Welcome to hardtalk. Im stephen sackur. President biden has reportedly paused arms sales to saudi arabia as his administration reviews relations with his long time strategic ally. Not long ago, candidate biden described the kingdom as a pariah, but is there any prospect of external or internal pressure challenging the authority of saudi arabias De Facto Leader, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman . Well, my guest is exiled saudi opposition activist, madawi al rasheed. What next for saudi arabia reform, repression or maybe both . Madawi al rasheed, welcome to hardtalk. Hello. You have become one of the highest profile saudi critics of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. I just wonder how you felt a couple of weeks ago when we saw the crown prince so warmly welcomed at the World Economic forum, the online davos event, where he was selling saudi arabia as an Investment Opportunity for the entire world. What did you make of that . Well, its a familiar image and a familiar trick. Saudi arabia ha
and ukraine to national security and an ongoing trade dispute. what s at stake? let s speak now to the duncan wrigley, chief china plus economist at pantheon economics. talk to me about trade because we know they don t see eye to eye on politics but they are also hugely dependent on each other for business. what is at stake in this dispute? business. what is at stake in this disute? ~ , ., dispute? absolutely. the two countries dispute? absolutely. the two countries are dispute? absolutely. the two countries are meshed - dispute? absolutely. the two countries are meshed in - dispute? absolutely. the two l countries are meshed in terms dispute? absolutely. the two - countries are meshed in terms of trade flows, although the us has been trying to at least develop some of the more critical industries at home, like electric vehicles. at stake here is both countries are trying to put a bottom under the relationship which has been deteriorating the last few years and, i think w
welcome to the programme. i am ben thomson. 1, , , welcome to the programme. i am ben thomson. ., welcome to the programme. i am ben thomson. , thompson. boris johnson has accused rishi sunak of thompson. boris johnson has accused rishi sunak of talking thompson. boris johnson has accused rishi sunak of talking rubbish - thompson. boris johnson has accused rishi sunak of talking rubbish after i rishi sunak of talking rubbish after he was asked to intervene in the process of appointing people to the house of lords. of the people boris johnson put forward were excluded by the house of lords appointment committee. mr sunak said the former prime minister had asked him to overall the recommendation, which he didn t think was the right thing to do. it was accusing what of what? this is the latest it was accusing what of what? this is the latest in it was accusing what of what? this is the latest in an it was accusing what of what? “in 3 is the latest in an acrimonious
he talks about the spring offensive and also towards the end, listen to his description of the russian forces, let s take a listen. i believe we will see the results of true combined arms effect, tanks protected by infantry against anti tank guided missiles, artillery keeping heads down, engineers reducing the obstacles, breaching the fortifications that the russians have established, air defence, keeping the russians off the ukrainians, electronic warfare jaminet russians already not a and control, all orchestrated by very good ukrainian command and control, and using drones over the russians to attack them in depth with the precision munitions that the us and uk and others have provided. and this is going to break, i think, the front lines. where they will do this attack, i m not going to speculate, although the ukrainians have said that their objective is to sever the ground lines of communications that enables the russians to go along the south east coast into crimea. we