For the second time in 12 years Glasgow is preparing to host the Commonwealth Games after Australia’s Victoria state pulled out because of increased costs. Victoria’s withdrawal raised questions about whether the 2026 games would go ahead before Glasgow agreed to step in.

Staging a sporting mega-event is expensive and governments face increasing scrutiny over public spending. Victoria’s decision raised wider questions about affordability for potential hosts. At the same time, critics question the Games’ political relevance, given its origins in Britain’s colonial past.

The Commonwealth Games Federation says the event can be delivered in a more sustainable way and argues that it brings cultural and economic benefits to host cities, but recent editions have run into significant costs and budget pressures.

This week on The Inquiry, Tanya Beckett asks ‘Is it time to scrap the Commonwealth Games?’

Contributors

Dr Stuart Whigham, Senior Lecturer in Sport, Coaching and Physical Education at Oxford Brookes University, UK

Dr Matthew McDowell, Lecturer in Sport Policy, Management, and International Development at the University of Edinburgh, UK

Dr Verity Postlethwaite, Lecturer in Strategic Event Management at Loughborough University, UK

Professor Gayle McPherson, Associate Dean for Research at the University of the West of Scotland, and Director of Legacy and Community Engagement for Commonwealth Games Scotland, UK

Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Matt Toulson Researcher: Evie Yabsley Technical Producer: Craig Boardman Editor: Tom Bigwood Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey

(Photo: Commonwealth Games Gold Medal. Credit: Adrian Dennis/Getty Images)

Ireland has a new permanent government scheme providing regular cash transfers to 2,000 artists. The people who can access it range from circus performers to opera singers.

It follows a pilot of more than three years, which is believed to have brought a return on investment to the economy.

Big tech backs basic income schemes like this to offset the consequences AI is having on the workforce. Leading economists believe it could create a dystopian world. Nevertheless, more governments are piloting or planning to introduce schemes like this.

Our panel includes Dr Jenny Dagg, assistant lecturer, Maynooth University, Ireland; Dr Catarina Neves, postdoctoral fellow, Utrecht University, The Netherlands; Daron Acemoglu, 2024 Nobel Prize winner in economics, institute professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US and Dr Jurgen De Wispelaere, acting chair of the Basic Income Earth Network.

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producer: Daniel Rosney Sound engineer: Craig Boardman Editor: Tom Bigwood

(Photo: A customer withdraws euro bills from an ATM in Sofia. Credit: Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Cuba is facing one of its most severe humanitarian crises in decades.

For years, Cuba relied heavily on oil from Venezuela. Those supplies have largely stopped, contributing to widespread fuel shortages. Electricity blackouts have become increasingly common, disrupting daily life across the country.

The United States has blocked fuel shipments to Cuba as part of wider pressure linked to its economic and political policies. Meanwhile, the Cuban government has warned it will resist any external interference in its domestic affairs.

With economic strain growing and living conditions worsening, this week on The Inquiry, we’re asking: ‘Is the revolution in Cuba over?’

Contributors: Lillian Guerra, professor of Cuban and Caribbean history at the University of Florida, US Ricardo Torres, research fellow at American University, US Christopher Sabatini, senior research fellow for Latin America at Chatham House, UK Renata Segura, programme director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the International Crisis Group, US

Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Matt Toulson Researcher: Evie Yabsley Editor: Tom Bigwood Technical Producer: Cameron Ward Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey

(Photo: Havana, the capital of Cuba, during a blackout in March 2026. Credit: Yamil Lage/Getty Images)

Rewilding, or letting nature take care of itself, can restore stability to damaged ecosystem components which support life on earth, like fungi, bacteria, vegetation, insects and animals.

But there's now a wider discussion to discover what it’s capable of on a wider scale.

International agreements for reducing the impact of climate change tend to set global targets.

However, individual governments decide how to work towards meeting those goals at a national level.

Some rewilding initiatives improve biodiversity, but it can have negative impacts too.

This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking ‘How can rewilding help combat climate change?’

Contributors: Carolina Soto-Navarro, head of Wilder Nature at Rewilding Europe Brendan Fisher, professor in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, at University of Vermont, US David Nogues Bravo, professor in biodiversity, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Steve Carver, professor of rewilding and wilderness science, University of Leeds, UK

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producers: Jill Collins and Daniel Rosney Researcher: Evie Yabsley Editor: Tom Bigwood Technical Producer: Cameron Ward Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey

(Photo: Galapagos giant tortoise. Credit: Anadolu/Getty Images)