Battle Lines

• A day at UK’s largest arms fair, plus Qatar and Poland attacks

  It's been a week of big developments, with Nato planes scrambled after Russia sent more than a dozen drones into Polish airspace, and Qatar on high alert after Israel bombed a Hamas negotiating team in the centre of Doha. Roland and Venetia unpack the significance of the events and what might happen next. Plus, the team spends a day at DSEI, one of the world's largest arms fairs, to look at how the UK is getting its armed forces ready for the next war. They catch up with a veteran British tank commander on the pros and cons of the upcoming Challenger 3, the managing director of Ukrspecsystems, Ukraine’s largest drone manufacturer, on why they’re investing in the UK, and Hamish de Bretton-Gordon on chemical warfare and the importance of good defensive kit.https://linktr.ee/BattleLinesContact us with feedback or ideas:[email protected] @venetiarainey@RolandOliphantImage: Petty Officer Joel Rouse © Crown copyright 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  48:52

  --------

  48:52
• Kim Jong Un: the underestimated dictator and his teen protege

  For three generations the Kim dynasty has ruled North Korea with ruthless precision. Now Kim Jong Un appears to be grooming his 12-year-old daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as his heir—a bold move in a country where women have never held power. At the same time, reports surface of a disastrous US Navy SEALs mission to bug Kim’s communications, ending in civilian deaths. So what does all this tell us about the Hermit Kingdom’s future, its ties to China and Russia, and the grip of one family dynasty? We are joined by leading North Korea analyst Rachel Minyoung Lee to cut through the mystery, the propaganda, and the paranoia.https://linktr.ee/BattleLinesContact us with feedback or ideas:[email protected] @venetiarainey@RolandOliphanthttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09/04/kim-jong-un-daughter-kim-ju-ae/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  43:49

  --------

  43:49
• 'A mole blew our CIA cover': The spy couple who found love on the frontline

  Andrew and Jihi Bustamante aren’t your average married couple — they met inside the CIA and their romance played out under the shadow of espionage. In this gripping conversation, they reveal how they fell in love during training, the reality of life inside America’s most secretive agency, and how a mole within the CIA blew their cover. Love, lies, and life on the frontline of the new spy war.https://linktr.ee/BattleLinesContact us with feedback or ideas:[email protected] @venetiarainey@RolandOliphantAndrew’s CIA book ‘Shadow Cell’: https://geni.us/ShadowCellBookIf you want to hear more from Andrew, you can follow him on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@Andrew-Bustamante Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  55:24

  --------

  55:24
• Axis of upheaval: Inside China's military parade with Russia, North Korea and Iran

  China's biggest ever military parade boasted sophisticated new weapons, thousands of goose-stepping troops, and a guest list designed to put the West on notice. The footage of Chinese President Xi Jinping walking in between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in particular was a clear message to the US, Europe and its democratic allies: Beijing now officially heads up a new world order of authoritarian states. Venetia is joined by former Russia correspondent Roland Oliphant and former China correspondent Sophia Yan to explain everything you need to know about the new weapons unveiled, the leaders who were and weren’t there, and what it means for the West.Read Sophia's exclusive drone investigation: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/09/03/how-china-is-secretly-arming-russia/Read Sophia's analysis: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/09/03/china-parade-xi-putin-kim/Listen to our mini series on the rise of China's military: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/08/battle-lines-podcast-inside-the-rise-of-chinas-military/https://linktr.ee/BattleLinesContact us with feedback or ideas:[email protected] @venetiarainey@RolandOliphant Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  38:03

  --------

  38:03
• The battle for Darfur + Chinese weapons in Sudan

  As the war for Sudan's Darfur region heats up, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are stepping up their brutal siege on the last remaining army stronghold of El Fasher, with new satellite pictures showing a wall being built around the northern city.The RSF have been accused of genocide for conducting a campaign of violence, rape and murder against Darfur's non-Arab communities. Famine has been declared in the region and millions have been displaced.To understand what is going on in El Fasher, Venetia speaks to the head of the Darfur Human Rights Network, Mohammed Adam Hassan, who is Darfurian and in contact with people on the ground.Plus Amnesty's head of crisis research, explosives expert Brian Castner, explains why he believes the UAE is arming the RSF, including with sophisticated Chinese weapons.https://linktr.ee/BattleLinesContact us with feedback or ideas:[email protected] @venetiarainey@RolandOliphant Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  32:36

  --------

  32:36

More News podcasts

Trending News podcasts

About Battle Lines

Battle Lines: Podcasts in Family