BBCNEWS — The World Today with Maryam Moshiri
20260806 183000 UTC
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[00:00:00] examine the evidence and get to the the facts. Watch our BBC Verify reports
[00:00:03] reports on the BBC News channel or
[00:00:04] or go online to find out more. MUSIC
[00:00:16] MUSIC This This is The World Today on BBC News.
[00:00:18] News. The headlines this hour. New New strikes hit two refineries deep
[00:00:22] deep inside Russia as a wave of Ukrainian
[00:00:24] Ukrainian drones target the country. country. The FAA withdraw support
[00:00:28] support for embattled Fifa president president Gianni Infantino as Uefa
[00:00:32] Uefa says Europe's World Cup boycott
[00:00:34] boycott may still go ahead. Power
[00:00:36] Power failure causes major disruption
[00:00:38] disruption across railways in the the northwest of England, and the
[00:00:42] the family of the British student student Meredith Kercher murdered
[00:00:45] murdered in Italy almost 20 years years ago, criticised an Edinburgh
[00:00:48] Edinburgh comedy show by the woman woman convicted and later acquitted
[00:00:51] acquitted of killing her. There are
[00:01:00] are calls for an independent inquiry inquiry into an army training college
[00:01:03] college for teenagers in Yorkshire, Yorkshire, where four young women
[00:01:06] women say they were sexually assaulted assaulted and harassed. They told
[00:01:09] told the BBC the incidents happened happened at the Army Foundation College
[00:01:13] College in Harrogate. The army said said the claims were extremely distressing
[00:01:17] distressing and serious. This report report from our senior UK correspondent
[00:01:21] correspondent Sima Kotecha, contains
[00:01:22] contains details of abuse allegations.
[00:01:25] allegations. It ruined my life. I've
[00:01:28] I've lost all my confidence. The
[00:01:31] The words of women who went to the the largest army training college
[00:01:34] college in the country for 16 and
[00:01:36] and 17 year-olds. Speaking to the the BBC for the first time. It needs
[00:01:40] needs to be closed down and I don't
[00:01:42] don't get why it hasn't. Just doesn't doesn't make sense. The Army Foundation
[00:01:46] Foundation College in Harrogate is is for teenagers who want a life
[00:01:49] life in the armed forces, but now
[00:01:52] now it's at the centre of serious serious allegations from several several women who went to the college
[00:01:56] college in recent years. Claims of
[00:01:59] of harassment and sexual assault
[00:02:01] assault Tilly, not her real name, name, says she was raped by fellow
[00:02:05] fellow recruits. They started taking taking my clothes off and then this
[00:02:08] this led to them doing stuff I didn't
[00:02:11] didn't consent to. There were a lot
[00:02:14] lot of them. They touched me in places, places, made inappropriate comments,
[00:02:17] comments, calling me a thing rather rather than a girl. Like some of
[00:02:21] of the other women we spoke to, Tilly Tilly reported it to the police.
[00:02:24] police. We're not providing the full full details of all their investigations
[00:02:28] investigations to protect their identity.
[00:02:31] identity. Monica, also not her real real name, says she too was attacked
[00:02:34] attacked by a junior soldier. Stood Stood against the door so I couldn't
[00:02:37] couldn't get out. He then pushed pushed himself up against me and
[00:02:40] and started kissing my face and touching
[00:02:42] touching me all over. He sexually sexually assaulted me. All of the
[00:02:46] the women we've spoken to went to to this college over the last five
[00:02:50] five years. Data obtained by the the BBC through a Freedom of Information
[00:02:53] Information request shows that North
[00:02:56] North Yorkshire Police recorded 16 16 sexual offence crimes over the
[00:03:00] the last year at this college, including
[00:03:04] including voyeurism and exposure exposure and sexual assault. These
[00:03:07] These are recorded complaints and and it's not clear how many led to
[00:03:10] to prosecutions. If this was anywhere anywhere else it would have been been closed down by now. I think
[00:03:14] think as a matter of urgency, there
[00:03:16] there should be an independent inquiry inquiry into the college led by someone
[00:03:20] someone with significant safeguarding safeguarding expertise. This woman
[00:03:24] woman is the mother of a former soldier.
