Government

The Interview

1

The Interview

BBC World Service
Our Scottish Future

2

Our Scottish Future

Our Scottish Future
Talk War

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Talk War

Talk

14 Apr

1

John Healey, UK Defence Secretary: Russia’s covert operations

“It was three submarines. We tracked them 24/7 for over a month to make sure that we are able to say to Putin, we see what you’re doing, we’re watching you. It means that if there is ever any damage to our cables or our pipelines, we know we can hold Putin to account. We know he can’t deny it.” Adam Fleming speaks to John Healey, the UK Defence Secretary, after he revealed Russian submarines have been carrying out covert operations over the UK’s deep-sea cables and pipelines, critical to energy and internet traffic. He says the activity could form part of a wider strategy to map infrastructure in peacetime, and target it during conflict. While global attention is focused on the Middle East, he argues Britain cannot be distracted from what he calls its “primary threat”, and that the UK and its Nato allies must remain on constant alert to Russian activity. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, and Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Adam Fleming Producers: Osman Iqbal Editor: Justine Lang and Damon Rose Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media. (Image: John Healey Credit: Thomas Traasdahl / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP via Getty Images)

14 Apr

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22 min
5 May

2

Emma Grede, entrepreneur: Success needs trade-offs

“There's this idea that you [can] sail your way to success or have some overnight success or kind of come upon success relatively easily. And that has just never, ever been.” Amol Rajan speaks to entrepreneur and businesswoman Emma Grede about the trade-offs we have to make to get to where we want to be in life. Emma Grede is co-founder of the clothing brand Skims, which she created with her husband Jens and Kim Kardashian. From ordinary beginnings in East London to the forefront of global consumer brands and social influence in LA, Emma Grede argues that focus, trade-offs and relentless effort matter more than comfort if you are to succeed. She says that opportunity still exists, if you’re willing to chase it. Thank you to the Radical with Amol Rajan team for its help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with Arlo Parks, Parmy Olson and Chloé Zhao. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Cordelia Hemming Editor: Damon Rose and Farhana Haider Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media. (Image: Emma Grede. Credit: Reuters)

5 May

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23 min
19 May

3

Daniel Noboa, Ecuador President: A war on gangs

“This is a war. We will treat it as a war, and first thing that we want is the war to end. We want peace. We want a better life for our people, especially for our youth.” Caitriona Perry speaks to Ecuador President Daniel Noboa about his hard-line military crackdown on violent criminal gangs, which has involved measures that human rights groups warn could pose a risk to civil liberties. President Noboa, who is one of the world’s youngest leaders, has warned about the levels of crime faced in Ecuador. He claims that due to its location between Colombia and Peru, the world's two largest producers of cocaine, it has become a major location for drug-trafficking gangs. He talks about the attempts that have been made on his life, and the threats his family have faced. He calls on the cooperation from other countries to help fight international crime organisations. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with Volodymyr Zelensky, Azar Nafisi and Julia Gillard. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Caitriona Perry Producer: Ellyn Duncan, Chloe Ross and Cordelia Hemming Editor: Farhana Haider Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media. (Image: Daniel Noboa. Credit: Getty)

19 May

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23 min
24 Apr

4

Isaac Larian, entrepreneur: Failure is the foundation for success

“One thing I have learned from my childhood til now is that when you fall, you get up, dust yourself off, and do it over and over again. I’ve had a lot of up and downs in my business life in America. I’ve had many failures and people only talk about successes, but failures in my mind are the foundation of success.” Rahul Tandon speaks to Iranian-American entrepreneur Isaac Larian. The 72-year-old billionaire is the founder and chief executive of US-based MGA Entertainment, one of the world’s largest toy companies. Over the years, he’s been involved in several high-profile toy launches, including the ‘Bratz’ range of dolls back in 2001. But his success today, regularly appearing on rich lists compiled by the likes of Forbes, is a far cry from his early years growing up Tehran, where his family often struggled to put food on the table in a home without electricity or running water. His father ran a small textile shop that a young Larian would work in, buying and selling stock. And at the age of just 17, Larian took this business experience with him when he bought a one-way ticket to America to seek his fortune. Thank you to the Business Daily team for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with AI expert Parmy Olson, Syrian politician Hind Kabawat, and Finland’s president Alexander Stubb. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producers: Victoriya Holland and Ben Cooper Editor: Farhana Haider Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media. (Image: Isaac Larian Credit: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for The Toy Foundation)

