Explore every episode of the podcast The World Unspun
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entering the matrix of misinformation with Nanjala Nyabola | 04 Nov 2024 | 00:35:43 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. There's a lot of money to be made in the internet. People with good intentions and bad intentions are being driven by profit. So how does this shape our information ecosystem and where does the scope for action lie? Host: Maxine Betteridge-Moes Credits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial assistant), Samuel Raffnell-Williams (Sound design), Thomas Barlow, Impress (Media consultant) Guest: Nanjala Nyabola 0:18 Issue highlights 2:30 Telling a global story 7:26 Why does misinformation spread? 12:49 Who are the architects of misinformation? 19:29 How much of a role does language have in our collective fight against misinformation? 23:18 What is your experience with community health workers? 29:39 What are the paths to digital inclusivity? 34:11 Thank you for listening Further reading from this episode: Strange and Difficult Times: Notes on a Global Pandemic by Nanjala Nyabola Entering the Matrix of Misinformation Red Letter Day (Conrad Landin in New Internationalist. Subscribe to read) The Philippines Disinformation Machine (Don Kevin Hapal in New Internationalist. Subscribe to read) Fact-checkers to the rescue? (Samira Sawlani in New Internationalist. Subscribe to read) How Kiswahili tech terms are pushing for digital rights in East Africa (Maxine Betteridge-Moes in Quartz Africa) No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print or digital subscription. | |||
| The fascist face of neoliberalism with Ece Temelkuran | 15 Nov 2024 | 00:32:30 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. Fascism is a popular term in political discourse today. For the Turkish journalist and writer Ece Temelkuran, that’s a good thing — except that it comes too late. So how can we recognize a country's descent from democracy into fascism and what does resistance look like? Host: Maxine Betteridge-Moes Credits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial assistant), Samuel Raffnell-Williams (Sound design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design), Thomas Barlow, Impress (Media consultant) Guest: Ece Temelkuran 3:18 Meeting Ece 3:31 What is it like living in Berlin currently? 5:16 Ece’s story fleeing Turkey 8:00 What is fascism? 11:19 What is the difference between fascism and authoritarianism? 12:40 What is the counter revolution? 14:55 Fascist friends and global solidarity 18:52 How do we keep up the momentum organising 22:52 What will it take to build a political movement which truly serves the people? Further reading from this episode: How to Lose a Country: The 7 Steps from Democracy to Fascism by Ece Temelkuran Together: A Manifesto Against the Heartless World by Ece Temelkuran Women who Blow on Knots by Ece Temelkuran (or if you’re in London, go see the stage production at the Arcola Theatre) Independents’ Day (Conrad Landin in New Internationalist) Radicalism Jettisoned (Coll McCail in New Internationalist) How do we continue building international solidarity for Palestine? No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print or digital subscription. | |||
| How Haiti became the 'poster child' for reparations, with Harold Isaac | 28 Nov 2024 | 00:38:20 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. Haiti, the land of the only successful slave uprising in history, was also an experiment in neocolonialism. As the country once again makes global news headlines for all the wrong reasons, we spoke to independent journalist Harold Isaac to better understand how Haiti's complex history of colonization, slavery and its crippling ‘independence debt’ to France contributed to the crisis we’re seeing play out on our screens today. Host: Maxine Betteridge-Moes Credits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial assistant), Samuel Raffnell-Williams (Sound design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design), Thomas Barlow, Impress (Media consultant) Guest: Harold Isaac (@haroldisaac) 0:41 Meeting Harold Isaac 1:03 Haiti's airport shut down 3:40 Staying safe in Haiti 5:12 Being in Haiti is an act of resistance 6:05 Understanding Haiti's history 7:41 Haiti's revolution 8:50 US occupation 13:39 Fleeing Haiti 15:27 The danger for journalists 16:31 Trump revokes protected legal status for Haitians 18:13 The damage of reparations 24:50 Haiti’s cultural importance 26:35 Structural adjustment programmes shifting Haiti's economic climate 30:51 Do Haitians feel alone? Further reading from this episode: Held to ransom: Haiti's cycle of violence (Harold Isaac in New Internationalist) Country Profile: Haiti (New Internationalist) Haiti's Lost Billions (Lazaro Gamio etl a. in The New York Times) For up-to-date and accurate reporting on the unfolding crisis in Haiti, Harold recommends following Jacqueline Charles (@jacquiecharles), Frantz Duval (@frantzduval) and Radio RFM (@maradiofm) No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print or digital subscription. | |||
