Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Turkey in the past two weeks in protest at the arrest and jailing of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu. He’s seen as one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's strongest political rivals and since his arrest he’s been voted as the opposition party’s presidential candidate in the next elections. He’s been accused of corruption, which he strongly denies and his supporters see his detainment as a political move by the Government. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss whether we’re witnessing the end of democracy in Turkey.

Guests: Mark Lowen, BBC Correspondent and former BBC Istanbul Correspondent Dr Ziya Meral, Lecturer in International Studies and Diplomacy, SOAS Firdevs Robinson, Turkish journalist and broadcaster Monica Marks, Assistant Professor Middle East Politics , NYU in Abu Dhabi

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight and Beth Ashmead Latham Sound engineers: Dave O’Neill and James Beard Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Richard Vadon

(Image: Demonstration organised by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) against the detention of Istanbul’s mayor, in Istanbul, Turkey - 29 March 2025. Credit: Tolga Bozoglu/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Securing peace in Ukraine is proving harder than President Trump first thought. Separate talks between US officials and Ukrainian and Russian representatives were held in Saudi Arabia a few days ago. But the tentative ceasefire they reached just for shipping in the Black Sea has already hit problems with Moscow demanding certain sanctions are lifted if it’s to comply. And achieving a full ceasefire that Russia will accept still seems as elusive as ever. David Aaronovitch and guests ask what Putin’s bottom line on Ukraine really is? Have his long term aims changed and what might he accept?

Guests: Vitaly Shevchenko, Russia Editor for BBC Monitoring Sir Laurie Bristow, President of Hughes Hall at Cambridge University and the former U.K. ambassador to Russia from 2016 to 2020. Angela Stent, Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former US National Intelligence Officer for Russia. Mark Galeotti, writer on Russian security affairs and director of the consultancy Mayak Intelligence.

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight and Bethan Ashmead Latham Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Richard Vadon

The Government is reorganising the way the NHS is run in England by scrapping the body that’s been in charge and giving direct control to the Department of Health and Social Care. Jobs will go and the country’s biggest quango will be dismantled. But what is the government actually trying to do to the NHS? What are its aims and how does the restructure fit into the government’s big picture for the health service in the UK?

Guests: Hugh Pym, BBC Health Editor Siva Anandaciva, Director of Policy, King’s Fund Dame Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive of the Health Foundation Dame Carol Propper, Professor of Economics Imperial College in the Department of Economics and Public Policy

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Beth Ashmead Latham, Kirsteen Knight, Caroline Bayley Sound Engineer: James Beard Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Richard Vadon

There’s huge pressure on special educational needs and disabilities, known as SEND. The number of children and young people who need extra support has rocketed as more and more are diagnosed with autism, adhd and other mental health conditions. It’s led to a funding crisis which is putting a strain on council budgets which pay for the extra help. But it isn't just a financial issue - parents say they are struggling to access the right support for their children. So what’s gone wrong and what can be done about it?

Guests: Branwen Jeffreys, BBC Education Editor Will Farr, Cambridge University Faculty of Education Tony Travers, Associate Dean LSE School of Public Policy Luke Sibieta, Institute for Fiscal Studies David Thomas, Former Head Teacher and CEO Axiom Maths

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Beth Ashmead Latham, Kirsteen Knight and Caroline Bayley Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Richard Vadon

Donald Trump has only been US president for just over a month and yet the world order seems to be changing by the day. Ukraine has been cut adrift with the pausing of US military aid and intelligence following President Zelensky’s disastrous meeting in the Oval Office. And Europe has been left wondering what is coming next as President Macron of France warns that the continent is "at a turning point in history." Europe faces not only having to support Ukraine without the US but potentially having to defend itself against Russia with no help from America. So can it do that? And how quickly could it fill the gaps left by the US?

Guests: Frank Gardner, BBC Security Correspondent Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor, The Economist Claudia Major, Director international security division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Fenella McGerty Senior Fellow for Defence Economics, International Institute for Strategic Studies

Presenter David Aaronovitch Producers: Kirsteen Knight, Beth Ashmead Latham, Caroline Bayley Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Richard Vadon

(Image: Soldiers in silhouette. Credit: Photo by Martin Divisek/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

We talk through the history of the military alliance.

A quick run down on how the conflict developed - from attempted coup to war of attrition.

Guest: Michael Clarke, Visiting Professor in the Department of War Studies, King’s College, London and former Director of the Royal United Services Institute.

This is part of a new mini-series called the The Briefing Room Explainers. They’re short versions of previous episodes of the Briefing Room.

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Charlotte McDonald, Kirsteen Knight and Beth Ashmead Latham Studio Manager: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman

A number of studies have shown the amazing weight loss potential of a new group of drugs, known to many by their brand names as Ozempic (which is for diabetes), Wegovy and Mounjaro. But how do these new drugs work? How were they discovered and who can use them? This is part of a new mini-series called the The Briefing Room Explainers. They’re short versions of previous episodes of the Briefing Room. Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Charlotte McDonald, Kirsteen Knight and Beth Ashmead Latham Studio Manager: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman

A short history of electric cars in the UK.

The UK government wants to ban the sale of petrol cars by 2030. But how is the move to electric vehicles going? This episode is part of a new mini-series called The Briefing Room Explainers. Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Charlotte McDonald, Kirsteen Knight and Beth Ashmead Latham Studio Manager: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Guest: Ginny Buckley, Editor-in-Chief and founder of electrifying.com

President Trump wants more tariffs - what are they? And what happened last time he was in office? This is part of a new mini-series called The Briefing Room Explainers. Even though we're not on BBC Radio 4 at the moment (we'll be back at the end of March) we are going to keep publishing podcast episodes for the next few weeks. These explainers are highly relevant mini episodes, covering some of the themes, ideas and terms which are currently in the news. They’re short versions of previous episodes of the Briefing Room. Guests: Duncan Weldon, economist and author of 200 Years of Muddling Through. Sam Lowe, Partner at consultancy Flint Global Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Charlotte McDonald, Kirsteen Knight and Beth Ashmead Latham Studio Manager: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman

Donald Trump says he wants to introduce more tariffs on imports during his second presidency. He’s mentioned targeting imports from countries including Mexico, Canada, China and Demark as well as floating the idea of a universal tariff on all goods coming into the US.

So why does Trump like tariffs so much? What can we realistically expect him to do? And what would the effect be on the rest of us?

Archive clip included from Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Spotify, 25 October 2024.

Guests: Sam Lowe, Partner at Flint Global consultancy Meredith Crowley is a Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge David Henig, Director of the UK Trade Policy Project Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Charlotte McDonald, Kirsteen Knight and Beth Ashmead Latham Sound engineers: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman