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Steve Caplin talks tech with Simon Rose. Alexa is to become more conversational while Meta has launched smart Ray-Ban glasses with AI. A website will show you the grisly details of medieval murders, while Swedish scientists believe they can resurrect a carnivorous marsupial from Tasmania. Mini launches its first eBike while there are improvements to car roof boxes and head torches. While Amazon is trying to limit the number of AI-written books, the US Copyright Office has ruled that art created with AI can not be copyrighted.

After the December 2019 election, Dominic Cummings brought HM Treasury under the heel of No. 10. Little did he realise that in 2023 the financiers would be running the whole show. Rishi Sunak, financier par excellence, thinks he is making long-term decisions for a brighter future. Not everyone agrees: but then a week is a long time in politics — or finance, come to that. Background music: 'Something Is Wrong' by Sir Cubworth Image source: BBC

And suddenly they stopped. After 14 interest rate rises in a row, the Bank of England stalled and kept base rate on hold. A lower than expected inflation number and slew of economic reports indicating the heat was being taken out of the economy were credited with staying the Monetary Policy Committee's hand. So, will 5.25% now be the peak for base rate or could rates once again start to head higher from here? And what does the Bank of England's decision to pause mean for savings rates and mortgage rates? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss why interest rates were held, what nudged inflation down, what could happen next and what all this means for savers, borrowers and investors. Plus, what does the government rowing back on Net Zero plans mean for electric cars, EPCs and how we heat our homes? And finally, if your neighbours can see into your garden and you don't like it, can you just stick up a very tall fence or do you need planning permission (and risk triggering a neighbourly battle)?

Interest rates are paused but the hikes may not be over yet. Bill Mann and Deidre Woollard discuss what metrics the Fed is looking at before its next meeting, how FedEx’s business has evolved over time, and the traits a good chief financial officer should have. Then, 15 minutes in, Tom King and Deidre Woollard explore how TransMedics is building a complete organ transplantation supply chain. Companies discussed: FDX, UPS, TMDX. Host - Deidre Woollard; Guests - Bill Mann, Tom King

The United Auto Workers are taking on the entire Big Three at once for the first time ever. (00:21) Ricky Mulvey and Asit Sharma discuss how investors can measure an automaker’s profits, a long-term problem for legacy carmakers, the impact of the strike on Tesla, and digital payments adoption in India. Plus, 15 minutes in, Robert Brokamp and Alison Southwick talk about planning dream vacations before retirement and why you shouldn’t wait. Companies discussed: F, GM, STLA, TSLA, PYPL. Host - Ricky Mulvey; Guests - Asit Sharma, Robert Brokamp, Alison Southwick

Caring for others, dealing with emergencies or tough times can drain a lot out of people. As Adam Cox says, you can't keep pouring from an empty cup. So this episode highlights the importance of self-care — making sure you re-build those resources and that confidence to keep going. It's about allowing the body and mind to heal: you can't make a long journey without fuel in the tank! Loving your neighbour as yourself means you need to take care of yourself in order to do your best for your neighbour: it works both ways.

Neil Shah of Edison Group discusses the fall in inflation and the MPC's decision to pause interest rate rises with Simon Rose. He points out that a lot of money is going into the bond market, which should be positive for equities and offers advice about how to position your porfolio in the current environment. He points to two companies investors might find interesting, Team Internet (formerly CentralNic) and Baker Steel Resource Trust.

James Cameron-Wilson takes Simon Rose through the latest box office chart where Agatha Christie adaptation A Haunting in Venice is #1. However, James found it dreary, dragging the Whodunnit back to the Middle Ages. He much preferred The Equalizer 3 at #3 with Denzel Washington; although violent it's a thriller with character and atmosphere. He found The Sound of Freedom, about modern-day child slavery, well-made but an essential watch for the subject matter, which has obsessed him since, as has the fact that the film was blocked for five years. He found El Conde on Netflix, imagining General Pinochet as an aged vampire, a jaw-dropping curiosity.

Steve Caplin celebrates the arrival of a flying car, though with a slow terrestrial speed. He also looks at modular jets, how electric planes could be powered by lasers on the ground, at the first mass-produced humanoid robot, at a desk bike that keeps you fit while powering your devices, at Honda's ebike that folds into a briefcase and at the development of a flexible soft robot that can heal like a living organism and even self destruct into an oily puddle (thanks of course to diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate).

Political commentator Mike Indian discusses Rishi Sunak's U-turn on Net Zero, feeling it might be a sensible idea for the long-term but clearly done for political short-term reasons, using Net Zero as an issue to drive a wedge between Conservatives and Labour. Liz Truss's recent speech is an indication that the party is in trouble. He feels that, although the government should stick to its guns on HS2, there is plenty to be done elsewhere on infrastructure. He ends with the good news of the UK rejoining the Horizon Scheme, which he considers should be of benefit to the country.