History Uncensored

White phosphorus has been used on battlefields for more than a century, but its deployment over populated areas continues to spark fierce legal and ethical debate.

Bianca Nobilo examines the growing scrutiny surrounding Israel's use of white phosphorus in Lebanon, where human rights groups have raised concerns about the impact on civilians. Capable of burning at extreme temperatures and causing severe injuries, the substance occupies a controversial legal grey area because it is often classified as a smoke-screening munition rather than a chemical weapon.

From its origins in the 17th century to its use in modern conflicts, the history of white phosphorus reveals why it remains one of warfare's most controversial weapons. As concerns mount over its use in civilian areas, questions continue to be asked about whether military necessity can ever justify the risks it poses.

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How did the UFC go from a controversial fringe spectacle in 1993 to hosting an event at the White House?

Combat sports journalist Luke Thomas joins Bianca Nobilo to discuss the UFC's extraordinary rise, its ties to Donald Trump, and how the promotion became one of the most influential forces in modern sports and culture.

From its no-holds-barred beginnings to the heart of American political power, they examine the remarkable journey of the UFC, the key figures who transformed the sport, and the cultural shift that took mixed martial arts from the margins to the mainstream.

With the UFC now firmly embedded in American popular culture, what does its White House debut say about the sport's evolution and its growing influence beyond the octagon?

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Racketeering. Wire fraud. Money laundering.

Those are the charges that helped bring down some of the most powerful figures in world football. Not a crime syndicate, but FIFA — the organisation that governs the world's most popular sport.

With more member associations than the United Nations and an audience measured in billions, FIFA oversees the biggest sporting event on Earth: the World Cup. But alongside its global influence has come decades of controversy, from corruption scandals and bribery allegations to accusations of sportswashing and close relationships with authoritarian governments.

From Fascist Italy in 1934 to Argentina's military dictatorship in 1978, and more recently Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, critics argue that World Cups have repeatedly been used to boost the international standing of powerful leaders and regimes.

So why does scandal never seem to stick? How has FIFA remained one of the most powerful institutions in global sport despite years of scrutiny?

Bianca Nobilo is joined by sports historian and former professional footballer Jules Boykoff, who examines the role of sportswashing, the commercialisation of the game, and the global influence of football's most powerful organisation.

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Is Putin fighting a war from a position of power…. or desperation?
Ukraine’s drones have been attacking his home town of St Petersburg - pushing the war well and truly into the heart of Russia.

At the same time…Russia continues relentless bombing of Ukrainian cities and claims to be advancing.

So the question everyone is asking but nobody seems to be able to answer clearly is this: who is ACTUALLY winning?

And ultimately: after more than four years of this war.. is this conflict ending - or just changing?

Bianca Nobilo interviews war correspondent Sam Kiley, who was reporting on the ground in Kharkiv before the February 2022 invasion, to answer these questions.

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Why has one island shaped the ambitions of empires, triggered superpower confrontations, and repeatedly found itself at the centre of world history?

This is the story of Cuba - the largest island in the Caribbean, just 90 miles from Florida, and one of the most strategically important pieces of real estate on Earth.

Long before Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and the Cuban Missile Crisis, Cuba was coveted by great powers for a simple reason: geography. Spain built an empire around it. Britain tried to seize it. The United States spent generations trying to dominate it. The Soviet Union turned it into the frontline of the Cold War. Today, as Russian warships return to Havana and China expands its footprint on the island, Cuba's strategic importance is once again impossible to ignore.

But geopolitics is only half the story.

From the first Indigenous societies and the arrival of Columbus, through conquest, slavery and sugar plantations, independence wars, American intervention, dictatorship, revolution and communism, Cuba's history is a story of competing visions of freedom, sovereignty and power. It is a story of extraordinary resilience, profound suffering, revolutionary ambition and enduring controversy.

Bianca Nobilo explores just over five centuries of conflict, looking at one thing that never changed: Cuba was never just an island. It was a strategic platform - one the world has been fighting over ever since.

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