David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the recent events in Lebanon. Israel has been widely blamed for a series of pager and walkie-talkie attacks targeting members of Hezbollah. Does this mark the invention of a new kind of warfare and what might the wider consequences be for the region? Guests: Shashank Joshi, The Economist's defence editor Professor Lina Khatib, Director of the Middle East Institute at SOAS University of London Ronen Bergman, Israeli investigative journalist for The New York Ti...
Sep 23, 2024•28 min
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the challenges facing Germany. Worries over the economy and immigration have seen the far right AfD party gain support in the former east Germany. Guests: Guy Chazan, Berlin bureau chief at the Financial Times Dr Constanze Stelzenmuller, Director of the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings Institution Marcel Fratzscher, President DIW Berlin - German Institute for Economic Research and Professor at Humboldt University Berlin Thiemo Fetzer, Profe...
Sep 12, 2024•29 min
Last month the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, warned that "things would get worse before they got better". The Chancellor Rachel Reeves has already said that there's a £22 billion black hole in the government's finances left by the Conservatives. The budget at the end of October, we're told, will be "painful". But just how bad a state is the UK economy really in? And how constrained is the new government by manifesto promises it made not to raise the main taxes on working people? Guests: Paul...
Sep 05, 2024•29 min
The first human cases of MPox were detected in 1970. But a new strain detected in Congo in 2023 has got scientists confused. How worried should we be and are we prepared for it? Dr Jonas Albarnaz, a Research Fellow specialising in pox viruses at The Pirbright Institute Dr Lilith Whittles, lecturer and Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellow in the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis Dr Josie Golding, head of epidemiology at The Wellcome Trust Trudie Lang, Professor of Global Health ...
Aug 29, 2024•28 min
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the risk of escalation on Russian borders and further afield and explore what form that might take if it were to happen. Guests: Natia Seskuria, founder and executive director of the Regional Institute for Security Studies (RISS), a Tbilisi-based think tank Dr Jack Watling, Senior Research Fellow for Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute, Michael Clarke, Professor of Defence studies and Specialist Advisor to the Joint Committee on the National S...
Aug 21, 2024•34 min
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss China's desire for 'peaceful reunification' with Taiwan. Can it really be done peacefully and what happens if it can't? Guests: Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, BBC Asia correspondent based in Taipei Amanda Hsiao, Crisis Group's Senior Analyst for China Dr Lauren Dickey, Taiwan analyst at the China Power Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies Shashank Joshi, defence editor at The Economist Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Kirs...
Aug 14, 2024•38 min
In the first of three programmes, David Aaronovitch explores the risk of escalation and wider conflict in the Middle East. What would all out war look like and how likely is it? Guests: Shashank Joshi, The Economist's defence editor Professor Lina Khatib, Director of the Middle East Institute at SOAS University of London Dr Burcu Ozcelik, Senior Research Fellow for Middle East Security within the International Security department at RUSI. Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Kirst...
Aug 08, 2024•29 min
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss Labour's plans for planning reform. This week the Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner announced a new National Planning Policy Framework. Will it boost economic growth? Sir John Armitt, Chairman of the UK's National Infrastructure Commission Catriona Riddell is an independent planning consultant and commentator who advises on planning policy Anthony Breach, Associate Director at Centre for Cities Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter and Kirsteen Kn...
Aug 01, 2024•29 min
Machine learning has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years. Bigger, more powerful computers can crunch ever more amounts of data, analysing complex information just as accurately, it’s claimed, as the best specialists and at speeds humans can never achieve. With the potential to make a significant difference to healthcare - helping to diagnose disease, summarise patients’ medical notes, even predict health conditions years before any symptoms appear. But how long before the potential benef...
Jul 11, 2024•37 min
Surveys suggest that at least one in four of us will suffer from anxiety and depression during our lifetimes. The prevalence of these conditions is one of the reasons given for poor school attendance. And it's estimated that these mental health disorders account for 12.5% of all sickness leave in the UK. So what’s caused such an explosion in mental distress and what, if anything, can be done to bring down the numbers? Join David Aaronovitch and a panel of guests to find out. Guests: Professor Je...
