French supermarkets say fridges targeted in cyberattack

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I'm Anker Desai, and at 1,500 GMT on Monday 12 October, these are our main stories. French supermarkets say a cyber attack has remotely defrosted fridges in hundreds of stores nationwide causing food to spoil. Saudi airspace remains heavily disrupted as Yemen's Houthis continue their barrage of missile attacks. President Zelensky says Washington has to make Russia respect the energy ceasefire announced by President Trump after Russian strikes hit Ukrainian infrastructure overnight. Also, in this podcast, thousands are rallying in Delhi for what they call a march for democracy, aimed at removing the head of India's electoral commission. And we have a report from the US as data centers powering the AI expansion are becoming a political flashpoint. We start in France where supermarkets say a cyber attack has caused havoc with fridges in their stores. The hackers reportedly targeted a company that provides software for their refrigeration systems, causing fridges to heat up destroying stocks of fresh and frozen food. I asked our Paris correspondent Hugh Scofield what we know so far and whether there was a motive for the reported hack. Well, nothing about the motive. All we're getting now is rather sketch information about what's happened. One big chain anti-Marshay confirms that up to 200 of its supermarkets were hit. And there's another chain owned by the same group called U, which has also been hit. There are reports that others like Le Clare and Monopree have been hit, but that's not being confirmed. But in all cases, it seems that it was this, as you say, this Danish systems manager that was hit. I had no idea, and most people probably didn't either, that the cold and freezer units in supermarkets are actually controlled centrally by software, which was hackable, and which would then impact on all the supermarkets. It seems that whoever did this got into the software, which regulates the programs of defrosting of these units, because they have to go through regular periods of slight increases in temperature, or the frost disappears. And instead of them just going up slight in temperature, they went up into sort of 30, 40, 50 degrees Celsius overnight, with the result that all the food inside was contaminated and unusable. So it is a very, very interesting development. I mean, it's a terrible one, but if they can get into the design for all these supermarkets and their freeze units, then they can wreak havoc. Have you any word from the authorities or all the companies themselves? Well, I mean, only to say that they deplore it, obviously. And that from the authorities point of view, there is an investigation open into who might have been responsible. I mean, obviously, there's all sorts of speculation with Russia obviously being in the mix there, but I mean, there is no evidence of anything at the moment. And we'll just have to wait until we are given more guidance about what leads are developing. Ever so briefly, any incidents similar to this in France before? No, absolutely not. I mean, that's what everyone is saying. Yes, there have been incidents in supermarkets. Sometimes you have animal rights people, or anti-big business people, the left who act, but nothing on this scale. I mean, I'd known was aware that there was this kind of weak point as a centralized regulation of cold units that could be tapped into in this way. That is definitely very new. Fusco filled. Next to the Middle East, where Yemen's Houthi rebels have renewed their warnings against people using Saudi airports, after two deadly strikes on Reards main international airport over the weekend, and reports of ongoing threats from missiles and drones. One person was killed and 11 were wounded at King Khalid International Airport on Sunday. That came a day after 13 people were killed, and more than 300 injured in a missile strike on another terminal at the airport. The deadly attack on Saudi soil in more than a decade. Speaking at a conference in Reards on Monday, the Saudi energy minister, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman, said the word fair in the Saudi dictionary does not exist, and that oil would continue to flow. The event of recent weeks are serious. Our response must be equally serious. For Saudi Arabia, these circumstances have tested our infrastructure, our institution, our people, and our resilience. They have also tested decision made long before the present crisis, because resilience is built before crisis began. Fighting between the Houthis and Yemen's internationally recognized government, back to by Saudi Arabia, has escalated dramatically in recent weeks. A global affairs correspondent, Sebastian Usher, told us more about the impact the Houthi attacks are having on Saudi Arabia. We could see the impact actually where he was speaking at that Congress. Some chief executives of major oil companies, like Exxon Mobile BP, who were scheduled to appear there, aren't. That, on one level, shows the impact economically, also reputationally for Saudi Arabia. These conferences are very big events for Saudi Arabia. It's a big way that they're trying to sell themselves. Across the world, if you go on the streets in ReAD, you'll find that the schools aren't open. Students are studying at home. It up and the skies above people's heads, planes aren't going by. So this is having a very, very big impact, both economically in terms of human life, but also in terms of the mood, the atmosphere in Saudi Arabia. It's a country that was pushing