[00:03:26] soldier. She says her daughter was was touched inappropriately. She
[00:03:30] She was literally recruited from
[00:03:31] from school, sold a dream and then
[00:03:34] then had to navigate almost daily daily sexual harassment. And it just
[00:03:38] just broke my heart because what
[00:03:40] what you forget about is that she's
[00:03:43] she's just a child. The government
[00:03:46] government defines a child as anyone
[00:03:48] anyone under 18. In response to the the allegations made in this report,
[00:03:52] report, the Ministry of Defence says
[00:03:54] says unacceptable and criminal behaviour behaviour has absolutely no place
[00:03:57] place in our armed forces and these
[00:03:59] these reports are extremely distressing distressing and serious. It says
[00:04:03] says it's created the defence Serious
[00:04:05] Serious Crime Command, which is independent independent and outside of the army
[00:04:09] army chain of command and has a specialist
[00:04:11] specialist team who help victims
[00:04:13] victims throughout the process of
[00:04:16] of justice. The Army is a tough training
[00:04:20] training environment with high standards, standards, but the supervision and
[00:04:23] and discipline of junior recruits recruits and their instructors is
[00:04:26] is now in sharp focus. After so many
[00:04:30] many serious allegations. Sima Kotecha,
[00:04:33] Kotecha, BBC News. Well, if you've you've been affected by this story,
[00:04:37] story, details of help and support
[00:04:38] support in the UK are available@bbc.co.uk/
[00:04:43] available@bbc.co.uk/ action line. line. Now the Facebook owner Meta Meta has become the latest tech firm
[00:04:47] firm to say one of its AI models models was able to connect to the
[00:04:51] the internet and hack into another another organisation's systems during
[00:04:54] during testing. Remember similar similar breaches by OpenAI and Anthropic
[00:04:58] Anthropic models have raised cyber cyber concerns and prompted calls
[00:05:01] calls for tougher safeguards and and more rigorous testing. Ivana
[00:05:05] Ivana Bartoletti is chief of AI governance governance at Wipro. It's a global
[00:05:09] global tech services and consulting consulting company. She gave me her
[00:05:13] her analysis. In the last two weeks,
[00:05:15] weeks, four different organisations organisations OpenAI, Anthropic,
[00:05:19] Anthropic, Meta and separately the
[00:05:22] the UK AI government testing body.
[00:05:23] body. They ran security tests and
[00:05:26] and of their AI agents. AI agents
[00:05:28] agents are systems that do things. things. For example, they can book
[00:05:32] book a flight for you or they can can do something, something else.
[00:05:36] else. So they run security tests
[00:05:39] tests on their agent and it's a little
[00:05:41] little bit like a bank hiring someone someone to try to break into their
[00:05:45] their own vault, right? To find weaknesses
[00:05:49] weaknesses before a real thief does. does. And in each case, what happened
[00:05:52] happened is that the vault wasn't
[00:05:54] wasn't as sealed, as protected as
[00:05:56] as they thought it was going to be.
[00:05:59] be. So the agent was trying to complete complete the task. It had been set
[00:06:02] set and found a way out of the test
[00:06:06] test environment and touched sort
[00:06:08] sort of real systems. It was never
[00:06:10] never meant to reach. So to an extent, extent, you know, you can compare
[00:06:13] compare this to like a guard dog, dog, you know, that will let let
[00:06:16] let off its leash in a secure test
[00:06:18] test yard that turn out to have a
[00:06:20] a gap in the fence. So in and in
[00:06:24] in one case, things went a little little bit further. So what happened
[00:06:27] happened is that the agent pretended pretended to be a real person to
[00:06:31] to get access to a system which is is a little bit more worrying. As
[00:06:35] As a kind of a problem. So but none
[00:06:38] none of this happened to ordinary ordinary people using these products.
