The Briefing Room

In 1964, pre-historic remains were discovered at Jabal Aṣ-Ṣaḥābah - or Mountain of the Companions - in the Nile Valley near what is now the border of northern Sudan and Egypt. That site contained evidence of the earliest known warfare believed to have taken place around 13,500 years ago. It’s thought that climate change led to that conflict; as crop yields became smaller, more groups had to compete with each other for what food sources were available. Spears and possibly arrows were the high-tech weapons of choice in the Nile Valley. Flash forward to today and it’s AI-enabled drones that have been - literally - levelling the playing field for Ukraine in their battle against Russia. But as technological advancement continues apace what lessons have we learned from recent conflicts and how might things change in the wars yet to begin? Guests: Shashank Joshi, defence editor at The Economist, Dr Jack Watling, Senior Research Fellow for Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute Dr Emma Salisbury, associate fellow in military innovation at the Council on GeostrategyProduction team: Ben Carter and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound engineer: Neil Churchill

It is two years since Russia began its costly conflict against Ukraine. How does it fund its war effort, how do sanctions impact that and how tight is Putin's grip on power?Guests: Sarah Rainsford, BBC Eastern Europe Correspondent Maria Shagina, Research Fellow for Economic Sanctions, Standards and Strategy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Isaac Levi, Europe-Russia Policy & Energy Analysis Team Lead at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air Mark Galeotti, Writer on Russian security affairs and director of the consultancy Mayak IntelligenceProduction team: Nick Holland, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound engineer: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

Deaths from synthetic opioids such as nitazenes and fentanyl are low in the UK but there are fears the problem could escalate and that figures don't show the true picture of the situation. David Aaronovitch explores how dangerous these drugs are, why the opioid crisis is so bad in the US, where they come from and why a shortage of heroin in the UK could mean drug cartels switch to supplying these often fatal alternatives.Guests: Rick Treble, Forensic chemist, and advisor to the Government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. Dr Caroline Copeland, Director of the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths Alex Stevens, Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Kent Sam Quinones, journalist and author of 'Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic'Production team: Nick Holland, Kirsteen Knight and Charlotte McDonald Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar Editor: Penny Murphy

This week a great queue of dentistless Bristolians appeared outside a new practice offering NHS treatment. That followed a report on children’s health which specifically referenced the poor and worsening state of their teeth. This week the government announced a package to try and improve things in England. But did it go anything like far enough to solve the problems of too few dentists being willing or able to treat NHS patients? David Aaronovitch is joined by the following experts:Beccy Baird, Senior Fellow, the King’s Fund Ian Mills, Dentist and Associate Professor of Primary Care Dentistry at the Peninsula Dental School in Plymouth Thea Stein, Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust Professor Claire Stevens CBE, Spokesperson, British Society of Paediatric DentistryProduction team: Nick Holland, Kirsteen Knight and Charlotte McDonald Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

This week the Education Select Committee said that Ofsted and the Government must rebuild trust and make major changes to school inspections.This follows months of news coverage of the death of Ruth Perry, the headteacher who killed herself following an Ofsted inspection at her primary school. The coroner ruled that it contributed to her death.This week we ask - what’s the point of Ofsted?David is joined by the following experts: Sam Freedman, senior fellow at the Institute for Government John Jerrim, Professor of Education and Social Statistics, at UCL Carole Willis, Chief Executive, National Foundation for Educational Research Colin Diamond, Professor of Educational Leadership, University of BirminghamProduction team: Nick Holland, Kirsteen Knight and Charlotte McDonald Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound: Hal Haines and Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

The UK is experiencing more rain and more floods than previously, and because of climate change this is set to get worse. More than 6 million homes are at risk of flooding in the UK. What is the state of the country’s flood defences? Can people get insurance? What can we do to prepare for a wetter future?David Aaronovitch is joined by the following experts: Louise Slater, Professor of Hydroclimatology at the University of Oxford Edmund Penning-Rowsell, Research Associate at Oxford University Centre for the Environment Hannah Cloke, Professor of Hydrology at the University of Reading Steven Forrest, Lecturer in Flood Resilience and Sustainable Transformations, Hull UniversityProduction team: Nick Holland, Kirsteen Knight and Charlotte McDonald Production Co-ordinator: Sophie Hill and Katie Morrison Sound: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