Jul 11, 2024•28 min
Half the UK population will get cancer during their lifetime - and rates are rising. Each year, around 385,000 people in the UK are diagnosed and around 167,00 lives are lost to the disease. But scientists are developing new therapies, including personalised vaccines and targeted drugs, that attack cancer cells directly and more effectively. It's hoped this pioneering work could lead to better survival rates. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss promising developments in cancer care - to find ou...
Jul 11, 2024•36 min
2024 is the year of elections and already hundreds of millions of people around the world have been to the polls. A few months ago The Briefing Room looked ahead to elections in South Africa and India. Both have since delivered shocks to their ruling parties which failed to win parliamentary majorities. So why did the main parties in both countries do worse than expected? And what does this mean for the governments they’ve formed and the immediate future of both South Africa and India? Guests: D...
Jul 04, 2024•29 min
David Aaronovitch and guests dissect Sudan's ongoing civil war. This conflict is now one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. How can it be brought to an end? Guests: James Copnall - presenter of Newsday on the BBC World Service and former BBC Sudan correspondent Mohanad Hashim - Sudanese journalist working on Newshour on the BBC World Service Dame Rosalind Marsden - associate fellow of the Africa programme at Chatham House and former UK ambassador to Sudan Professor Alex De Waal - execu...
Jun 27, 2024•29 min
David Aaronovitch and guests examine Joe Biden's ceasefire deal and ask whether - despite some positive noises from both sides - Israel and Hamas are interested in making it work. Guests: David Makovsky, Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations Anshel Pfeffer, columnist and Israel correspondent at The Economist Lina Khatib, Director of the Middle East Institute at SOAS University of London Hussein Ibish, senior resident s...
Jun 20, 2024•29 min
David Aaronovitch and guests assess the fallout from France's EU elections and President Macron's subsequent decision to call parliamentary elections later this month. Guests: Hugh Schofield, BBC Paris Correspondent Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief at The Economist Mujtaba Rahman, Managing Director for Europe at Eurasia Group who advise investors on political risk Dr Françoise Boucek, Visiting Research Fellow, Centre for European Research in the School of Politics and International Relations at...
Jun 13, 2024•29 min
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss Donald Trump's conviction in the hush money case, examine the cases yet to be heard and ask whether any of this hurts his election chances? Guests: Anthony Zurcher, BBC North America correspondent Jack Chin, Professor of Criminal Law at the University of California, Davis Wendy Schiller, Professor of Political Science at Brown University Production team: Caroline Bayley, Miriam Quayyum, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordina...
Jun 06, 2024•29 min
David Aaronovitch and guests assess the latest developments in Ukraine. In 2022, Russia was expected to win the war easily. That didn't happen. But is Russia gaining the upper hand now? Guests: James Waterhouse, BBC’s Ukraine Correspondent Polina Ivanova, FT correspondent covering Russia, Ukraine and Central Asia Michael Clarke, Professor of Defence Studies at Kings College London and Specialist Advisor to the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy Ann Marie Dailey, Senior Fellow at t...
May 30, 2024•29 min
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the current financial crisis facing UK universities and ask what can be done about it. Guests: Branwen Jeffreys, BBC Education Editor Nick Hillman, Director of The Higher Education Policy Institute Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford and member of the Migration Advisory Committee Alan Manning, Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics Production team: Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight, Miriam Quay...
May 23, 2024•29 min
The H5N1 strain of avian flu isn't new. It was discovered in China in 1996. But in recent years it's started passing from mammal to mammal and it's now rife on cattle farms in the United States. How much should humans worry? David Aaronovitch speaks to: Professor Wendy Barclay, action medical research chair in virology at Imperial College London Kai Kupferschmidt, science journalist and molecular biologist Dr Caitlin Rivers, epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Professor ...
May 16, 2024•29 min
David Aaronovitch and guests explore the troubled state of the water industry in the UK. How do companies solve the sewage problem, fix the leaks and reduce the debt mountain? Guests: Kate Bayliss, research associate in the Department of Economics at SOAS, University of London David Hall, visiting professor in the Public Services International Research Unit at the University of Greenwich Sir Dieter Helm, Professor of Energy at the University of Oxford Julie Bygraves, public policy analyst and ex...