| Why the West picks guns over diplomacy, with Vijay Prashad | 14 Jan 2025 | 00:33:52 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. The West may be losing control over the world’s resources but it still dominates weapons systems and information. Vijay Prashad explains why some world leaders are effectively arms dealers and how this influences diplomacy. Host: Maxine Betteridge-Moes Credits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer, Digital Editor), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design), Thomas Barlow, Impress (Media Consultant) Guest: Vijay Prashad 2:44 Introducing Vijay 7:58 Fear fuels war - are we further away from negotiating peace than ever before? 11:21 Trump, NATO, and their impact on the arms trade 15:47 The role of Imperialism 21:12 How does the role of internationalism affect the geopolitical shift? 23: 21 Global movements against the arms trade 28:14 Maintaining faith in humanity 31:07 The good and bad sides of history Further Reading from this Episode: How to dismantle the deadly arms trade (Amy Hall, New Internationalist) Guns or Diplomacy? An interview with Vijay Prashad (Amy Hall, New Internationalist) Genocide in Gaza: Western Moral Collapse in the Age of Hyper-Imperialism (Palestine Deep Dive interview with Vijay Prashad) No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print or digital subscription. Sign up to Currents for dispatches from the frontlines of global progressive movements. 30 days FREE then £3/month. Learn more | |||
| Showing up for Palestine with Samar Alkhdour | 17 Dec 2024 | 00:29:03 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. Samar Alkhdour is a Palestinian activist in Montreal whose campaign against the obstructive and discriminatory Canadian immigration system has been met with nothing but police repression and silence from the government. Host: Paula Lacey Credits: Paula Lacey (Producer, Editorial Assistant), Maxine Betteridge-Moes, Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design), Thomas Barlow, Impress (Media Consultant) Guest: Samar Alkhdour Further reading: NI554 Palestine: From Occupation to Uprising NI546 Surveillance: Spying on Dissent Long waits for Canadian visas leave Gazans in limbo by Anna Mehler Paperny (Reuters) Coalition for No Over Policing Palestine/Police Pas la Palestine No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print or digital subscription. | |||
| Truth and Treaty in Australia, with Aboriginal Senator Lidia Thorpe | 04 Mar 2025 | 00:30:20 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. Following the defeat of a 2023 referendum on an Indigenous advisory body to Australia's parliament, our latest issue scrutinizes the ongoing denial of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sovereignty. In this episode, guest editor Zoe Holman talks about how she commissioned this Big Story and interviews Senator and Indigenous activist Lidia Thorpe about today's rallying call for Treaty. Help Rewire the World. Fund journalism that sparks change. Donate today at https://a.nin.tl/2B Read NI554: Indigenous Sovereignty in Australia Hosts: Maxine Betteridge-Moes, Zoe Holman Credits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer, Digital Editor), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design) Guest: Zoe Holman, Senator Lidia Thorpe 00:00 Help Rewire the World 2:46 Issue highlights and why you should care 9:45 Interview with Senator Lidia Thorpe 10:10 Why work in politics? 12:40 Sovereignty 14:05 The First Nations justice debate explained 17:12 How would a Treaty help in policy terms? 21:14 Confronting King Charles 25:38 The importance of international solidarity Further Reading from this Episode: This is not your land (Zoe Holman, New Internationalist) Truth-telling in the Stolen Country (Zoe Holman, New Internationalist) Rise from this grave (Tony Birch, Overland) The last path forward to Treaty (Daniel James, 7am podcast) Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. Sign up to Currents, our subscribers' exclusive newsletter for dispatches from the frontlines of global progressive movements. Recent editions include stories on Rojava's civilian resistance and legal cases against weapons exports to Israel. 30 days FREE then £3/month. Learn more. | |||
| Why we must back the Kurds, and Syria's political future post-Assad, with Matt Broomfield and Leila Al-Shami | 11 Feb 2025 | 00:35:05 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. In the years since Syria’s civil war began in 2011, the country has been slowly drifting away from the mainstream media spotlight. But on 8 December, everything changed. Turkish-backed opposition forces declared Syria liberated from the 24-year rule of President Bashar al-Assad, capturing the capital Damascus in what seemed like the blink of an eye. So what does the future hold for religious and ethnic minorities in Syria? Will the Kurds realize their dream of self-governance under the defacto HTS authority? What remains of the country's political opposition and labour movements, and how can the international community support a fair and equal redistribution of power for Syrians? Matt Broomfield and Leila Al-Shami provide some answers. Guests: Leila Al-Shami and Matt Broomfield Host: Maxine Betteridge-Moes Credits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial assistant), Samuel Raffnell-Williams (Theme music), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design) 0:32 The day everything changed 3:02 Introducing Matt Broomfield 4:36 The Kurdish forces and their role in defeating ISIS 6:08 Turkey's attacks on Syria 7:41 Trump’s impact on the region 11:50 What cards can Turkey play? 12:45 The relationship between the autonomous administration and the HTS 14:03 Israel's expansion and occupation 16:41 How can post-Assad Syria benefit from Kurdish input 20:34 Introducing Leila Al-Shami 26:34 Does a secular society best represent Syria's diverse social fabric? 