Largest hospital began. Combat has raged for days in and around the complex, which is crowded with patients and displaced people. President Volodymyr Zelensky has told the leaders of European UnionMember States that its crucial to send more ammunition to ukraine. Speaking by video link to the summit in brussels, he said the amount of Artillery Shells available to ukrainian soldiers was humiliating for the whole of europe. Welcome to the programme. Apple. The us is accusing it of monopolising the Smartphone Market and crushing competition. Apple denies the claims. It says it will vigorously fight the lawsuit. Apple accused of using its power to limit competitors, as well as the options available to consumers. Heres the us Attorney GeneralMerrick Garland making the announcement. But as our complaint alleges, apple has maintained Monopoly Power in the Smartphone Market not simply by staying ahead of the competition on merits. But by violating federal antitrust law. Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because Companies Break the law. We allege that apple has employed a strategy that relies on exclusionary, anti competitive conduct, that hurts both consumers and developers. For consumers, that has meant fewer choices and higher prices and fees, lower quality smartphones and apps and accessories and less innovation from apple and its competitors. For developers, that has meant being forced to play by rules that insulate apple from competition, and as outlined in our complaint, we allege that apple has consolidated its Monopoly Power, not by making its own products better, but by making other products worse. I asked tech columnist Taylor Lorenz what she thought of the Attorney General going after apple in this way. Its an Election Year in the united states, and i think a lot of consumers are looking for their lawmakers and people in government to be tough on big tech. We see things like the tiktok ban emerging in the House Of Representatives and tonnes of lawmakers shouting about facebook and google and control of these big companies. Apple has been in the cross hairs for a while because they are such a behemoth and have such control and because iphones are incredible popular here in the us, so i think they are a target that is kind of something that consumers are amenable to. What do you make of apples response that they will fight it, i presume, as you would expect, but talking about things like it is not able to continue to make the products, the premium kind of products that so many of their customers love, unless they have been doing what they been doing . I dont know if i necessarily buy that. I mean, look at the price increases we have seen, apple was also in trouble a few years ago for degrading Battery Quality over time with each subsequent update of the phone, so i think, you know, i am sympathetic in the sense i am iphone lover, i love it, but prices have gone up, i do not know if quality has improved. Things are tough out there for sure, but i think apple could do a bit better by their consumers, and even just the threat of being regulated will hopefully result in some more consumer friendly pricing and operations. Lets bring in the panel for the first time. Susie boniface and wills robinson, youre in the us wills robinson, youre in the us wills robinson, what do you make of this . It would be seen as a proper move and it would be seen as a proper move and the key thing as mentioned was prices will stop apple, a lot of us have it, i have an iphone as well, but it seems over the years weve gotten upgrades and new phones and software but the prices havent seemed and stayed the same, so is a popular decision, one of the main strategies of the Biden Administration going into this year is to help small businesses, and in this lawsuit, it is seen as a way of protecting smaller businesses who may have products and software that are similar to apple but they have simply been pushed out of the market because of apple plus Michael Monopolistic tendencies so it would be popular. In reality we will see how it impacts apple production and prices but it is not the end we will hear of it at all. It would drag out in the courts as long as possible. What was your reaction, susie . My reaction was hopefully we get to the point someday where big tech doesnt run the point someday where big tech doesnt run the world might that would be nice and run the world might that would be nice and actually governments we elect nice and actually governments we elect run nice and actually governments we elect run the world. It was apple who had elect run the world. It was apple who had to elect run the world. It was apple who had to as a result of European Union who had to as a result of European Union rules who had to as a result of European Union rules actually start making cables union rules actually start making cables interchangeable with other phones cables interchangeable with other phones because once you buy one of the accursed instruments, you are stuck the accursed instruments, you are stuck with the accursed instruments, you are stuck with that brand forever, whether stuck with that brand forever, whether you have android or iphone, that is whether you have android or iphone, that is you whether you have android or iphone, that is you for The End Of Time because that is you for The End Of Time because of the cables and the plugs and adaptors in a car