The Fourcast

An outage of Microsoft's services has caused massive disruption in the UK and around the world, with courts, schools, hospitals, businesses and more forced to resort to old communication methods like telephones, paper files and even fax machines.

But how worried should we be that a company thousands of miles away, can cause so much disruption to our vital national infrastructure?

On this episode of the Fourcast, Ayshah Tull speaks with Dr Louise Marie Hurel, a cybersecurity and technology expert, Tom Bartlett, who led the NHS data engineering team and the crisis management expert Amanda Coleman.

They discuss how resilient the UK’s critical national infrastructure is, whether we’ve become too reliant on certain softwares and whether actors like Russia and Iran could exploit them.

British national treasures are under the spotlight as David Walliams becomes the latest big name to face allegations of using his power to exploit and prey on young women and girls - allegations he strongly denies. 

But it’s further igniting conversations around power and abuse, particularly in the comedy and entertainment industries. It follows Russell Brand’s conviction and subsequent 10-and-a-half year sentence for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. 

So is naughties culture - the so-called era of indie sleaze and boys clubs - still alive today? And did the world of seemingly liberal comedy enable a predator like Brand and others to do what they did?

On this episode of The Fourcast, Culture Correspondent Minnie Stephenson is joined by award-winning comedian Jen Brister and feminist writer and influencer, Emily Clarkson.

US, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are discussing a possible end to the war, with Trump pushing for a peace deal. But the fundamental obstacles remain: Putin's territorial demands, Ukraine's future security and the question of whether any agreement would prevent Russia from invading again.

On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum to examine the latest developments in the peace negotiations.

Is Trump putting pressure on Putin or on Zelenskyy? What would Ukraine have to sacrifice to secure peace? And could a deal leave the country dangerously exposed to another Russian attack?

The boss of Nvidia, one of the world’s most valuable companies, has admitted to an affair. But this is no ordinary corporate scandal. The twist? The woman involved is suspected of being a Chinese spy. 

CEO Jensen Huang is now at the centre of an internal investigation of whether he has been the target of a “foreign intelligence effort” at Nvidia. The company, which is worth £3.5 trillion, sits at the heart of the global AI race. The biggest tech firms, think everyone from Amazon to Microsoft and Google to Meta, use Nvidia computer chips, making Nvidia strategically vital to America’s competition with China.

The tech giant’s stock plummeted by almost 8% when markets opened despite Nvidia denials that company secrets - or America’s national security - has been compromised. Meanwhile the Chinese government has also rebuffed the accusations calling them “baseless”.

So what’s really going on? What could a foreign intelligence operation hope to gain from a company like Nvidia? What information might be valuable to a spy? And what could this mean for the global balance of power in the AI race?

In this episode of The Fourcast, our Data Correspondent Ciaran Jenkins and Economics Editor Helia Ebrahimi are joined by Tahlia Peterson, a fellow in the Cyber and Tech team with RUSI to unpack the story and explain why an affair at one of the world’s biggest companies could have far reaching consequences far beyond Silicon Valley.

For weeks, France has been gripped by huge protests which have left the country in chaos and its government in a full blown crisis.

What started as student protests, have grown into nationwide demonstrations - and now strikes - in protest at the cost of living, pay and public services.

But the response from the government has been controversial, with many criticising what they see as heavy-handed tactics by police.

On this episode of the Fourcast, Alex Thomson is joined by Alice De Brito, the Vice President of the National Students’ Union of France, as well as Steve Erlanger, the chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe for the New York Times.

They discuss whether the chaos could pave the way for the far-right, if France can pay for the protesters’ demands and whether the unrest could spread around Europe.

Donald Trump promised to bring peace to the Middle East, but after months of war with Iran, American voters have delivered a stinging rebuke to the president in the midterm elections.

So what does that mean for America's role in the region? And after decades of wars and interventions, has the US done more harm than good?

On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by the award-winning journalist and author Kim Ghattas. Her new book, The Best Kind of American: Murder, War, and America's Undoing in the Middle East, tells the story of an assassination in Beirut more than 40 years ago, and what it reveals about America's role in the region today.

The midterms have been a disaster for Donald Trump and the Republican party. The democrats have retaken the house and the senate with shock results across the country. So what does this all mean? Is America’s electorate going through another major realignment? And has this completely shattered Trump’s authority? 

On this episode of the Fourcast, Kiran Moodley was joined by Democrat strategist Joe Caiazzo and Henry Olsen, senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

Wafa Mustafa has spent years searching for her missing father, who was arrested in Syria in 2013. Before his disappearance, he gave her a chilling warning: if he was arrested again, she would have to flee the country or Bashar al-Assad’s forces would torture her.

In this episode of The Fourcast, Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab and activist Wafa Mustafa join Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss their upcoming documentary, Maybe Tomorrow, about Wafa’s search for her father, and the thousands of families still waiting for answers about loved ones who disappeared in Assad’s Syria.

As vote counts trickle in following Israel’s high-stakes national election, results indicate a stalemate. Neither Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing nationalist bloc nor the opposition coalition led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party appear to have secured the 61-seat majority required to form a government.

With both major factions falling short of a clear victory, the country faces a familiar deadlock, leaving Arab-led parties such as Hadash-Ta'al as potential kingmakers. Despite high voter turnout and full-throated campaign endorsements from US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu's bid to secure a stable coalition hangs by a thread.

In this episode of The Fourcast, Secunder Kermani is joined by pollster and former Netanyahu aide Mitchell Barak, Senior Analyst from Haaretz , Esther Solomon and Adalah founder and director Dr Hassan Jabareen.

Andy Burnham came to power promising radical change, a circuit breaker for Britain’s stagnant economy. This was his first budget, meant to lay out his bold vision for Britain. But are we left thinking, is that it? 

Chancellor John Healey announced measures meant to ease the pressure of soaring costs, including a £100 pay out for 20 million households, a rise in the minimum wage and some tax relief for small businesses. He’s targeting banks and the gambling sector with higher taxes to fund his plans.

But his opponents accuse him of kicking big decisions on defence and welfare spending into the long grass at a time when the UK is facing global turmoil driven by the conflict in the Middle East. 

So what are we to make of this budget? John McDonnell who was Labour’s Shadow Chancellor from 2015 to 2020 and Darren Jones, who held several key advisory roles in Keir Starmer’s government, but was sacked in Andy Burnham’s cabinet reshuffle, join to discuss for this episode of The Fourcast.