29:21 How can people on the left in Syria and beyond challenge neoliberal restructuring? 31:33 Nothing can be worse than Assad 33:52 Further reading Further reading: The war isn't over (Matt Broomfield, in our forthcoming March/April 2025 issue - subscribe here) Where to now for Syria’s women? (Zaina Erhaim in New Internationalist) Read NI 526 The Kurds: Betrayed again (New Internationalist, 2020) Start your 30 day FREE trial of Currents to receive bi-weekly dispatches from the frontlines of progressive movements. No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print or digital subscription. | |||
| From Palestine to Western Sahara, the struggle is one. With Najla Mohamed-Lamin. | 20 Mar 2025 | 00:35:00 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. 2025 marks 50 years since Morocco invaded Western Sahara, forcibly displacing the Sahrawi people into neighbouring Algeria. Women’s rights and climate activist Najla Mohamed-Lamin joins us from the Sahrawi refugee camps to talk about the multigenerational impact of 50 years of forced exile, and the common struggles of Indigenous peoples around the world. Read NI554: Treaty / NI545: Decolonize now / NI540: Take back the land Host: Maxine Betteridge-Moes Credits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer, Digital Editor), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design) Guest: Najla Mohammed-Lamine Further reading from this episode: With all eyes on Gaza, Morocco strengthens its hold on Western Sahara (Maxine Betteridge-Moes, New Internationalist) Love Locked Up (Maxine Betteridge-Moes, New Internationalist) Spotlight: Aziza Brahim (Graeme Green, New Internationalist) A new dawn? Western Sahara and the Arab Spring (Jeremy Corbyn & Stefan Simanowitz, New Internationalist) War and Peace in Western Sahara (New Internationalist Issue #297) Subscribe to read in our digital archive. How Sahrawis See the Western Sahara Conflict (Najla Mohamed-Lamin, The National Interest) Support the Almasar Library Centre No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Donate today: a.nin.tl/2B Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print or digital subscription. | |||
| Spycops: Britain's political policing scandal | 08 Apr 2025 | 00:38:37 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. For nearly half a century, the British police embedded agents within progressive political and protest movements; officers deceived activists into intimate relationships, sometimes fathering children, before vanishing from their lives forever. As the Undercover Policing Inquiry continues to unearth new abuses, New Internationalist co-editor Bethany Rielly speaks to two spycops campaigners about their search for justice. In this episode we also hear evidence given to the ongoing Undercover Policing Inquiry by ex-undercover officer Andy Coles, who is accused of having an intimate relationship with an animal rights activist known as ‘Jessica’ when she was 19 years old. Coles publicly denied the claims in the Peterborough Telegraph after he was unmasked in 2017, dismissing them as ‘lurid’. Despite this, in 2020, the Metropolitan Police upheld a complaint by Jessica, after launching an internal investigation which found ‘credible evidence’ about the alleged relationship. It said Coles would have faced a disciplinary hearing on a charge of gross misconduct if he had not already retired from the Metropolitan Police in 2013. On 18 and 19 December 2024, the ex-officer again refuted the allegations in oral evidence to the inquiry. Other female activists have also accused Coles of making sexual advances on them, which he also denied. Read NI546: Spying on dissent Hosts: Maxine Betteridge-Moes & Bethany Rielly Credits: Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design) Credit for audio clips of hearings: The Undercover Policing Inquiry (UCPI) Guests: Tom Fowler, Jessica The cop who spied on grief (Bethany Rielly, New Internationalist) Why Spycops victims walked out from the police inquiry (Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance, New Internationalist) Spycops Info (Undercover policing podcast hosted by Tom Fowler) | |||
| Dig, Baby, Dig! Part 1: Peru, with Vanessa Baird | 29 Apr 2025 | 00:24:17 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. Eighty percent of the world is still powered by fossil fuels, but critical minerals are on the up. What exactly are critical minerals - and why all the hype? To mark the launch of our latest magazine, we’re digging deep. The first episode in this mini series takes you to Peru, where the government is determined to inflict an unpopular copper mine on the people of the Tambo Valley. Contributing editor Vanessa Baird shares what she learned from campaigners and activists about their growing resistance. Host: Maxine Betteridge-Moes Guest: Vanessa Baird Credits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer, Digital Editor), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design) Read NI555: Dig, Baby, Dig! Can Critical Minerals Save the World? Further reading from this episode: Can mining save the world? (Vanessa Baird, New Internationalist) Hall of Infamy: Dina Boluarte (New Internationalist) Killing of protesters sparks early elections in Peru (Vaness Baird, New Internationalist) Peru’s anti-forest law rewards crime and screws the planet (Vanessa Baird, New Internationalist) Avoid Amazon by shopping at New Internationalist’s very own Ethical Shop Sign up to Currents for dispatches from the frontlines of progressive movements. Sent straight to your inbox, twice a week. No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. | |||