towards 2030 an extraordinary ambitious goal, but to have a very new sort of economy, which welcomed millions of people who, once upon a time, wouldn't be accepted in Saudi Arabia at all. Tourism wasn't a thing. This will have another big knock-on effect after the one that the Iran War had, and we're seeing it. We're seeing it, as I say, on the streets of ReAD, we're seeing it across the country. Even an app, a very popular app that people use now has an extra device that allows Saudis to monitor if there are any suspicious sounds or sights in the sky, but they then will post them. How is this being presented within Saudi Arabia? Well, as you heard there, I mean, that's very much for line that the oil minister was giving there, but they are steadfast, that they are not going to bend in any way to the Houthis. The problem is that Houthis can hurt the Saudis quite easily, really. Those missiles are able to get through, I was having a bit of a discussion with a contact I have who's quite close to MBS and the leaders in Saudi Arabia over there saying, "How could a major airport be hit three days out of four?" And he's saying, "Well, it's such a big country where there's so many different facilities that need to be looked after." It doesn't really explain it. I don't think that will come across two Saudis or expats there. The de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, haven't really heard anything from him for a week or so. There are reports I was just looking in the Wall Street Journal saying he's moving from palace to palace with lots of bodyguards. I don't think he's under any personal threat, but there isn't a sense coming from him at the moment that he's standing there and he's speaking up for the Saudi people. But as I say, the general sense from officials will be that we're taking care of this. Just one very thing briefly, there has been posted a video of what happened at the airport on Saturday, very unusual in Saudi Arabia to show that. I think one of the keys is to show that lots of the people who were there were dressed as pilgrims and to say, look what the Houthis are doing, they're hitting Muslims, not just Saudis, but Muslims across the world. Sebastian Usher. President Zelensky has said that an energy ceasefire with Russia could be a major step towards ending the war in Ukraine with American support. He's been speaking in a video address to a security forum in Warsaw and following another night of intensive attacks on Ukrainian power plants. These took place despite claims from President Trump that an energy ceasefire had been agreed. Putin does not read through social. And here's Jackie Drones, follow a different set of instructions, but this post is actually about something that affects the lives of millions of people and that makes it very, very important. First of all, in Ukraine, because Russia is trying to use another winter, another period of cold weather, against our country, taking our power plants, power grids, and all parts of our energy infrastructure every, every single day. Our correspondent in Kiev, Dan Johnson, gave us this update. He began by telling us how relations are between President Trump and President Zelensky. It's been absolutely fractured so over the weekend, since Donald Trump announced the deal that he'd done with Vladimir Putin to enable Russia to export diesel once again. Vladimir Zelensky responded to that, saying the US was again being weak on Russia, the country that had started this war, and then Donald Trump responded, saying that Vladimir Zelensky should be out of his job that Ukraine should have elections. Then we got the surprise announcement of an energy ceasefire that Donald Trump posted about. President Zelensky confirmed this morning that he'd been unaware of that, and till it was posted on true social. But he seems to have adopted it. He's taken the pragmatic approach that this is what Ukraine had been calling for. It's what the Ukrainian people need to get them through the winter. So however it was negotiated or announced, he's going to sign up to it. But he's reiterated that Russia must respect it too, and that the US will need to put pressure on to ensure that, because the early evidence was that Russia was not adhering to this. There were further attacks on Ukrainian power stations last night, which have caused more energy problems across the country. And there were hints that a ceasefire, an energy ceasefire, could be a step in the right direction towards finally ending this conflict. Yes, President Zelensky said if this could work, if it was respected by both sides, that it would bring huge benefits to the Ukrainian people, and that Russia would get a cessation of attacks on its oil refineries as it wants. But also that this could perhaps build some trust and move things forward towards looking at other issues towards ending the war. It's early to be talking about any sort of peace, but it would be a step in the right direction, a major step. So Vladimir Zelensky, definitely throwing his weight behind this and highlighting how significant it could be, but it all depends on the Kremlin's approach. And their only comment so far has been through their spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said just a few minutes ago that the Kremlin has nothing to say on the subject of an energy truce for now. He said contacts were ongoing and that Russia wanted lasting peace, not just a ceasefire. So whether the Russians are actually going to respect this ceasefire and stop attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure, that's what everyone here