It’s been another difficult week for local government. Birmingham City Council announced it needs to make up to 600 redundancies to help balance its books and Middlesbrough Council decided to apply to the Government for £15m of emergency funding to avoid effective bankruptcy. Also this week new figures have been released showing just how much debt some local authorities hold. And it’s a lot. Since 2021 there have been six councils which have declared themselves effectively bankrupt. Given the responsibilities of local government that feels serious for many of us. So what are the financial pressures facing councils and why?David Aaronovitch is joined by the following experts: Aileen Murphie, specialist adviser to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities select committee and former National Audit Office Director Tony Travers, visiting Professor at the LSE’s Department of Government Kate Ogden, Senior Research Economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies.Production team: Nick Holland, Kirsteen Knight and Charlotte McDonald Production Co-ordinators: Sophie Hill Sound: Andy Fell Editor: Richard Vadon

As if the conflict in Gaza wasn’t bad enough, the fighting has ignited old and new tensions elsewhere across the region. Since the surprise attack by Hamas on 7th October, clashes on the Lebanon-Israel border have restarted, attacks on US troops stationed in Syria and Iraq have escalated and a group of Houthi armed rebels from Yemen has started firing rockets at cargo ships trying to access the Suez Canal from the Red Sea. So in this week’s programme David Aaronovitch asks how close the war in Gaza is to becoming a wider conflict across the Middle East. David is joined by the following experts: Frank Gardner, BBC’s Security Correspondent. Dr Elisabeth Kendall, Arabist & Middle East specialist and also The Mistress of Girton College at the University of Cambridge. Jane Kinninmont, Policy & Impact Director at the European Leadership Network. Scott Lucas, Professor of International Politics at University College Dublin’s Clinton Institute.Production team: Nick Holland, Kirsteen Knight and Charlotte McDonald Production Co-ordinators: Sophie Hill Sound: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

It’s almost 4 years since the UK left the European Union. Recent polls show a majority of people want to re-join the EU. But is this a realistic option?So in this week’s programme David Aaronovitch asks could we re-join the EU if we wanted? If we did, would it be of any benefit to the UK? And under what terms would the EU have us back?David is joined by the following experts: Peter Foster, Public Policy Editor at Financial Times Mujtaba Rahman, Managing Director for Europe at Eurasia Group who advise investors on political risk Jill Rutter a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Government who directed the organisation's work on Brexit Anand Menon, Director of the UK in a Changing Europe Production team: Sophie Eastaugh, Kirsteen Knight and Alex Lewis Production Co-ordinators: Katie Morrison Sound: Rod Farquhar Editor: Richard VadonPhoto by ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock (13998647a)

Aliens are back on the radar after a US Congressional hearing in the summer that featured former intelligence officer, David Grusch. The US Air Force veteran was once part of a task force created to look into what used to be called UFOs. Mr Grusch gave evidence that caused a sensation in America, claiming that the US military had, for decades, been in possession of crashed UFOs and 'non-human biologics'. His shocking claims were evidence that, whatever their accuracy, both created and reflected a growing and serious debate - from astrophysicists and astrobiologists to policymakers about what if anything, is out there. Anything alive and anything civilised. So, as 2023 turns into 2024, what is the state of our understanding about whether or not we are alone in space? David Aaronovitch explores the history of UFOs stretching back to the 1940s and discusses whether intelligent life exists beyond Earth. David Aaronovitch talks to: Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, British space scientist and science educator Garrett Graff, Journalist and historian. Author of ‘UFO: The Inside Story of the U.S. Government's Search for Alien Life Here ― and Out There’. Avi Loeb, Astrophysicist and Baird Professor of Science at Harvard University Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Science at the Open University.Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producer: Sally Abrahams Sound: James Beard and Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon Archive Credits: Congressional Hearing on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, 26 July 2023 courtesy of C-Span