chargers and enoises and adaptors in a car chargers and encases and and adaptors in a car chargers and encases and then you need the other one is encases and then you need the other one is spare. Encases and then you need the other one is spare, and theyve got you by the throat one is spare, and theyve got you by the throat. There actually is a way in which the throat. There actually is a way in which government somewhere, and its fairly in which government somewhere, and its fairly similar to what the american its fairly similar to what the American Government have previously sort of American Government have previously sort of Racketeering Charges that they brought against microsoft a few years ago. They brought against microsoft a few years ago, never quite got anywhere, but is years ago, never quite got anywhere, hut is this years ago, never quite got anywhere, but is this idea that you have one bil but is this idea that you have one big particular company, they have done big particular company, they have done a big particular company, they have done a great thing with a great product. Done a great thing with a great product, but it doesnt mean they should he product, but it doesnt mean they should be having us in our kidneys to the should be having us in our kidneys to the end should be having us in our kidneys to The End Of Time. | should be having us in our kidneys to The End Of Time. To The End Of Time. I want to put that final point to The End Of Time. I want to put that final point from to The End Of Time. I want to put that final point from a to The End Of Time. I want to put that final point from a susie to l that final point from a susie to you, not the kidneys bit, but the bit about this is a Success Story . Apple is a great company, its made a great product, its an american Success Story, what about that argument . Argument . You talk about the american argument . You talk about the american dream, argument . You talk about the american dream, you argument . You talk about the american dream, you want. Argument . You talk about the i american dream, you want other businesses to follow that and apple, as susie said, have dominated the market would chargers and everything that has their symbol on it, it is successful, you are right, but it needs to be some control on it. This is the latest up from the us on cracking down on big tech, google have been hit in microsoft and facebook, meta have been hit, so yes these are Success Stories but they are getting to be too big for their boots, to put it in simple terms, and so, as i said yes, Success Story but there needs to be controls going forward. We but there needs to be controls going forward. ~. ,. , forward. We will leave boots and kidneys alone forward. We will leave boots and kidneys alone for a forward. We will leave boots and kidneys alone for a moment, forward. We will leave boots and l kidneys alone for a moment, back with the boat shortly. Israel gaza war. The us Secretary Of StateAntony Blinken in the region. Spoke in the last couple hours progress on Ceasefire Talks and the release of hostages. He says the gap between the two sides is narrowing. Lets ta ke lets take a listen. A clear consensus around a number of shared priorities. First, the need for an immediate and sustained cease fire with the release of hostages. That would create space to surge more humanitarian assistance to relieve the suffering of many people and to build something more enduring. We have been working, as you know, with egypt and qatar and with israel to put a strong proposal on the table. Hamas responded to that and negotiators continue to work, the gaps are narrowing, and we are continuing to push for an agreement in doha. It is still difficult work to get there but i continue to believe it is possible. Oliver mcternan is a former Hostage Negotiator whos in touch with people close to the talks on all sides. He says israels position in negotiations may be different to whats being said officially. What i heard most recently is that the unofficial response from the israelis was to reject outright the demands that hamas had put on the table, and as you may recall, lewis, those were the new modified demands were to have a three stage process. The first six weeks, you would have 35 hostages exchanged for 350 palestinian detainees, then five Women Soldiers for 250 long term prisoners and then reaching a permanent cease fire and the exchange of more hostages and that they lead into the exchange of bodies and the lifting of the siege of gaza. Whats hamas, im told, said it was all or none, the unofficial response as i said, is what i hear, a rejection of that. Can ijump in there, all or none, what do you mean by that . In the sense that it wasnt going to be a stage one, where you have 35 isreali hostages exchanged for 300 and then stopped, and they go back to war. They were saying it was a process that should lead to a permanent cease fire and the lifting of the siege of gaza. That is what, i say, i understand. I hope Antony Blinken is right, i hope the information i was given i was given is wrong, because the conditions in gaza now are truly deplorable. If we start with you wills robinson, gets in the us perspective because as we heard, there is an universal agreement that the gap between the two sites is actually narrowing, what do you make of what Antony Blinken has been seen and trying to do . I blinken has been seen