[00:06:42] products. So all of this happened happened during the company's own
[00:06:46] own deliberate testing. So should
[00:06:48] should be worrying. Well, we can't
[00:06:51] can't underestimate obviously, but
[00:06:53] but this is not AI turning against
[00:06:55] against us. This is AI doing exactly
[00:06:58] exactly what it was told. So through
[00:07:00] through a gap that nobody meant to
[00:07:04] to leave open. That was Ivana Bartoletti Bartoletti they're speaking to me
[00:07:08] me about AI now. As weather events
[00:07:10] events become more extreme, fake fake videos are being shared rapidly
[00:07:13] rapidly online and it's causing real real world problems in China. The
[00:07:17] The government there has vowed to to crack down on misinformation.
[00:07:20] misinformation. But as our China China correspondent Stephen McDonnell
[00:07:23] McDonnell explains, identifying AI AI generated content is becoming
[00:07:26] becoming increasingly difficult. difficult. This isn't footage from from a natural disaster, it's AI.
[00:07:30] AI. As weather events become more more extreme, fake and misleading
[00:07:34] misleading videos are being shared shared more rapidly online with real
[00:07:37] real world consequences. In China, China, following recent typhoons,
[00:07:40] typhoons, the authorities say creators creators are making misleading content,
[00:07:44] content, some to attract viewers, viewers, others to cause panic or
[00:07:48] or social unrest. The Chinese government government pointed to this flood
[00:07:51] flood rescue video as an example example of how false and AI generated
[00:07:54] generated videos can mislead the the public about the emergency response.
[00:07:58] response. It's also vowed to crack crack down on misinformation. But
[00:08:01] But as we discovered, finding out out what's really AI generated can
[00:08:05] can be very difficult. Take this
[00:08:06] this video sent to the BBC by a shop shop owner in Guangdong. He says
[00:08:10] says it was filmed by a family member member after a recent flood. We ran
[00:08:14] ran it through AI checks and reached reached out to experts, but it came
[00:08:17] came back with conflicting results results as to whether it was AI generated.
[00:08:20] generated. The Chinese government government says this footage claiming
[00:08:23] claiming to show released crocodiles crocodiles in flood waters was old,
[00:08:27] old, likely from another country country and being misrepresented
[00:08:29] misrepresented as China. The earliest earliest related post we could find
[00:08:32] find featured a woman speaking Hindi
[00:08:34] Hindi who also had several AI videos
[00:08:37] videos on her Instagram profile. profile. One AI expert said that
[00:08:40] that the images are likely real, real, but that their test showed
[00:08:43] showed mixed results. Ours did too.
[00:08:45] too. Either way, whether it's old
[00:08:48] old footage being reshared or AI AI generated, it's still misinformation.
