Will Scottish lasers fight off hackers of the future?

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Aberfeldy case: how did police get it so wrong?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002rp1l Ilia Belov (pictured left) has been convicted of assault and making sexual remarks to a group of young girls in Dundee. His sister Nadjedzha Belova (pictured right) was also convicted of assault. We talk to The Courier’s editor David Clegg and Calum Steele, formerly of the Scottish Police Federation, about how Police Scotland responded after a video of a girl carrying an axe went viral, pushed by the likes of Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler. Get in touch: [email protected]

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: - Should kids be banned from social media? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002xg6v - Should we take kids’ phones away? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002qrmy First Minister John Swinney (pictured) was reportedly targeted by an Israeli firm spreading online disinformation ahead of the 2026 Holyrood election. We talk to the BBC’s global disinformation reporter Jacqui Wakefield and ex-SNP MP Stewart McDonald, who authored a report about online smear campaigns targeting Scottish public life. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler. Get in touch: [email protected]

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘A ‘food desert’ and the fight for a supermarket’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0nbfq1xJayne Jones (pictured) is the first chief executive of the newly-created Scottish Food Commission. We ask Scotland's 'food tsar' why she believes our food is so expensive and whether price caps proposed by First Minister John Swinney are the solution. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Laura Miller. Get in touch: [email protected]

Natalie talks to ex-SNP MP Stewart McDonald and former Scottish Conservative adviser Adam Morris about the resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey (pictured); the political wrangling over a parliamentary inquiry into the Peter Murrell scandal; and the unrest that followed a knife attack in Belfast. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of the Politics Show is hosted by Natalie Higgins. Get in touch: [email protected]

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Falkirk asylum hotel protest: what we saw’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002hw9s Police Scotland's Alan Waddell (pictured) has said people were 'attacked because of the colour of their skin' during a demonstration sparked by the Belfast knife attack. The BBC’s Myles Bonnar and Jax Sinclair tell us what they saw in Glasgow city centre, and journalist Felix Pope explains what’s driving street protests across the UK. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler. Get in touch: [email protected]

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like Screen grab: should we take kids’ phones away? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002qrmy The UK Government looks set to ban the use of social media for under-16s while mobile phones will soon be banned in Edinburgh's state secondary schools. Dr Elizabeth Nelson (pictured) from the University of Glasgow's School of Education tells us why bans are not the answer. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler. Get in touch: [email protected]

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: ‘How Peter Murrell did it’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002x3yc Opposition politicians are calling for ex-SNP chief executive Peter Murrell (pictured) to repay the taxpayer-funded legal expenses spent on his embezzlement case. We ask Simon Brown of the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association and the BBC’s David Henderson about the prospect of recovering the costs of Murrell's legal aid bill. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler. Get in touch: [email protected]

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like 'Has Scotland's space dream crashed to Earth?' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002r3rpSai Venkat (pictured) is a quantum engineer working in Scotland’s booming space sector at a time when computers are about to get smarter. With so-called 'Q-Day' looming, he tells us about the work he is doing at Edinburgh-based Rhea Space Acitvity to protect us from cyber-attacks.Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Laura Miller. Get in touch: [email protected]

If you're interested in this episode, you may also like 'How Peter Murrell did it': https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002x3yc Natalie and Lynsey and the BBC’s James Cook talk about the questions raised by Peter Murrell's embezzlement of SNP funds; the release of more files relating to Lord Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador; and a shake-up to First Minister's Questions. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of the Politics Show is hosted by Natalie Higgins and Lynsey Bews. Get in touch: [email protected]

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: Is the UK's energy policy ‘insane’? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002wjfg Fraser Stewart (pictured) is head of local energy strategy at GB Energy, a publicly owned body set up by the UK government to support our transition to green energy from its Aberdeen headquarters. He tells us why he is so excited about Scotland’s energy future, and why he believes our bills will, eventually, come down. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler. Get in touch: [email protected]