now is waiting to see. Dan, just very, very briefly, how are Ukrainians feeling ahead of another tough winter, especially with the energy situation? Yeah, it's been difficult already, before the temperatures have even dropped here, people have been experiencing planned power outages and some interruptions without having planned for it. So they already know the reality of being without light, without heat and without water, because that's needed to pump water to some of the flats at the top of apartment blocks, the public transport already being disrupted. And people have been considering whether they can actually remain in Kiev and other big cities through another cold, bitter winter. They've experienced this before, they knew how tough it could potentially be. So that's why they're so hopeful that this will bring some relief. Dan Johnson reporting from Kiev. Let's look now at another issue, playing into America's midterm elections, the data centers powering AI expansion. President Trump is championing them and supporters point to investment and America's technological future. But people who live near them say they're bothered by incessant noise and heat. Arizona is one of the country's data center hubs, and its attorney general has called for a pause on new approvals amid residence concerns about water and electricity demand. And North America, correspondent Shama Khalil, has been to meet residents living near the giant facilities. The backlash against the data center boom is spreading across America. Here in Arizona, protesters outside Mrs. City Council are fighting plans for yet another development. The point of technology is to make things more efficient, not to coat the earth in rapidly depreciating chips that heat neighborhoods produce noise and make the area less livable. It's near elementary schools, it's near community centers, I'm the outside of just being near my home, and it's got to have a lot of bad effects for the area. We can't have another data center, we don't have enough water as it is. You can hear the hum as soon as you enter the suburban neighborhood. Just across the street from people's homes, machinery keeps these vast windowless buildings running. Inside, our rows of computer servers processing information around the clock. This is the infrastructure behind America's AI progress. Any slow down, President Trump warns, means losing to China. But this AI revolution can make for a very noisy neighbor. Maureen and Richard Bechtol moved here to be closer to family. Now this noise carries into their backyard. We love our house, but if we had known that was going, we never would have bought here. But it's enough to make the difference between a pleasant lifestyle and wondering how much noise is going to be coming up and what's next. We've only heard one generator at a time and we can't be outside. Do you foresee yourself continuing to live here or would you want to leave? Well, I would like to leave today, but financially, I don't think I can lose that much money. You think you'll lose on the value of the house? Oh, I would lose big time. I'm sure of that. I'm sure of that. This is essentially a data logger. Professor David Sayler, the director of the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University, has been studying how heat released by data centers is making communities in the already scorching state even hotter. Driving around this neighborhood, what worries you about its proximity to that data center? This neighborhood is in the downwind wash of that data center. And so the residents here are all going to feel a couple of degree Fahrenheit warming on a typical day, and that will translate to higher energy costs for them running air conditioners, as well as a slight increase in the risk related to adverse health outcomes. Tech companies saying newer designs can reduce water and energy use, and some residents' seed data centers as essential to the technology they already rely on. I don't think it's a problem, and I'm kind of excited. But I just recently bought a Tesla with full self-driving, and I know that uses a lot of data, and it's awesome. In Casa Grande, we walk around Nancy K. Woods' family farm. Generations of her family have grown cotton, barley, and lettuce here. Now we're standing on dry brown earth where crops once grew. She says around 85 percent of the farm lies unplanted because of the prolonged drought. We need that water, and if it's not there, how do we farm? And even though times are tough, she's refused offers from data center developers to buy the land. What do you say to President Trump, because he's a big advocate of data centers? Can't eat data centers. Can't eat them. They're not going to provide food for you. As voters head to the polls in November, many issues will weigh heavily on their minds, among them the expansion of AI, changing their lives, and the landscape around them. It's time to kill you. Still to come in this podcast. The President of Microsoft says the UK is the global leader in AI safety. If you ask them name the country that is the leader in having this technical capability, it's very simple. It's the United Kingdom, they are the best. In Hungary, it's six months since Viktor Orban was voted out of power. I'm Nick Thorpe in Budapest, and I'm asking how the new government is changing Hungary. Listen though by searching for the documentary, wherever you get to your BBC podcasts. Samia will stop at nothing to race in the Olympics again and to win. But to do that, she'll need to go on a dangerous journey, running across borders, running from authorities and running for her life. I'm Teresa Krueb, and from 30 for 30 podcasts, this is The Fastest Girl in Somalia, coming September 22nd. A mission? to repair a telescope hundreds of kilometers above the Earth. This is the real deal. Let's go take a look at the bank. From the BBC World Service, 13 minutes trouble with Hubble. The inside story of the Hubble Space Telescape told by the people who made it happen. The first thing on your mind is to make sure you're always tied on. It's dangerous. 