[00:08:51] misinformation. Recently, there have have been arrests and punishment punishment ranging from detention
[00:08:55] detention to fines for the creation creation of bogus reports and fake
[00:08:58] fake videos. It's clear, though, though, that as disasters become
[00:09:01] become more frequent and extreme
[00:09:04] extreme and AI continues to develop, develop, that protecting the public
[00:09:07] public is becoming ever more difficult. difficult. That's Stephen McDonnell
[00:09:11] McDonnell reporting there from China. China. Now the budget airline Easyjet
[00:09:13] Easyjet has agreed to be taken over
[00:09:17] over in a £5.7 billion deal from from the US firm Apollo. The deal
[00:09:20] deal was announced after rival suitor suitor Castlelake said it was dropping
[00:09:24] dropping out of the bid battle for for the no frills airline. EasyJet
[00:09:27] EasyJet is one of Europe's largest largest airlines and employs more
[00:09:30] more than 19,000 people at flies
[00:09:33] flies to around 1200 routes across across 35 European countries. It
[00:09:37] It was founded by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou
[00:09:40] Haji-Ioannou in 1995 to offer cheap cheap airfares to Europe from the
[00:09:43] the UK. Time for a short break. Now Now around the world and across the
[00:09:47] the UK. This
[00:10:50] flowing again, one that will pay pay off? Join us on Talking Business
[00:10:52] Business Weekly on BBC News. The
[00:10:58] The sister of the murdered British British exchange student Meredith
[00:11:02] Meredith Kercher has appealed to to Amanda Knox not to go ahead with
[00:11:05] with a comedy show at the Edinburgh Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Amanda
[00:11:09] Amanda Knox was convicted but later later acquitted of the murder in
[00:11:13] in Italy in 2007. Miss Kercher's Kercher's sister says the proposed
[00:11:16] proposed stand up show turns the the rape and murder of Meredith into
[00:11:20] into entertainment. Emma Vardy has has more on a warning her report
[00:11:23] report contains flashing images.
[00:11:26] images. Characterised in court as
[00:11:28] as a cold, manipulative femme fatale fatale for many years Amanda Knox
[00:11:32] Knox was portrayed to the world as
[00:11:34] as a murderer convicted along with
[00:11:36] with her former boyfriend 21-year-old
[00:11:40] 21-year-old Meredith Kercher was was found dead in the apartment they
[00:11:43] they shared. She had been stabbed
[00:11:44] stabbed in the throat. Amanda Knox
[00:11:48] Knox spent four years in prison. prison. But after years of appeals
[00:11:52] appeals and Retrials, Italy's highest highest court, finally acquitted acquitted her. I'm so grateful to
[00:11:56] to have my life back. After years
[00:11:59] years rebuilding her identity through through documentaries, books and
[00:12:03] and podcasts, she's now bringing bringing a stand up comedy show to
[00:12:06] to the Edinburgh Fringe. My friends friends and family are actually really
[00:12:09] really nervous for me, despite my my spotless record in the court of
[00:12:12] of public opinion, I bombed in a
[00:12:15] a courtroom and they sent me to prison, prison, so I'm just saying I'd rather
[00:12:18] rather be heckled than shackled.
[00:12:19] shackled. To. But Meredith's family
[00:12:22] family have told the BBC their pain
[00:12:24] pain is being turned into entertainment. entertainment. Whilst I appreciate appreciate comedy is there to push
[00:12:28] push the boundaries and you know
[00:12:32] know it very much normalises and and trivialises violence against
[00:12:36] against women and Meredith in particular. particular. And it shouldn't be given
[00:12:39] given a platform for that specific specific topic. They've backed a
[00:12:42] a petition calling for the show to to be cancelled, but Amanda Knox
[00:12:46] Knox says the show honours Meredith's Meredith's memory rather than making
[00:12:49] making light of it. I'm not the first. first. Person to invent using comedy
[00:12:53] comedy to talk about traumatic and
[00:12:55] and difficult material, and I think
[00:12:58] think that, again, I would hope that that people will honestly engage
[00:13:01] engage with my work and recognise, recognise, like the deep heart and
[00:13:04] and sensitivity that I bring to it it as I tell a very personal story
[00:13:08] story through a comedic lens. The The show, which is said to be sold
[00:13:12] sold out, has raised questions for for the fringe over someone's right
[00:13:15] right to tell their own story and
[00:13:17] and the impact of that on others.
[00:13:19] others. The round. Nearly two decades
[00:13:22] decades on, it's another chapter chapter for Amanda Knox in a story
[00:13:25] story she spent years trying to tell.
[00:13:28] tell. Emma Vardy. BBC News. Well,
[00:13:31] Well, let's speak to Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco, Pizzuto-Pomaco, who is Edinburgh
[00:13:34] Edinburgh correspondent for the Herald. Herald. Great to speak to you, Josh, Josh, thanks for joining us. So where
[00:13:38] where do we stand here? I mean, what what exactly is this show about?