| The World Unspun: A brand new podcast series from New Internationalist | 08 May 2025 | 00:01:07 | |
Hosted by New Internationalist digital editor Maxine Betteridge-Moes. Every two weeks, we bring the pages of our award-winning print magazine to life through fascinating conversations with our global contributors. | |||
| How to stop the arms trade | 12 May 2025 | 01:13:03 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. While war and genocide means devastation for most, for the arms industry it means big business. While the arms trade is vast and secretive, there is a groundswell of people across the world taking action to challenge its power, from the gates of arms factories to our highest courts. In late April, at Palestine House in London, New Internationalist editors were joined by speakers at the frontlines of some of these movements to discuss how our governments and institutions are fuelling armed conflict and genocide around the world from Palestine to Sudan, what we can do about it and how to build international links in the process. Featuring speakers from Palestine Action, Peace Direct, Campaign Against Arms Trade and Global Legal Action Network. This podcast is part of our series How to stop the arms trade Host: Maxine Betteridge-Moes Lacey Credits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer, Digital Editor), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design), Thomas Barlow, Impress (Media Consultant) Speakers: Amy Hall (New Internationalist), Saeed Taji Farouky (Palestine Action), Maaz Salih Idres (Peace Direct), Katie Fallon (CAAT) and Charlotte Andrews-Briscoe (GLAN) Further Reading from this Episode: How to dismantle the deadly arms trade (Amy Hall, New Internationalist) Sudan’s warring generals are armed to the brink (Eiad Husham, New Internationalist) Partners in power: Israel, India and the arms trade (Mohammad Asif Khan, New Internationalist) No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. To help us continue, subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print or digital subscription. | |||
| Dig, Baby, Dig! Part 2: Serbia, with Bojana Novakovic | 27 May 2025 | 00:27:45 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. 'Why do we care about the climate crisis unless it is to save natural spaces that are exactly like the Jadar Valley?' The second episode in this mini series takes you to Serbia, where the Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto is trying to dig for lithium in the Jadar Valley in spite of widespread public protests. We speak to actor and activist Bojana Novakovic of Marš sa Drine about how people power has delayed the project by two years – and what other resistance movements can learn from Serbians. Host: Maxine Betteridge-Moes Guest: Bojana Novakovic Credits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer, Digital Editor), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design) Read NI555: Dig, Baby, Dig! Can Critical Minerals Save the World? 0:28 Introduction to critical minerals 2:45 Welcoming Bojana Novakovic 4:04 What’s at stake in the Jadar Valley? 6:01 Introducing Mars sa Drine 7:00 The beginning of protests against lithium mining 8:09 Why Serbia? 10:13 Vucic’s re-election 12:28 Student-led protests after deadly disaster 14:20 Knock on effects for the rest of Europe 15:43 Mass arrests and criminalisation 17:13 Using direct action 18:45 Can we afford collateral damage in the climate crisis? 23:10 Has lithium had a capitalist glow up? Further reading from this episode: Can mining save the world? (Vanessa Baird, New Internationalist - subscribe to read) White flamingos and lithium frenzy (Vanessa Baird, New Internationalist - subscribe to read) Once upon a Rio Tinto mining project (Andrej Ivančić and Sergey Steblev, New Internationalist) Avoid Amazon by shopping at New Internationalist’s very own Ethical Shop Sign up to Currents for dispatches from the frontlines of progressive movements. Sent straight to your inbox, twice a week. No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. | |||
| The Long Read: Women's agency in the DRC war | 10 Jun 2025 | 00:21:09 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. New Internationalist co-owner Kiran Gupta presents The Long Read from NI552: Disinformation Further reading from this episode: Women’s agency in the DRC war (Sophie Neiman in New Internationalist) Reporting for this story was supported by the Pulitzer Center. Neiman was awarded the prestigious Gaby Rado Award from the Amnesty International Media Awards in June 2025 as a result of this story. Support independent media by becoming a New Internationalist co-owner Sign up to Currents for dispatches from the frontlines of global progressive movements. Sent straight to your inbox, twice a week. No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today using the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. | |||