24 Apr

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23 min
19/02/2024

5

Bringing Positive Change to the Community with Katie Kelly

Positive change is possible in Scotland, and it's happening. New podcast with former East Ayrshire local authority leader Katie Kelly on how the council there helped to build vibrant communities. Political consensus needed to promote this brilliant work across Scotland. Thanks for listening! Get the latest by following @scottish_future

19/02/2024

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58 min
07/12/2021

6

S2E2 - State of the World Review 2021

In this episode, Jaylen Chua, Fatima Musharrat and Kim Wong go around the world to reflect and analyse issues and events from 2021 - from COVID-19 and the Omicron Variant to gun control in the U.S. to the effects of Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Thank you for your support! We hope you learnt something! *NOTE: We apologise for all the audio issues in this episode. We are recording this episode remotely due to COVID-19. CONTACTS Freestone Government Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freestone_government/

07/12/2021

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2h 19m
3 Mar

7

Ex-MI6 Boss: Iran Has Sleeper Cells In The UK And Starmer “Sat On The Fence”

Jeremy Kyle is joined by former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove for a blunt assessment of the Iran crisis, the terror threat to Britain and Keir Starmer’s handling of the special relationship with Donald Trump. Dearlove says the Prime Minister “sat on the fence when he didn’t need to”, arguing the UK should have immediately backed the US and Israel as Australia and Canada did. He dismisses overreliance on international law as “a movable feast” and says national interest should have come first. On NATO, he acknowledges that an attack on RAF Akrotiri is serious, but stops short of calling for full Article 5 escalation. On domestic security, the former spy chief confirms there are groups in Britain sympathetic to Tehran and warns of the risk of Iranian-linked activity, including potential sleeper cells. While he says the security services are well equipped to disrupt organised plots, he flags the greater danger of lone actors. Dearlove, who reveals he has been personally sanctioned by the Iranian regime, describes that as a “badge of honour” and argues Iran’s ability to project power has been severely weakened — with the next chapter hinging on whether the Iranian people move against the IRGC from within. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Mar

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12 min
2 Mar

8

Trump, Iran And The UK-US Rift: Rear Admiral Mike Hewitt On Nuclear Strikes And The Special Relationship

On Talk War, Alex Phillips is joined by Rear Admiral Mike Hewitt, former US Navy officer, to analyse the escalating US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Donald Trump’s shift from diplomacy to military action, and the growing strain on the UK-US special relationship. Hewitt explains that negotiations in Oman ultimately collapsed over Iran’s refusal to give up uranium enrichment, which he describes as the core pathway to a nuclear weapons capability. He outlines what a true nuclear programme entails — enriched uranium, missile delivery systems and a functioning detonator — and argues there is “no doubt” Iran possesses key elements of that infrastructure. According to Hewitt, Trump even offered to fund a civilian nuclear energy programme for Iran, but the regime refused to abandon enrichment, making military escalation increasingly likely. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Mar

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10 min
2 Mar

9

Starmer And The US-Iran Strikes Row: International Law And The Right To Self Defence

On Talk War, Alex Phillips is joined by barrister and UK Lawyers for Israel legal director Natasha Hausdorff to dissect the escalating row over Iran, US airstrikes and the UK government’s position on international law. The discussion centres on reports that the Prime Minister initially refused permission for US forces to use RAF Fairford or Diego Garcia for strikes on Iranian missile systems, before apparent backpedalling amid Iranian retaliation targeting British assets in Cyprus. Hausdorff backs the legal analysis set out by Lord Wolfson, arguing that international law permits force in the face of imminent threat and within the context of an ongoing armed conflict. She maintains that Iran’s long record of proxy attacks, direct strikes and nuclear ambitions provides a clear legal framework for collective self-defence by Israel and the United States. In her view, critics focusing narrowly on “pre-emptive strikes” are ignoring the broader reality of an entrenched conflict and misapplying international humanitarian law. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Mar

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20 min
2 Apr

10

How the Chinese Communist Party Stays in Power

In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Ben Hillman, Director of the Australian Centre on China in the World at Australian National University and co-editor of the new book, The Communist Party of China: Understanding the Durability of the World's Most Powerful Political Organization. Ben explains how the Party has managed to stay in power, becoming the world's second-longest ruling party (barely losing out to North Korea's communist party) and maintaining an iron grip on power across vastly different phases in China's development. Ben addresses the role of ideology in Party governance, the utility of linguistic engineering and patriotic symbols in bolstering political legitimacy, the role of the United Front Work Department in manufacturing buy-in, and the Party's tremendous capacity for coercion.

2 Apr

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42 min

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