[00:13:41] about? Yes. So Amanda Knox has said
[00:13:44] said this is an exploration of femininity femininity and motherhood and all
[00:13:48] all these things through the lens lens of comedy. Looking back at that
[00:13:52] that time in her life as a young
[00:13:54] young student in Italy, the trial
[00:13:57] trial and the corresponding legal legal battle and that's what she
[00:14:00] she said. There's been a lot of controversy controversy about that from, you
[00:14:04] you know, members of the public. public. A petition has been set up,
[00:14:06] up, as we've heard, and but at its
[00:14:09] its heart, you know, Amanda Knox Knox says this is about reclaiming
[00:14:12] reclaiming her story and sharing
[00:14:13] sharing her sense of being wronged wronged by the justice system. And
[00:14:17] And how has the fringe responded responded to this level of controversy? controversy? I imagine it's not the
[00:14:21] the first time something controversial controversial has been shown at the
[00:14:24] the fringe. So what's the reaction reaction been from the organisers? organisers? Yeah. Certainly not.
[00:14:28] not. I mean, the fringe no stranger
[00:14:31] stranger to controversial comedy comedy and plays and things, there's
[00:14:35] there's been, you know, issues over over gender critical views, trans
[00:14:38] trans rights, Israel, Palestine, Palestine, the whole gamut. This This is unique, I think, in a way
[00:14:41] way because it involves, you know, know, you know, a very serious personal
[00:14:45] personal thing. The fringe has said
[00:14:48] said they are committed to upholding upholding the rights of free speech.
[00:14:51] speech. It's important to note, of
[00:14:53] of course, any decision about cancelling cancelling or, you know, putting
[00:14:56] putting the show off off the public public eye would be a decision for
[00:15:00] for the individual venue, not for for the wider Edinburgh Fringe Society.
[00:15:04] Society. Just a good thing to clarify clarify there. It's the decision
[00:15:07] decision of the Gilded Balloon, which which is the company which is producing
[00:15:11] producing or hosting the show. It's It's their decision whether or not
[00:15:14] not to continue with the show. And And the show is completely sold out.
[00:15:18] out. So what are the chances they're they're going to change their minds minds and decide not to host the
[00:15:22] the show? I think it's very unlikely. unlikely. Again, as you say, you
[00:15:25] you know, for the entire sort of of ten day run, it's completely sold
[00:15:28] sold out, which I think speaks to to maybe a morbid curiosity. You
[00:15:31] You know, we see that with true crime crime in today's culture. And this
[00:15:35] this is another example of that. that. So I'd say it's very unlikely unlikely that anything's being cancelled.
[00:15:39] cancelled. I think Amanda Knox has has made it clear that she's going going forward. And that seems to
[00:15:43] to be the case with the venue as as well. OK. Josh good to talk to
[00:15:46] to you. Thank you very much for taking
[00:15:47] taking the time to speak to us. In
[00:15:51] In the five years since the Taliban Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan,
[00:15:55] Afghanistan, women have been banned banned from all organised sport.
[00:15:58] sport. But against the odds, Afghanistan's Afghanistan's women footballers now
[00:16:01] now scattered across the world, have
[00:16:02] have found a way back into the international
[00:16:06] international stage after Fifa changed changed its rules, allowing them
[00:16:08] them to officially represent Afghanistan.
[00:16:11] Afghanistan. Mahjooba Nowrouzi from from BBC Global Women followed their their journey as they travelled to
[00:16:15] to New Zealand for their first training
[00:16:17] training camp and match. At some
[00:16:23] some the Meghan Owen. A song for
[00:16:27] for Afghanistan, a team reunited. reunited. These players have travelled
[00:16:30] travelled from across the world for
[00:16:32] for two friendlies in Auckland against
[00:16:35] against the Cook Islands. The first
[00:16:38] first since Fifa allowed Afghanistan's
[00:16:40] Afghanistan's team in exile back back into international football.