| Dig, Baby, Dig! Part 3: The DRC with Alaka Lugonzo and Jean Pierre Okenda | 17 Jul 2025 | 00:27:20 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. Corruption, pollution and child labour have long blighted the Democratic Republic of the Congo's cobalt industry. But is there any way of turning the country’s critical mineral wealth into a blessing rather than a burden? In the final episode of our mini series, Dig, Baby, Dig! we spoke to Alaka Lugonzo a senior civil society adviser at Global Witness and Jean Pierre Okenda, the executive director of Sentinel Natural Resources. Host: Maxine Betteridge-Moes Guests: Alaka Lugonzo and Jean Pierre Okenda Credits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer, Digital Editor), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant), Isabella Poderico (Editorial Intern) Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design) Read NI555: Dig, Baby, Dig! Can Critical Minerals Save the World? Further reading from this episode: Congo's cobalt curse (Cat Rainsford, New Internationalist - subscribe to read) Can mining save the world? (Vanessa Baird, New Internationalist) Women’s agency in the DRC (Sophie Neiman, New Internationalist) It’s time to hold Big Tech accountable for violence in the DRC (Passy Mubalama, New Internationalist) Transition Minerals Tracker: 2025 Global Analysis (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) In numbers: Critical mineral production, ownership and social unrest (Global Witness) Avoid Amazon by shopping at New Internationalist’s very own Ethical Shop No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. | |||
| Why Palestine is ‘the red pill’, with Francesca Albanese | 07 Aug 2025 | 00:28:21 | |
This episode is brought to you by Shared Interest. Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. Considered persona non-grata by Israel, Francesca Albanese is perhaps one of the most hated – and admired – figures in the United Nations today. Unlike many Western diplomats, the Italian human rights lawyer and UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories has called Israel ’s assault on Gaza a genocide, and she has urged Israel ’s suspension from the UN. This stance has made her a target of smear campaigns, with the US mission to the UN accusing Albanese of ‘antisemitic hatred and impartiality’ when her term was renewed in April. For our latest issue on the UN at 80 co-editor Bethany Rielly interviewed Albanese, who appears to place more faith in grassroots power than in the UN’s headquarters. Hosts: Maxine Betteridge-Moes, Bethany Rielly Guest: Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Credits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer, Digital Editor), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design) Further reading from this episode: To end the Gaza genocide, the Global South takes justice into its own hands (Kate McMahon, New Internationalist) Fiddling while Gaza burns (Hamza Yusuf, New Internationalist - subscribe to read) Global leadership vetoed (Conrad Landin, New Internationalist) Criminalized on campus: The UK students taking action for Gaza (Paula Lacey, New Internationalist) Avoid Amazon by shopping at New Internationalist’s very own Ethical Shop No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. | |||
| Defending our digital rights with Adele Zeynep Walton | 22 Aug 2025 | 00:29:07 | |
This episode is brought to you by Shared Interest. Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. In this episode we speak to Adele Zeynep Walton, a journalist, digital safety campaigner and author of the new book ‘Logging Off: The Human Cost of our Digital World’, about online harms, Big Tech accountability, and how to make the digital world safer. To send a GDPR objection email to Meta to exercise your rights against unwanted direct marketing and data misuse, visit; https://wwwdot.org/. Host: Paula Lacey Credits: Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant, Producer), Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Digital Editor), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design), Thomas Barlow, Impress (Media Consultant) Guest: Adele Walton Further Reading from this Episode: Entering the matrix of misinformation with Nanjala Nyabola (The World Unspun Podcast) The issue with social media blocking apps? They’re now just as addictive (Adele Zeynep Walton, The Observer) ‘Meta must be held liable for Facebook abuse that killed my father’ (Mukanzi Musanga, Open Democracy) How to Fix the Online Safety Act: A Rights First Approach (Open Rights Group) Disinformation and disorder: the limits of the Online Safety Act (Alexandros Antoniou, Lorna Woods and Maeve Walsh, Online Safety Act Network) No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. To help us continue Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print or digital subscription. Sign up to Currents for dispatches from the frontlines of global progressive movements. 30 days FREE then £3/month. Learn more | |||