13 minutes trouble with Hubble. Listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts. This is the Global News Podcast. Let's turn our attentions to Pakistan, which has seen protests in recent weeks, demanding the release from prison of the former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Imran Khan! Now his colleagues in northwestern province of Kaiba Paktungkwa, who are involved in the protests have been sacked, and the government has declared a local emergency there. Mr Khan's party, the PTI, claimed the Chief Minister of the province, so he'll afraid he has been arrested. Military trucks have been deployed, schools closed, and official buildings sealed off in the state capital, Peshawar. Pakistan's Federal Justice Minister justified the measures. So the fundamental grounds for imposition of emergency are law and order, fight against terrorism, and to save innocent people from the dreadful consequences of terroristic activities. A Pakistan correspondent Carrie Davies is in Islamabad. She told us more. This is definitely a significant step. And in terms of what exactly has happened and why it's happened, it depends who you are. So you mentioned about to hail off really the Chief Minister of KP, according to the PTI, Imran Khan's party. He has been arrested, but according to the Information Minister for the Federal Government, he's obviously based here in Islamabad, covering the whole country. He has said that hail off really is in protected custody, and that is to control any unrest. We have, I've been at press conference today, where questions were asked about how long he's going to be held in protected custody, how many other people might also be in protected custody, and we didn't get answers to those questions at this stage. And you've heard, of course, just then from the Ministry as well, talking about the reasons why this has been implemented. The government were adamant during the course of this press conference, so this is about trying to control terrorism. They say that it's not only his, the PTI government, who've been in power in the British government of Kaira Putsunkwa, since 2013, so for 13 years, they say that during that time they've not done enough to try to curb militancy, but instead, according to the Information Minister's words, that they work handing glove with militants. When, again, he was asked for further evidence to back that out, he said that there was clear evidence that they were in touch with the Pakistani Taliban. And he also said that there was other evidence as well. We didn't get given or presented any of that during the course of this press conference, but the government are very adamant that this is all about terrorism, and the reason they've taken control is to try to diminish terrorism in this particular state. But, of course, if you speak to PTI or any of the supporters for Imran Khan, as quite frankly, quite a lot of other observers, they would point you to what has been going on in the province recently, i.e., the protests that have been going through the province, demanding that Imran Khan is released. These protests have been going on for just over a week now before this announcement was made. The government keep on saying that the march could continue, but in effect, when you've taken the chief minister, he was leading these protests out for mix, whether he's been arrested or whether he's in this protective custody, it's quite difficult to see how that momentum could keep going. So, a lot of people are saying that is just too much of a coincidence. Can I just briefly then? What more do we know about Imran Khan's condition right now, and off the back of those protests and marches, regarding his release and the arrest of some of the members of his party, and some of his family members too? Well, very little really about what has happened to Imran Khan. Of course, in August, there was the fact that he was allowed out to go to hospital, a different hospital to the one that Supreme Court had allowed him to go, and there have been very few visitors to him, and in fact no visitors, according to his party, since that time. So, it's very difficult to know much more. At that particular point, the reports were that his health was good, but as there have not been many other people that have gone to see him, it's difficult to know what his condition is at the moment. Carrie Davies. Indies' opposition parties and thousands of their supporters are marching to the Supreme Court in Delhi to demand the resignation of the election chief over electoral fraud, defying a strict security clamp down. The leader of Indies' opposition congress party, Raul Gandhi, is calling it a march for democracy and justice, and calling on everyone who believes in democracy to attend. They want to submit a petition to the courts about the removal of millions of names from voter lists. The Electoral Commission denies any wrongdoing. There's a heavy police presence on the streets and key metro stations have been closed. A reporter, Jughal Purahit, is there. For days now, protesters have been trying to make themselves seen and