[00:16:43] football. In Afghanistan to be free. free. And we want Afghan girls and
[00:16:47] and women to be free, to be able
[00:16:49] able to choose who they want to be. be. We want to prove that we are
[00:16:54] are still here. We still fighting fighting for the rights that you
[00:16:56] you took away from us. Five years
[00:16:59] years ago. Everything changed for
[00:17:01] for them almost overnight when the the Taliban returned to power, women
[00:17:05] women were banned from playing sports.
[00:17:09] sports. Afghanistan's women's team team was forced into exile, unable
[00:17:13] unable to represent their country. country. They were scattered across
[00:17:16] across the world. I was bullied throughout throughout high school and football football gave me the confidence to
[00:17:20] to be who I am today and to be able able to speak loud so I don't know
[00:17:23] know where I would be. Now they are
[00:17:26] are back together rebuilding the
[00:17:28] the team. They thought they had lost.
[00:17:31] lost. For these players, football football is more than a game. I wanted
[00:17:34] wanted to use this platform to advocate advocate for the war in Afghanistan Afghanistan who haven't been allowed
[00:17:38] allowed to study for the past five
[00:17:40] five years. Obviously the book The
[00:17:44] The Rose, who is a representation representation of women and the date
[00:17:48] date August 15th and the date that
[00:17:50] that Afghanistan fell. These matches
[00:17:55] matches are only the beginning. The The aim is to rebuild Afghanistan's
[00:17:58] Afghanistan's team in exile and to
[00:18:00] to compete for a place at the 2028
[00:18:04] 2028 Olympic Games. I would be proud proud of the team and proud of myself
[00:18:08] myself that I was part of the journey journey and we made history by being
[00:18:12] being the first like football team team to get our recognition without
[00:18:15] without the approval of the Taliban. Taliban. I'm so proud of our young young players who played today. Great
[00:18:19] Great game. Don't cry. Don't put put your heads down. It's more than
[00:18:22] than football for us. Afghanistan Afghanistan lost both matches to
[00:18:26] to the Cook Islands, but after years
[00:18:28] years in exile simply wearing their
[00:18:30] their country's colours again is
[00:18:33] is a victory. Their Olympic dream dream is is still alive. We don't
[00:18:36] don't know when we're going to see see each other again, but it's just
[00:18:39] just always amazing to have the second
[00:18:41] second time. Up. Yeah. Mahjooba Nowrouzi
[00:18:46] Nowrouzi BBC Auckland. Star Wars
[00:18:49] Wars is going to be dubbed into Welsh Welsh for the first time ahead of
[00:18:53] of the film's 50th anniversary next next year. The Welsh language version
[00:18:56] version of the original film, A New New Hope, will broadcast on Welsh
[00:18:59] Welsh language broadcaster S4C and and its platforms from Christmas
[00:19:03] Christmas Day, while Claire Evans Evans will play the Golden Protocol
[00:19:07] Protocol droid C-3PO in the dub.
[00:19:08] dub. He told us about taking on the
[00:19:11] the iconic character. I'm a child child of the 70s and 80s, so I'm
[00:19:15] I'm a massive Star Wars fan, you you know? He's fluent in over 6 million
[00:19:18] million languages and now he's fluent
[00:19:21] fluent in 6,000,001, hence his ability
[00:19:22] ability to talk Welsh. So well. You
[00:19:25] You know, I'm so I know the character character so well because over the
[00:19:29] the years I've watched the films films and he's lives on his nerves.
[00:19:33] nerves. And yeah, I found it quite quite simply, whilst she's a very
[00:19:36] very poetic language and we tend tend to use more words than English
[00:19:39] English because we're far more descriptive
[00:19:42] descriptive and imaginative. So trying
[00:19:43] trying to squeeze those English lines
[00:19:46] lines into his few words, Welsh words words as possible was tricky. And
[00:19:50] And also you've got that intergalactic intergalactic gobbledegook to translate.