| How can we turn the tide on the global far right? | 25 Sep 2025 | 00:36:58 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. We are at a critical crossroads. A global wave of far-right authoritarianism is threatening human rights, climate action and democracy – steering the world toward disaster. From Donald Trump in the White House to Javier Milei in Argentina, ideologies that were once confined to the fringes are now dictating the agenda from inside the halls of power. What are the roots of the right’s rise? What networks enable it? What are social movements around the world doing to offer real alternatives to the politics of hate and division? In September, we hosted a special Ask Us Anything event with contributors to our magazine to answer these questions and many more. This episode is an edited version of that discussion. Host: Maxine Betteridge-Moes Credits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Digital Editor, Producer), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design) Guests: Kim Kelly, Josefina Salomon, Balasz Turcsan Further reading from this episode: Read NI557: The Global Far Right A time of monsters (Bethany Rielly, New Internationalist) Shop Fair Trade at New Internationalist’s very own Ethical Shop, using the discount code ETHICAL for 10% off your order No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. | |||
| Together for Palestine with Frank Barat | 11 Sep 2025 | 00:29:52 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. The French activist, author and film producer joins us to talk about the Together for Palestine concert in London as well as his other major projects in support of Palestinian liberation. Host: Maxine Betteridge-Moes Credits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Digital Editor, Producer), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design) Guest: Frank Barat Further Reading from this episode: Read more of Frank's writing for New Internationalist Italian dockworkers threaten to shut down Europe in solidarity with Global Sumud Flotilla (Tommaso Gori, New Internationalist) I oppose genocide. Is that ok? (Vanessa Baird, New Internationalist) Poll: Nearly 80% of Israeli Jews 'not troubled' by Gaza starvation (The New Arab) South Africa: 30 Years Later (New Internationalist) Avoid Amazon by shopping at New Internationalist’s very own Ethical Shop No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. | |||
| The Long Read: Revolutionary Aid in Sudan | 04 Sep 2025 | 00:19:02 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. New Internationalist co-owner Kiran Gupta presents The Long Read from NI554: Treaty: Indigenous Sovereignty in Australia Further reading from this episode: Revolutionary Aid in Sudan (Eiad Hisham in New Internationalist) Support independent media by becoming a New Internationalist co-owner No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today using the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. | |||
| Taking on the far right with Hope Not Hate | 08 Oct 2025 | 00:24:10 | |
This episode is brought to you by Shared Interest. Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. Fascism in 2025 isn't just swastikas and flags. Joe Mulhall, the research director at the anti-fascist organization Hope Not Hate says we should be more worried about the erosion of liberal democracy and universal human rights. In this episode, co-editor Bethany Rielly speaks to Mulhall about why the far right is gaining ground around the world, where resistance can take root and what communities are doing to resist the UK’s own far right party, Reform. Host: Bethany Rielly Credits: Bethany Rielly (Co-Editor, Host), Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Digital Editor, Producer), Amy Hall, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design) Guest: Joe Mulhall Further reading from this episode: Read NI557: The Global Far Right A time of monsters (Bethany Rielly, New Internationalist) Shop Fair Trade at New Internationalist’s very own Ethical Shop, using the discount code ETHICAL for 10% off your order No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. | |||
| The Long Read: Kneecap and the war on the Irish language | 28 Oct 2025 | 00:27:06 | |
This episode is brought to you by Shared Interest. New Internationalist co-owner Kiran Gupta presents The Long Read from NI557: The Global Far Right. Further reading from this episode: You've got issues, mate: Kneecap and the war on the Irish language (Decca Muldowney in New Internationalist) Support independent media by becoming a New Internationalist co-owner. No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today using the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. | |||
| Gaza, genocide and resistance with Ramzy Baroud | 13 Nov 2025 | 00:34:04 | |
This episode is sponsored by Path Financial. Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. Despite the latest ‘ceasefire’, Israel’s genocide and engineered famine continues to devastate Gaza. The latest issue of New Internationalist confronts the history of Israeli violence and the Palestinian resistance to war, displacement and annihilation, giving space to voices that are too often sidelined and allowing Palestinians to define their own struggle. The magazine was guest edited by Gaza-born historian and writer Ramzy Baroud, editor of the Palestine Chronicle. For Ramzy, compiling this issue was highly personal, having lost over 110 family members in Gaza, including his sister. For The World Unspun, Ramzy sits down with New Internationalist co-editor Decca Muldowney to discuss the process of creating the magazine and the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the face of genocide. Read NI558: Gaza and Resistance Host: Decca Muldowney Credits: Decca Muldowney (Host) Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant), Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Digital Editor & Producer), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design) Guest: Ramzy Baroud Further Reading from this Episode: The Long War for Meaning (Ramzy Baround, New Internationalist) Palestine: From Accord to Apartheid (Zoe Homan, New Internationalist) Fiddling While Gaza Burns (Hamza Yusuf, New Internationalist) Singing in Dark Times: Cultural Resistance in Palestine (Decca Muldowney, New Internationalist) The Interview: Leila Khaled (Marta Vidal, New Internationalist) No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. To help us continue Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print or digital subscription. | |||
| The Long Read: Where is the left? | 03 Dec 2025 | 00:21:32 | |
Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. Join us in Glasgow for our December News Club with Rosie and our editorial assistant Paula Lacey. Tickets are FREE but limited – register here. New Internationalist co-owner Kiran Gupta presents The Long Read from NI558: Gaza: Genocide and Resistance Further reading from this episode: Where is the Left? (Rosie Hampton in New Internationalist) Support independent media by becoming a New Internationalist co-owner. No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today using the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. | |||
| Who's profitting from plunder in West Papua? | 15 Jan 2026 | 00:27:23 | |
This episode is sponsored by Path Financial. Share your thoughts on this series by filling out our listener survey. You may not have heard of it, but West Papua is an extraordinary place. It is home to one of the world’s most important rainforests – third only to the Amazon and Congo basins – teeming with species found nowhere else on the planet. Civilizations here stretch back tens of thousands of years. But it’s a region that is increasingly under threat from Indonesia’s military occupation. Rapid deforestation, resource extraction and deadly human rights crackdowns are on the rise. So who's behind the violent plunder – and who's profiting? Read all New Internationalist's coverage of West Papua and Indonesia The Interview: Lia Yewen (Maxine Betteridge-Moes, New Internationalist) Britain's complicity in the tragedy of West Papua (David Whyte, Samira Saunders, New Internationalist) West Papua: A Green State Vision (Danny Chivers, New Internationalist) 'Every signature was an act of courage' (Danny Chivers, New Internationalist) The world's largest deforestation project (Douglas Gerrard, London Review of Books) Get 20% off a print and/or digital subscription to New Internationalist using the code THEWORLDUNSPUN and you'll receive digital access to our dedicated issues 'West Papua: Freedom in sight?' (2017) and 'West Papua: We will be free!' (2002). No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. To help us continue | |||
| Letters from Addis Ababa, with Maya Misikir | 24 Feb 2026 | 00:30:35 | |
This episode is brought to you by Shared Interest. Addis is a city at a crossroads. A massive redevelopment project is reshaping Ethiopia’s capital into what Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called the ‘Dubai of East Africa’. His vision of a glistening metropolis of skyscrapers, wide roads and bike lanes aims to draw in investors and tourists alike. So what does this transformation feel like from the inside? For the past year, journalist Maya Misikir has been trying to answer that question through her Letter from Addis Ababa series - one of New Internationalist’s longest running columns. Traditionally, these letters have been written by women based in the Global South, changing hands every year, and offering perspectives that rarely make the headlines. Subscribe to New Internationalist magazine to read the full archive of Letter From columns, dating back to 1973. Use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. Fertile Ground (Bethany Rielly, Maxine Betteridge-Moes and Maya Misikir in New Internationalist) Cover photograph by Amanuel Sileshi | |||
| The Long Read: Neocolonialism in Gaza | 10 Feb 2026 | 00:23:38 | |
This episode is brought to you by Shared Interest. New Internationalist co-owner Kiran Gupta presents The Long Read from NI559: The New Nuclear Arms Race Further reading from this episode: Necolonialism in Gaza (Yara Hawari in New Internationalist) The Long War for Meaning (Ramzy Baroud in New Internationalist) Support independent media by becoming a New Internationalist co-owner. No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Subscribe today using the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. | |||
| AI and its discontents, with Decca Muldowney | 10 Mar 2026 | 00:25:55 | |
This episode is brought to you by Shared Interest. Despite its documented dangers, algorithmic biases and dire environmental consequences, AI is being pushed into every corner of our lives. But who benefits from framing it this way – and at what cost? For our latest issue, co-editor Decca Muldowney takes an in-depth look at the people behind the AI hype machine. Further reading from our issue AI: The People Behind the Machine: AI and its discontents (Decca Muldowney) 'Pennsylvania is perfect' (Maia Woluchem and Livia Garofalo) The myth of inevitability (Paula Lacey) The kill chain (Chris Cole) The janitors of the internet (Adio-Adet Dinika) Approaching infinity (Rémy Ngamije) Subscribe to New Internationalist magazine to read the full archive of Letter From columns, dating back to 1973. Use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. | |||
| Why the US is fuelling the new nuclear arms race, with Dae-Han Song | 28 May 2026 | 00:24:44 | |
After more than 50 years of award-winning global justice journalism, New Internationalist could be forced to shut down. We need your help to survive. Donate today at newint.org/give This episode was brought to you by Big Solar Coop. ** The threat of nuclear weapons being used is the highest it’s been since the Cold War. Nuclear-armed states have been ploughing money into modernizing their arsenals and their leaders are abandoning arms control agreements as they continue to ramp up political tensions. In this episode, co-editor Amy Hall speaks to South Korean policy analyst Dae-Han Song of the International Strategy Center about why the US is fuelling this crisis – and what the international community needs to do bring the world back from the brink. Dae-Han Song is also part of the No Cold War Collective, and is an associate at the Korea Policy Institute. Further reading from this episode: The New Nuclear Arms Race (New Internationalist, January-February 2026) Flashpoints to fall out (Amy Hall in New Internationalist) Security or death (Dae-Han Song in New Internationalist) Subscribe to New Internationalist today to get our next issue on the centenary of the 1926 British General Strike! Use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. | |||
| In Lebanon, Israel imposes 'peace' through domination, with Mat Nashed | 29 Apr 2026 | 00:31:36 | |
This episode was brought to you by Big Solar Coop. Subscribe to New Internationalist and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. The Beirut-based journalist provides his analysis on why Israel is able to impose a one-way 'ceasefire', its broader war aims in South Lebanon, and the people caught in the middle. Further reading from this episode: Please note this episode was recorded prior to the extension of the 'ceasefire' announced on 23 April 2026. Gaza: Genocide and Resistance (New Internationalist, November/December 2025) Read all our Lebanon coverage on newint.org Mat Nashed is an award-nominated journalist who has covered the MENA region since the Arab Spring. He was previously the feature's print correspondent for Al Jazeera English and has written and reported for various other platforms, including Newlines Magazine, The New Humanitarian, The Committee to Protect Journalists, the Carnegie Endowment, and many others. He has extensively covered politics and conflict in the Nile Basin and the Levant.You can follow him at @matnashed on X and Instagram. | |||
| The international treaty to end fossil fuel extraction, with Tori Tsui | 22 Apr 2026 | 00:31:06 | |
Subscribe to New Internationalist today to get our next issue on the centenary of the 1926 British General Strike! Use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. This episode was brought to you by Big Solar Coop. Tori Tsui is an environmental campaigner, author and advisor from Hong Kong. She is a senior advisor for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. Follow her on Instagram @toritsui Further reading from this episode: A new treaty promises to end fossil fuel extraction (Danny Chivers, New Internationalist) Stepping back from the climate brink (Danny Chivers, New Internationalist) To end the Gaza genocide, the Global South takes justice into its own hands (Kate McMahon, New Internationalist) It's Not Just You: How to navigate eco anxiety and the climate crisis (Tori Tsui) Follow the Fossil Fuel Treaty on Instagram @fossilfueltreaty | |||
| The story of the Jewish Labour Bund, with Molly Crabapple | 01 Apr 2026 | 00:33:27 | |
Subscribe to New Internationalist today to get our next issue on the centenary of the 1926 British General Strike! Use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription. This episode was brought to you by Big Solar Coop. Molly Crabapple is an award-winning artist, writer and author whose work has appeared in past issues of New Internationalist including the cover of our 2015 issue Democracy in the digital era. Her forthcoming book, Here Where we Live is our Country, tells the little-known story of the revolutionary Jewish Labour Bund movement. The party aimed to build a socialist alternative to zionism while fighting violent anti-semitism in Eastern Europe in the early 20th century. Further reading from this episode: Singing in dark times: Cultural resistance in Palestine (Decca Muldowney in New Internationalist) Gaza: Genocide and Resistance (New Internationalist, Issue 558) Pre-order Here Where We Live is Our Country from Bloomsbury New Internationalist is an award-winning global justice magazine. Proudly reader-owned. | |||