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01China20200427

How the coronavirus crisis has exposed fissures and faultlines in nations around the world. The pandemic has challenged China's notoriously tight grip on the flow of information. A doctor in Wuhan who last year tried to warn colleagues about a strange new virus was scolded by police for spreading "rumours`. Dr Li Wenliang later caught Covid-19 and gained a huge following on social media from his hospital bed. `I think there should be more than one voice in a healthy society,` he said - an unusually pointed political comment in China. News of his death prompted grief and rage, rattling party officials. Their response revealed both how China can mobilise quickly in response to a crisis - and an underlying political culture of fear, deference and secrecy.
Presenter: Neal Razzell
Producer: Anna Meisel

A young doctor\u2019s death shakes the Communist Party.

How the coronavirus crisis has exposed fissures and faultlines in nations around the world

02Iran20200428How the coronavirus crisis has exposed fissures and faultlines in nations around the world. COVID-19 arrived in Iran on the heels of a tumultuous few months that had strained trust in officials. A fuel-price hike prompted in part by tough US sanctions drove people onto the streets. A media blackout ensued during which time the government responded with lethal force. The domestic crisis was followed by an international one when Iran mistakenly shot down a passenger airliner. Protests in the wake of that tragedy had just died down when the virus took hold. Hear what the official Iranian response reveals about its attitude to its own people and the outside world.

Presenter: Neal Razzell

Producer: Anna Meisel

Sickness strikes the government even as it tries to reassure people

03The United Kingdom20200429How the coronavirus crisis has exposed fissures and fault lines in nations around the world. In the UK, the government has responded to the economic crisis brought by the pandemic with enormous support packages. The aim is to help employees and the self-employed alike. `We're treating everyone the same at a very, very significant cost,` Chancellor Rishi Sunak said. `If we all want to benefit equally from state support, we must all pay in equally in future.` We look at the rise of the self-employed with two leading experts: Matthew Taylor, who led a review into employment practices for PM Theresa May, and Helen Miller of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Presenter: Neal Razzell

Producer: Anna Meisel

The Chancellor opens floodgates and puts the self-employed on notice

How the coronavirus crisis has exposed fissures and faultlines in nations around the world

04India20200430

How the coronavirus crisis has exposed fissures and fault lines in nations around the world. In India, 1.3 billion people received four hours' notice before a strict lockdown took hold. Immediately, a great exodus began from India's cities. Migrant workers, suddenly out of work, made for home on foot. We hear from prize-winning author Arundhati Roy, who joined them, and analyst Pratyush Rao on what this crisis has revealed about India's enduring problems with religion and class.

Producer: Anna Meisel
Presenter: Neal Razzell

The mother of all lockdowns prompts a mass exodus and an apology from the prime minister.

How the coronavirus crisis has exposed fissures and faultlines in nations around the world

05The US20200501

How the coronavirus crisis reveals the inefficiency and expense of American medicine. The US spends more on healthcare per person than virtually anywhere else in the world - but its health outcomes are no better. The pandemic has shown up enduring issues over complexity, fragmentation, perverse incentives, over-treatment for some, and under-insurance for others. One estimate is that the US could spend $1 trillion per year less on healthcare and have the same outcomes - or even better.
Presenter: Neal Razzell
Producer: Anna Meisel

How the coronavirus crisis reveals the inefficiency and expense of American medicine.

How the coronavirus crisis has exposed fissures and faultlines in nations around the world