[00:19:54] translate. So the translators had had a bit of work on their hands.
[00:19:58] hands. Fantastic stuff. Now a rare rare tiger has been released in Kazakhstan
[00:20:01] Kazakhstan for the first time in
[00:20:03] in 70 years. Umit, a female Amur
[00:20:06] Amur tiger, has been released into into Kazakhstan's Ile-Balkhash Nature
[00:20:10] Nature Reserve as part of a programme programme to restore the animals
[00:20:13] animals population, which was wiped wiped out in Central Asia a century
[00:20:16] century ago. Umit is one of four four tigers transferred from Russia.
[00:20:21] Russia. She'll be monitored on how how she takes to the new habitat
[00:20:23] habitat before a decision is made
[00:20:25] made on when to release the other
[00:20:27] other three. Rihanna could be making
[00:20:31] making music soon, according to her her partner ASAP Rocky. Rihanna,
[00:20:35] Rihanna, whose real name is Robin
[00:20:37] Robin Fenty, hasn't released a full
[00:20:40] full album since 2016. Anti ASAP
[00:20:42] ASAP Rocky said on the Jason Lee
[00:20:45] Lee podcast. She's in the studio studio right now, adding she's cooking.
[00:20:48] cooking. We don't have any details, details, but the pair have said they
[00:20:52] they won't collaborate on a double
[00:20:55] double album. MUSIC
[00:21:09] Grand Central Station is one of
[00:21:11] my favourite New York City structures.
[00:21:13] structures. It's a glorious reminder
[00:21:15] reminder of the golden age of American American railroads. It also provides
[00:21:19] provides the setting for some early early scenes in what many people
[00:21:23] people regard as one of the greatest greatest American thrillers of all
[00:21:27] all time. The picture North by Northwest,
[00:21:30] Northwest, an American thriller, thriller, yes, but directed by a
[00:21:33] a British filmmaker, the master of
[00:21:35] of suspense Alfred Hitchcock. Top
[00:21:39] Top US film critic Bilge Ebiri told
[00:21:41] told me he's such an ardent fan of of North by Northwest that he's seen
[00:21:44] seen the film at least 50 times.
[00:21:47] times. Do you know this man? Look
[00:21:58] Look North by Northwest from 1959,
[00:22:01] 1959, the pinnacle of Hitchcock's Hitchcock's American filmmaking career.
[00:22:04] career. Listen to me. I had nothing nothing to do with it. And also I
[00:22:07] I think it's kind of the pinnacle pinnacle of a particular kind of
[00:22:10] of studio filmmaking that Hollywood Hollywood specialised in. Automatically
[00:22:13] Automatically means a rising sales. sales. North by northwest follows
[00:22:16] follows an ad executive named Roger
[00:22:18] Roger Thornhill, played by Cary Grant,
[00:22:21] Grant, who is mistaken for a spy
[00:22:24] spy by some nefarious figures. And
[00:22:27] And they're convinced that he's this this other person and they try to
[00:22:31] to kill him and he winds up going
[00:22:35] going on this cross-country adventure adventure trying both to prove his
[00:22:39] his innocence and also to flee from from the authorities. North by northwest
[00:22:43] northwest had a huge impact on me me because in some way it treats
[00:22:46] treats a lot of Hitchcock's deeper deeper themes about guilt and accusation,
[00:22:50] accusation, while also framing it
[00:22:53] it within this incredibly exciting,
[00:22:56] exciting, delightful, charming adventure
[00:22:58] adventure plot. Well, here we are
[00:23:00] are again. Yes. One of the most famous
[00:23:03] famous sequences in this film is
[00:23:05] is the crop duster sequence. It occurs
[00:23:08] occurs about halfway through the the film. Cary Grant's character
[00:23:10] character has been told that he's he's going to meet somebody out in
[00:23:13] in the middle of nowhere on this this highway road. There's nobody
[00:23:16] nobody around for miles and miles.
