Salary Secrets and Political Controversies

Today, we discuss what’s going on with exploding pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon.

James Cook is joined by International Editor, Jeremy Bowen, and Security Correspondent, Frank Gardner, to discuss how the devices exploded, why Israel seems to have infiltrated Hezbollah’s communications network, and what this could mean for escalating tensions in the region.

Plus, Chris joins James to discuss how a row has broken out in government over Keir Starmer’s top aide, Sue Gray, being paid more than the Prime Minister.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by James Cook. It was made by Miranda Slade with Anna Harris, Reeta Jobanputra, and Kris Jalowiecki. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.