and trying to do . ~. , ,. ,. , do . I think the gap is the narrowest it has ever been do . I think the gap is the narrowest it has ever been and do . I think the gap is the narrowest it has ever been and israel do . I think the gap is the narrowest it has ever been and israel being. It has ever been and israel being one of the us and longest allies, the pressure is starting to show, Benjamin Netanyahu is steadfast in what hes doing, hes about to take out hamas before he stops but the Biden Administration and joe biden have ramped up the pressure in the last few weeks and he has made it very clear, as Antony Blinken said earlier today, if netanyahu goes into it with a community in dire straits, that is something the us cannot support. Israel is relying heavily on aspects such as aid and weaponry from the us and if they lose their support then netanyahu is notjust going to face troubles with his own future, there will be issues with the israeli public questioning his motives as well so, this would be a time netanyahu, as i said, he is Feeling Pressure and would have to make a move, and fingers crossed this could be part of a hostage deal, we dont know. We this could be part of a hostage deal, we dont know. This could be part of a hostage deal, we dont know. We have been re orts in deal, we dont know. We have been reports in on deal, we dont know. We have been reports in on these deal, we dont know. We have been reports in on these talks, susie,. Reports in on these talks, susie, for quite a while, and no significant breakthrough thus far. No, and there probably will not beat white no, and there probably will not beat while you no, and there probably will not beat while you have a government that is in as n1uch while you have a government that is in as much trouble as Benjamin Netanyahus is, it was a Work Correlation put together with opposition and extreme parties that netanyahu was in government with before netanyahu was in government with before october seven, and it was a shaky before october seven, and it was a Shaky Coalition before then, i know yotrve Shaky Coalition before then, i know yotrve got Shaky Coalition before then, i know youve got some, we dont want to call them youve got some, we dont want to call them and left or right wing mike call them and left or right wing mike because it doesnt operate on the same mike because it doesnt operate on the same basis of our politics do, but you the same basis of our politics do, but you have some Extreme Ultranationalistjewish parties Working Ultranationalistjewish parties working with far more centrist or leftwing working with far more centrist or left wing or liberal parties and they left wing or liberal parties and they will left wing or liberal parties and they will never see i to i having those they will never see i to i having those in they will never see i to i having those in a they will never see i to i having those in a coalition will always be difficult, those in a coalition will always be difficult, then you have the fact that america, as was said, the mean ally and that america, as was said, the mean ally and supplier of aid and food and weapons is increasingly less toterant and weapons is increasingly less tolerant to the start of its has tolerated up to this point and when joe biden, tolerated up to this point and when joe biden, and chuck schumer, the most joe biden, and chuck schumer, the most high profile jewish face in the biden most high profile jewish face in the Biden Administration says netanyahu is a block Biden Administration says netanyahu is a block to peace, you have protests is a block to peace, you have protests on the streets of israel, Famities Protests on the streets of israel, families of protests on the streets of israel, families of the hostages still being held saying they have to stop what were held saying they have to stop what were doing and do it differently because were doing and do it differently because we want people home, netanyahus situation is crumbling underneath them in every direction and he underneath them in every direction and he doesnt have the support of the vast and he doesnt have the support of the vast majority of the ease people in everything he does and the support in everything he does and the support of his main allies and it is starting support of his main allies and it is starting to support of his main allies and it is starting to look really shaky. I think starting to look really shaky. I think the starting to look really shaky. I think the only way you get some set of movement in the talks is if both the leadership of hamas and the israeti the leadership of hamas and the Israeli Government actually have some Israeli Government actually have some kind of exchange and ask for the people some kind of exchange and ask for the people they claim to be represented rather than their narrow political represented rather than their narrow political aims. Represented rather than their narrow political aim north korea. Reports stole 3 billion in crypto currency over last seven years. Crypto decentralised, unregulated online currencies. Un investigators looking into it. We havent seen report. For more, i spoke to mark fitzpatrick, associate fellow for strategy, technology and arms control at the International Institute for strategic studies. Well, theres two aspects of this. The immediate news is that theyre accused of stealing vast sums of money thr