May 09, 2024•29 min
Democrats and Republicans have promised to solve the border crisis in recent times but they've failed and it remains a huge election issue. How does the problem get resolved? David Aaronovitch talks to: Gustavo Solis, investigative border reporter at KPBS television station in San Diego Doris Meissner is Senior Fellow and Director, U.S. Immigration Policy Program Edward Alden, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of When the World Closed Its Doors: The Covid-19 Tragedy...
May 02, 2024•29 min
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the reasons why millions of people in the UK aged between 16 and 64 are neither working nor looking for work and what we can do about it. Tony Wilson, Director of the Institute for Employment Studies Sam Avanzo Windett, Deputy Director at the Learning and Work Institute Torsten Bell, Chief Executive at the Resolution Foundation Production team: Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound eng...
Apr 25, 2024•29 min
2024 is the year of elections. According to one estimate just under 50% of all the people on earth live in countries where by December 31st there will have been a national vote. In terms of population size there are none bigger than the six week exercise that got underway last Friday. The world’s biggest democracy - India - has gone to the polls and prime minister Narendra Modi is hoping – perhaps expecting – to win a third term. He first came to power in 2014 and since then fears about “democra...
Apr 22, 2024•29 min
David Aaronovitch and guests explore the thinking behind Iran's decision to attack Israel and ask what the short and long term aims of the Iranian regime are. Guests: Shashank Joshi, Defence editor at The Economist Ali Vaez, Iran Project Director at International Crisis Group Dr Roxane Farmanfarmaian, lecturer specialising in the politics of Iran and the Middle East at Cambridge University Production team: Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinat...
Apr 18, 2024•28 min
Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to “eliminate” Hamas but after six months of death and destruction in Gaza what do we know about their status? David Aaronovitch talks to: Jennifer Jefferis, Teaching Professor at Georgetown University's Security Studies program and author of Hamas: Terrorism, Governance, and its Future in Middle East Politics. Michael Clarke, Professor of Defence studies and Specialist Advisor to the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy. Khalil Sh...
Apr 11, 2024•29 min
The state pension system relies on the workers of today paying the pensions of current retirees. But does an aging population and rising costs threaten that model continuing? David Aaronovitch talks to: Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies Paul Lewis, financial journalist and presenter of Radio 4’s Money Box programme Claer Barrett, consumer editor at the Financial Times and presenter of the FT's Money Clinic podcast Sir Steve Webb, formerly Minister for Pensions and curren...
Apr 04, 2024•29 min
2024 is the year of elections. According to one estimate just under 50% of all the people on earth live in countries where by December 31st there will have been a national vote. To mark this phenomenon we are broadcasting three special programmes. In the third and final programme in this special series we’re focusing on South Africa. It is 30 years since the African National Congress - led back then by Nelson Mandela - first won power. It has had a majority in parliament ever since. But this yea...
Mar 05, 2024•28 min
2024 is the year of elections. According to one estimate just under 50% of all the people on earth live in countries where by December 31st there will have been a national vote. To mark this phenomenon we are broadcasting three special programmes. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss why do some countries bother holding elections if the outcomes are pre-determined and they also ask why the public bother voting in them? Guests: Naomi Hossain, Professor of Development Studies at SOAS Katerina Tert...
Mar 05, 2024•29 min
In 1964, pre-historic remains were discovered at Jabal Aṣ-Ṣaḥābah - or Mountain of the Companions - in the Nile Valley near what is now the border of northern Sudan and Egypt. That site contained evidence of the earliest known warfare believed to have taken place around 13,500 years ago. It’s thought that climate change led to that conflict; as crop yields became smaller, more groups had to compete with each other for what food sources were available. Spears and possibly arrows were the high-tec...
Feb 28, 2024•42 min
It is two years since Russia began its costly conflict against Ukraine. How does it fund its war effort, how do sanctions impact that and how tight is Putin's grip on power? Guests: Sarah Rainsford, BBC Eastern Europe Correspondent Maria Shagina, Research Fellow for Economic Sanctions, Standards and Strategy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Isaac Levi, Europe-Russia Policy & Energy Analysis Team Lead at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air Mark Galeotti, Writer...
Feb 22, 2024•28 min
