We examine the fallout from the cuts to US foreign aid.

We meet projects in Rwanda and Nepal that were close to shutting down - and hear the story of a mystery donor who stepped in to keep them going.

But how long will the support last?

Presented and produced by Sam Fenwick

(Image: Beatha making soap in Rwanda as part of one of the projects funded by USAID. Credit: Village Enterprise)

One of world sport's biggest rivalries gets underway this week, with England and Australia going head to head in the Ashes. Most matches will last around four or five days, but it's actually the short form of the game that is growing the fastest - and bringing in big audiences and revenues.

The IPL or Indian Premier League, has recently been valued at $18.5bn - that's a T20 format played over a few hours.

So has the sport now changed irreversibly? And does the longer form of the game have a future?

Presenter: Will Bain Producer: Matt Lines

(Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli, along with his former teammates AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, celebrate with the trophy after winning the Indian Premier League T20 final in June 2025. Credit: Getty Images)

We speak to the tech executive leading Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc.

Sundar Pichai gives us his take on the 'AI bubble', saying no company is immune if the bubble bursts on the "irrational elements" of the boom.

He says AI will cause "social disruption" for jobs, even replace CEOs, and says people will have to adapt. Is the world ready?

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is [email protected]

Presenter: Faisal Islam Producers: Priya Patel, Elisabeth Mahy, Hannah Bewley

(Picture: Google CEO, Sundar Pichai. Credit: Getty Images)

After the collapse of a landmark deal, with opposition from both the US and Saudi Arabia, we hear from those in the industry.

What's next for a sector responsible for 3% of global emissions?

We also find out what it means for shipping's path to net zero. And ask whether technology and innovation are the answer.

Presenter: Will Bain Producer: David Cann

(Image: A cargo ship loaded with foreign trade containers heads towards Qingdao Port in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China, on 5 November 2025. Credit: Getty Images)

As war becomes more high tech than ever, artificial intelligence companies are making software which is increasingly being used on the battlefield.

Will Blyth served in the British military as an army major and has used this experience to build his own company, connecting hardware systems from different manufacturers deployed by armed forces.

Presented and produced by Rob Young

(Picture: Will Blyth. Credit: Arondite)

From Ukraine and Russia to Gaza and Sudan, drones have become a key weapon of war. Which companies are making them, and profiting from this rapidly expanding but controversial sector within the defence industry?

We hear from a woman in Ukraine who used to own a flower shop in Kyiv, but who is now making drones to send to the front-line; and we hear from a Russian who left his homeland as a teenager and now, from Australia, is developing the technology that helps protect Ukraine from Russian attack.

And a former Norwegian paratrooper tells us how he can help protect soldiers from drones.

Produced/presenter: Gideon Long

(Photo: Participants in the 'Wild Drones' tournament, organised by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the city of Kamianets, Ukraine, 5 October, 2025. Credit: Maria Senovilla/EPA/Shutterstock)

The superfan culture involves doing everything you can to be closer to your idols - often through concerts, merchandise, and streaming support.

And now oshikatsu is being praised by some economists for helping pull Japanese retail sales out of a long slump.

Figures suggest the role of fan purchasing power has boosted Japan’s annual retail turnover by 2%.

But what is so different about the way of supporting our heroes that has created such growth?

Produced and presented by Rick Kelsey

(Image: Anime and game fans attend the 105th ComicMarket Show in Tokyo, Japan, December 2024. Credit CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

We find out whether new rules could allow it to move away distance itself from previous accusations of "greenwashing" and fraud?

There have been previous false starts for a system which in theory allows for companies and countries to offset their carbon emissions by paying for projects which reduce or mitigate emissions elsewhere.

But new UN legislation - which has been a decade in the making – now clarified and ready for use those in the sector hope that the next few years will prove fruitful for the industry.

However, questions remain about whether overall the system will help to reduce global emissions.

Produced and presented by Hannah Bewley

(Image: Renwick Drysdale, managing director of akre)

As the country shifts away from fossil fuels, thousands of homes and businesses have been left on waiting lists to connect to its electricity grid.

Has the Netherlands moved too fast in its switch to renewable energy, like solar, wind and hydropower?

Some commentators are calling it a “grid crisis” – so, could this affect economic growth?

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, you can email us at [email protected]

Presented and produced by John Laurenson

(Picture: A line of wind turbines in a field in the Netherlands. Credit: Getty Images)

Tim Brown is a former footballer who went on to co-found Allbirds, a billion-dollar brand known for its woollen shoes.

We hear how Tim balanced his passions for football and shoe design, while growing up in New Zealand.

The challenges that came when making a career change

And how his brand was inspired by a dream to rescue New Zealand's declining wool industry.

Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Amber Mehmood

(Image: Tim Brown, co-founder of the shoe brand, Allbirds. Credit: Getty Images)

We go to the heart of street photography in Berlin, Germany, to visit an independent camera shop where sales of analogue cameras are flying because of celebrities opting for old school tech. And we go behind the lens to the development labs to discover the rising demands and rising costs as equipment is sparse. What is the price of taking a good photo?

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is [email protected]

Presented and produced by Sean Allsop

(Picture: Staff member at Safelight Photography lab in Berlin, Germany, checking the camera negative reel that is ready to be processed. Credit: Getty Images)

We find out why the country Japan ranks so poorly in the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index and hear about what’s being done to change things

From bottom-up initiatives to raise the next generation of female entrepreneurs and businesses leaders and to the work being done by one of the country’s top educational institutions as it tries to shake off its men–only image.

And will the country’s first female prime minister be the catalyst for change?

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, you can email us at [email protected]

Produced and presented by Phoebe Amoroso

(Image: Yumiko Murakami, co-founder of the WPower fund, the first in Japan to focus solely on supporting female founders and women-empowerment businesses)