Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the Prime Minister's attempts on his US visit to make the UK the hub of AI regulation, highlighting the dangers of the fast-developing technology if it isn't controlled. He also discusses Labour's plans for social care reform, finding them rather lacking in detail. And, discussing the reluctance of ministers to hand over WhatsApp messages, he explains why it should not be up to the Government to decide what is relevant and why it is imperative we get an interim Covid Inquiry report as soon as possible.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin delves into the world of tech where driverless car rental has just been introduced in Milton Keynes, the cars being delivered by a remote operator. Sweaters are giving robots the sense of touch, Dyson's robot vacuum has 6 times the suck, there's a solution to mice devouring wheat seeds, a great new bird app, a smart cane for the blind, beaming energy from space to earth and progress towards getting astronauts to hibernate.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Neil Shah of Edison Group talks to Simon Rose about the general state of the markets, where the US and UK are lagging Europe and parts of Asia. The UK is held back by an absence of decent growth while investors are nervous of a possible American recession, deflation and banking problems. In the UK, though, there are always going to be interesting companies able to react to difficult conditions and Neil highlights what is happening at Topps Tiles and Gregg's.
Guests: Neil Shah
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson discusses the state of the UK box office where the live-action version of The Little Mermaid is in pole position. With some of the CGI making it feel animated, James thought it a mixed bag. He was no more impressed with the Ben Affleck thriller Hypnotic at #5, which he found silly and unworthwhile. He was, though, keen on the French drama Full Time, with Laure Calamy as a harrassed mother coping with a transport strike, which only made #13 in the chart.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University gives a fascinating analysis of Latin America's problems, with political instability and a growing macro-economic crisis. He also looks at the under-reported Vortex of Doom in South Africa, where there's a huge energy crisis and law and order is breaking down. Lastly, he turns to the UK, which now appears to be one of Europe's most nannying states when it comes to food, drink and health; is it a case of NHS demand management, he wonders?
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Russ Mould of A J Bell looks at the rise of the Japanese stock market, which has hit a 33-year-high. He points out that it is still a quarter below its all-time high, hit on the last day of 1989. After debt-fuelled craziness saw the land of the Imperial Palace worth more than all of California before a collapse, and with decades of QE since, foreign investors have long neglected the market. Japanese companies have become more shareholder-friendly than they used to be. Russ explains that it could be wisest for UK investors, if considering Japan, to use active or passive collective investments, rather than relying on individual shares.
Guests: Russ Mould
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin enlightens Simon Rose on the latest tech. Which? says that facial recognition on cheap smartphones can be unlocked by photos. Disney is shutting its Star Wars hotel, K9 Jets will let you travel with your dog – for a price, Tesla's bot Optimus is upgraded, AI can now create 3D-models, even from text, Google's AI is having trouble creating music, free WiFi on trains may disappear and the Spanish government want to develop an app to ensure that husbands do their fair share of housework.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
An ebullulient James Cameron-Wilson guides Simon Rose through the UK box office chart, welcoming FastX, the 10th in the franchise, to the #1 spot. He found it has plenty of laughs, shocks, surprises & thrills, though its opening of £5.9m is well down on previous iterations. He also recommends Are You There, God? It's Margaret, which opened at #4. Based on the Judy Plume novel, he thought it a touching and charming gem. His DVD of the month is the Belgian Oscar-nominated drama Close, which won last year's Grand Prix at Cannes. James thought it one of the most remarkable films he has seen for some time.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian discusses the news that net immigration hit 606,000 last year and explains why the UK is proving such a magnet for incomers. He looks at the call from the Covid inquiry for Boris Johnson to hand over his WhatsApp messages and the controversy over Suella Braverman and her speeding offence. And he looks across the Atlantic at the malfunctioning Twitter interview with Ron DeSantis and considers how unlikely it is that he can unseat Donald Trump as the Republican Presidential candidate.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University says that Labour's ideas are becoming clearer, with Starmer's promise to boost housebuilding outmanoeuvring the Conservatives and setting the cat among the pigeons. He discusses whether immigration is out of control in a world where people are moving more than ever and explains why he thinks Labour will take exactly the opposite stance to the Tories. And he picks up on a largely unreported comment by Donald Trump, that America will eventually default on its debt, to highlight the battle that is looming over the future of money and the banking system.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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