The Inquiry

Boosting, swiping or the five finger discount - many countries around the world are seeing a rise in retail theft.
From Japan to the UK, the USA to Germany, retailers are struggling to tackle shoplifting - but the factors fueling this trend are as varied as the people carrying out these crimes. Poverty, opportunism, thrill-seeking - and technology - are some of the factors experts say are to blame.

But a more costly problem is the rise in organised crime, as gangs of thieves strategically target shops and steal to order, turn to online marketplaces to anonymously sell on stolen goods for big profits.
Charmaine Cozier reveals how the justice system and surveillance technology are being used to combat this rising crime wave, as The Inquiry asks what’s behind the rise in shoplifting?
Contributors:
Dr Nicole Bögelein, sociologist at the University of Cologne, Germany
Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss, national lead for retail crime at the UK National Police Chiefs Council
Tony Sheppard. Vice President of Retail Risk Solutions at Think LP, USA
Khris Hamlin, Retail Industry Leaders Association in the USA
Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Phoebe Keane
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Technical Producer: Cameron Ward
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey
(Photo: A warning sign in Canada. Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images)

Iran has been shaken by protests on a scale not seen since its 1979 revolution.
Demonstrations that began in the country’s capital over the state of the economy have spread to multiple cities, with wider calls for political change.
The government has called the demonstrations "riots" backed by the nation’s enemies.
Thousands have been killed.
For some, the scenes bring back memories of the uprising that toppled the monarchy more than four decades ago.
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last monarch, has emerged as a figure that could challenge the existing order.
This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking ‘Is history repeating itself in Iran?’
Contributors:
Naghmeh Sohrabi, modern Middle East historian, director for research at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University, United States
Azadeh Kian, author of ‘Rethinking Gender, Ethnicity and Religion in Iran’, emerita professor of sociology and gender studies at the University of Paris Cité, France
Sara Bazoobandi, non-resident research fellow at the Institute for Security Policy of Kiel University, Germany
Siavash Ardalan, BBC Persia senior reporter, United Kingdom
Presenter: Daniel Rosney
Producer: Megan Lawton
Technical producer: James Bradshaw
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey
(Photo: Car on fire on a street in Iran. Credit: WANA/Reuters/BBC Images)

In February 2026, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty bilateral between Russia and the United States is set to expire. The aim of the New START agreement was to reduce and limit the number of strategic nuclear warheads, but once this treaty comes to an end it means there will no longer be rules on the cap of these nuclear weapons. The legal provisions in the treaty for a one-time five-year extension, were used in 2021.
The multilateral Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is still in place, to which 190 countries are signatories. The general idea behind the NPT was for nuclear countries to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons, with the goal of complete disarmament. Whilst those countries without nuclear weapons would commit to not pursuing them. In 1995 the members agreed to extend the treaty indefinitely, but it is not without its challenges. Four nuclear powers sit outside the NPT and there are rifts between the non-nuclear and nuclear states.
So, on The Inquiry this week we’re asking, ‘Is nuclear disarmament set to self-destruct?’
Contributors:
Hermann Wentker, Professor of Modern History, University of Potsdam and Head of Berlin Research Department, The Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History, Germany
Alexandra Bell, President and CEO, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, USA
Mike Albertson, arms-control expert, former negotiator on New START arms reduction treaty, USA
Nathalie Tocci, Professor of Practice, Johns Hopkins SAIS (School of Advanced International Studies), Italy
Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Jill Collins
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
Editor: Tom Bigwood
(Photo: Deck of the nuclear submarine Saphir. Credit: Alexis Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Kenya is facing rising public discontent over allegations of political corruption, economic stagnation and a shortage of good quality jobs, particularly for the country’s Gen Z.
One of the government’s flagship responses is an ambitious push into digital outsourcing. It argues that call centres, coding work and other IT-enabled services can position the country as a global hub and generate a million new jobs within five years.
The model has worked before in countries such as India and the Philippines, but the global landscape is shifting. Advances in artificial intelligence are already transforming the very roles Kenya hopes to attract, raising questions about whether this strategy can deliver long-term employment at scale.
Tanya Beckett asks whether Kenya’s vision for digital outsourcing can provide stability and opportunity for the country.
This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking: Can Kenya answer the call for employment?
Contributors
Joy Kiiru, senior lecturer at the Department of Economics and Development Studies at the University of Nairobi, Kenya
Marcus Larsen, professor at the Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark
Deepa Mani, faculty member and deputy Dean for academic programmes at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, India
Boaz Munga, research consultant at the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis, Nairobi, Kenya
Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey
(Photo: President of Kenya William Ruto. Credit: Luis Tato/Getty Images)

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour shattered records, becoming the highest-grossing concert tour of all time, redefining what’s possible and confirming a new era in the business of touring.
As streaming transformed how we listen to music, selling records is no longer the financial centrepiece it once was for artists. Instead, exclusivity has been transferred to the live experience. But staging shows on this scale requires enormous investment and complex production. At the same time, ticket scarcity fuels extraordinary demand and rising prices, which mean big ticket prices.
Tanya Beckett explores how technology, fandom and economics turn modern concert tours into multi-billion-dollar ventures.
This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking: How did music megatours become such a money spinner?
Contributors
Kevin Kim, Head of Asia at music distribution company Route Note, Seoul, South Korea
Serona Elton, professor at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, United States
Adam Behr, Reader and Head of Music at Newcastle University, United Kingdom
Poppy Reid, music journalist and founder of Curious Media, Sydney, Australia
Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producers: Maeve Schaffer and Matt Toulson
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman
Editor: Tom Bigwood
(Photo: Taylor Swift during The Eras Tour. Credit: Erika Goldring/TAS24/Getty Images)