergei Tikhanovsky. Credit: Valda Kalnina/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

Bishop Guli is currently the Bishop of Chelmsford, a city in England, but it is also being reported that she’s one of the leading candidates to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury - the most senior bishop in the Church of England.

Although she is keen not to add to any media speculation, if selected, Bishop Guli would be a remarkable choice. Not only would she be the first woman to hold the position in the Church’s long history, but she would also become the first person of Middle Eastern heritage to hold the position too.

Born in Iran, her family came to the UK as refugees after her brother was murdered in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. Edward Stourton, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme, speaks to Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani about her Persian identity and her faith.

Presenter: Edward Stourton

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(Image: Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani. Credit: BBC Radio 4/PA)