What is ransomware and what can be done to stop it?
In the past few weeks Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Harrods have all been grappling with the effects of cyber attacks. The most profitable form of cyber attack at the moment is ransomware where criminals infiltrate computer systems, shut them down and then demand a ransom to restore services, or even to stop them publishing data they’ve stolen. This is now a global criminal industry which can affect the running of whole businesses. Marks & Spencer said this week that disruption to its online ordering service would continue throughout June and into July. David Aaronovitch asks his guests how ransomware works, who is responsible and what can be done to stop it.Guests:
Emily Taylor, CEO of Oxford Information Labs and co-founder Global Signal Exchange
Geoff White, investigative journalist and author and co-host of the BBC’s podcast series, The Lazarus Heist
Susan Landau, Professor of Cyber Security and Policy at Tufts University
Professor Alan Woodward, a computer security expert at the University of SurreyPresenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight and Nathan Gower
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound Engineers: James Beard and Neil Churchill
Editor: Richard Vadon
--------
28:39
What is Israel's plan for Gaza?
Dire warnings of famine in Gaza, a broken ceasefire and the start by the Israeli government of a new “intense” offensive which could forcibly displace Palestinians to an area in the south of Gaza and perhaps out of the strip altogether, plus the latest release of a US hostage. This is the war between Israel and Gaza 19 months on from the deadly attack by Hamas which killed 1200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages. So what chance of peace between Israel and Hamas? Can a new ceasefire be negotiated with US backing or will Israel go it alone and forcibly occupy most of Gaza?Guests: Yolande Knell, BBC Middle East Correspondent
Anshel Pfeffer, Israel Correspondent at The Economist,
Yossi Mekelberg, Senior Consulting Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
Shibley Telhami, Professor of Government and Politics at University of Maryland and a non resident senior fellow at Brookings Institution.Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound Engineer: David Crackles
Editor: Richard Vadon
--------
28:20
What are rare earths and why does everyone want them?
President Trump has signed a minerals deal with Ukraine, which will give the US access to some of Ukraine’s natural resources. The US president also said he’d like to take over Greenland and even Canada. Why? Well one reason may well be the rare earths and critical minerals found there. Critical minerals are vital for almost every industry from the manufacturing of computers to fighter jets. But in recent years the rise of green technologies has been fuelling demand for minerals used to make batteries for electric cars and other renewable infrastructure. One country dominates the minerals market - China - which has repercussions for the rest of the world, including the US. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss what and where these minerals are, why everyone wants them and how the rest of the world can compete with China. Guests:Ellie Saklatvala, Head of Nonferrous Metal Pricing, Argus, a provider of market intelligence for the global commodity markets.
Henry Sanderson, author of ‘Volt Rush, the Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green’ and Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute
Sophia Kalantzakos, Global Distinguished Professor in Environmental Studies and Public Policy at New York University in Abu Dhabi and the author of 'China and the Geopolitics of Rare Earths'
Olivia Lazard, a senior fellow affiliated with the think tank, Carnegie Europe and Berggruen InstitutePresenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Nathan Gower and Kirsteen Knight
Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Sound engineer: David Crackles
Editor: Richard Vadon
--------
28:02
Are India and Pakistan on the brink of war over Kashmir?
Tension is high in Indian administered Kashmir following the killing on 22nd April of 26 civilians almost all of whom were Hindu tourists. They were visiting Pahalgam - an area often described as the “Switzerland of India”. Militants opened fire on them and in the days since relations between India and Pakistan, which both claim Kashmir in full but only administer it in part, have deteriorated. India accuses Pakistan of supporting the militants and Islamabad rejects the allegations. This is the latest attack in a decades-long dispute over the region. David Aaronovitch and guests ask what happens next and what sort of a response we are likely to see from India and also Pakistan? Guests: Andrew Whitehead: Former BBC India correspondent and expert on Kashmir and its history, author of ‘A Mission in Kashmir’
Anbarasan Ethirajan: BBC South Asia Regional Editor
Husain Haqqani : Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC and former Pakistan ambassador to Sri Lanka and the US
Michael Kugelman - South Asia analyst based in Washington DC and author of Foreign Policy magazine’s South Asia Brief newsletter
Sumantra Bose: Professor of International and Comparative Politics at Krea University in India and author of Kashmir at the Crossroads: Inside a 21st-Century ConflictPresenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight
Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Sound engineers: Sarah Hockley and James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon
--------
29:25
Can the UK become an AI superpower?
The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer wants the UK to become “one of the great AI superpowers”. Earlier this year the government published a plan to use artificial intelligence in the private and public sectors to boost growth and deliver services more efficiently. Once mainly the preserve of the tech community, AI really entered public awareness with the release of ChatGPT, a so-called “chatbot” founded by the US company OpenAI at the end of 2022. It can write essays, scripts, poems and even write computer code …and millions of people are using it. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss whether the UK could become a successful AI hub, as the government hopes and asks if we'll be able to compete globally with the US and China, the home of huge tech companies?Guests:
Dame Wendy Hall, Regius Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Web Science Institute at the University of Southampton.
Eden Zoller, Chief Analyst in Applied AI, Omdia.
Professor Neil Lawrence, the DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at University of Cambridge and author of The Atomic Human
Jeremy Kahn, AI Editor at Fortune magazine and author of Mastering AI: A survival guide to our superpowered future. Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight, Nathan Gower
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Sound Engineer: James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon
UK