[00:23:18] miles. A flat, blank expanse. And
[00:23:21] And then, of course, he sees this
[00:23:24] this little plane appearing in the the distance, you know, dusting crops.
[00:23:27] crops. And you realise that the plane
[00:23:29] plane is there to kill them. They
[00:23:35] They start to fire at him and he
[00:23:37] he runs away. It's an incredible
[00:23:41] incredible sequence when I think
[00:23:42] think about what makes American cinema
[00:23:45] cinema so special, I have to think think about the Hollywood system
[00:23:48] system and the kinds of films it it made possible, the kind of scale
[00:23:52] scale it made possible, the kind kind of stardom, the kind of charm
[00:23:56] charm it made possible. And to me,
[00:24:00] me, North by Northwest really kind kind of stands at the very top of
[00:24:03] of that. You know, it is Hollywood
[00:24:06] Hollywood firing on all cylinders, cylinders, maybe for one of the very
[00:24:09] very last times. It's a great example
[00:24:13] example of a studio film. It's a a great example of a master filmmaker
[00:24:17] filmmaker at the height of his powers
[00:24:19] powers in the studio system, working working with one of the great stars
[00:24:22] stars of the studio system to create
[00:24:24] create something so beautiful and
[00:24:27] and so magnificent, right as the the studio system is essentially
[00:24:30] essentially about to collapse. But
[00:24:32] But the thing that they create together
[00:24:35] together becomes this work that is is so influential and that winds
[00:24:38] winds up influencing all the filmmakers filmmakers that come after not just just American filmmakers from all
[00:24:42] all over the world. Well, if we ever ever get out of this alive, let's
[00:24:45] let's go back to New York on the
[00:24:47] the train together. All right. Is
[00:24:50] Is that a proposition?
[00:28:35] MUSIC
[00:28:42] What new industries are created. Because what we've seen
[00:28:44] seen throughout history is new industries industries are created and it's that
[00:28:48] that process that actually opens opens new doors. That was the that
[00:28:51] that was the mandate from Prime Minister Minister Starmer. He wants the UK
[00:28:55] UK to be an AI superpower. He recognises
[00:28:58] recognises that the ingredients are
[00:28:59] are all right here. AI is real. AI
[00:29:02] AI on total will pay off just like like cars in total paid off TV and
[00:29:06] and total paid off. But most people people involved in it didn't do well.
[00:29:10] well. It's a revolutionary, you know, know, time upon us. And I think,
[00:29:14] think, you know, all industries will will be adopting AI in some shape
[00:29:17] shape or form. MUSIC
[00:29:37] MUSIC
[00:30:13] Hello and welcome to The Context USA. I'm Sumi Somaskanda
[00:30:16] Somaskanda in Washington and I'm I'm Annita McVeigh in London. And
[00:30:20] And tonight we're focusing on the the role of intelligence sharing
[00:30:23] sharing between the US and Ukraine. Ukraine. As Ukraine intensifies attacks
[00:30:26] attacks on Russian infrastructure. infrastructure. This is a deliberate
[00:30:30] deliberate Ukrainian strategy to to take the war deeper into Russian
[00:30:33] Russian territory, to make the Russian
[00:30:34] Russian people really feel the impact.
[00:30:37] impact. A US Senate committee has has voted to hold. Former White House
[00:30:40] House medical adviser Anthony Fauci Fauci in contempt after he refused
[00:30:44] refused to answer questions about about his handling of the Covid pandemic.
[00:30:47] pandemic. If we were to grant him him immunity from telling the truth
[00:30:50] truth of what value, you know, would
[00:30:52] would his testimony be? Metta becomes
[00:30:55] becomes the latest firm to say one
[00:30:57] one of its AI models hacked another another company.