heard in India's national capital. However, what we are seeing today is unlike what we've seen on any other day. There is a huge crowd coming being led by India's opposition leader, Raul Gandhi, and several other parliamentarians. The plan is to march from here to the Supreme Court of India, and the idea is to press for the resignation of India's chief election commissioner and initiate a slew of electoral reforms. Now, the government says that this area is, there's a notification which prevents the assembly of more than four people at any place in this vicinity. But that particular piece of law has been breached, and the police is moving in because there's also a huge police deployment, and now they're moving in to try and make sure that the protests remain confined to this spot. Jughal Purahit reporting. It's being increasingly woven into every day life, but what can we do to make AI safe? It's a question that leaders around the world are grappling with after a series of hacking incidents with AI agents going rogue, illegally accessing government systems and global institutions. President Trump has insisted that the sector regulate itself so that US firms don't lose out to Chinese rivals. But the president of Microsoft disagrees. Brad Smith has been speaking to the BBC's Wilbane. Every carton of milk that you see in the grocery store is subject to safety, rules, and inspection. We know how to do this for other products. We should build on that knowledge and start to think about how to apply at the AI. The big question I have is who is doing that? Interestingly, it's really at its best a bit of a combination. You often get your best work done, especially on something like a safety break, for example, when the industry itself starts to develop common standards. That means identify the best practices, build out the standards, and then the regulators then take that standard and they make it a legal obligation. I think one of the things, especially in the realm of evaluation, safety and inspection that one has to remember is somebody always has to go first. Somebody has to be at the forefront. And it's going to be international, right? And in an early stage technology like this where people are racing, right, that people are still trying to establish who is where in this. That presumably is much more difficult than say with something. I don't know where we're coming to a consensus after the event. One of the most interesting things is I actually think the country and the government that is in the best position to advance AI safety standards and even rules is here. It's the United Kingdom. It's the AI Security Institute. It started with the name AI Safety Institute. You need capability to do this well. You need to have trained people. And the UK was at the forefront. It started to build this up. The US started and then it slowed down. And so the UK has kept pace much more with the technology. In the world of technology, in the tech sector, most people that I know would say if you ask them name the country that is the leader in having this technical capability, they would say, oh, it's very simple. They are the best. Now that the UK is the best, I think the question is how to build on that. The president of Microsoft Brad Smith. Next to a very strange incident at the British Museum here in London, staffer said to be totally baffled as to how a chin-period porcelain bowl was smashed in room 95 of the museum when no one was in it. What's even more curious is that there is no damage to the casing where the bowl was being kept or to the shelf it was on. But the bowl which is said to be worth a considerable amount is totally smashed. Understandably, the incident has sparked great concern in China. Rebecca Kesby got more details from Jan Shaw, an independent curator based in London and director of Chinese porcelain across the sea. A documentary series about exported Chinese porcelain. First, she spoke more about the bowl. It's a large bowl, about 22 centimeters. There are 17 central Kangxi period porcelain but imitate the mean dynasty 1615 central states. They are quite rare. They were made during the turning point around 1680. China were in civil war. It changed for mean dynasty to Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Emperor became the Emperor at the age of seven. At the time, Kangxi Emperor wanted to be over a lot of the Han scholar and government official. So he encouraged to revival of the classic mean style in the puzzling this time damage is a Kangxi period copy. So it's a real tragedy that this has happened but also a complete mystery. Now I don't know whether you've seen the pictures of the shards of the bowl but it's very strange because nothing else seems to be damaged in any way. The shelf that it was on is not damaged. There's no sort of obvious way that it would have happened as we're told nobody was in the room when it happened but it is. It looks destroyed. Have you seen the pictures? What do you think happened? I seen a picture online and strangely I was in the British Museum in the same room doing my documentary film about Chinese export porcelain about end of April this year and then we have the film before the audience come in and we can see all the porcelain were well looked after, well displayed. So it's really a mystery. I mean we are we are hearing from the British Museum that they're promising to restore this bowl but looking at it I mean it looks so damaged. Is it going to be possible? I know this is a bit of an area of expertise of yours as well. Do you think it's going to be possible to fix it? It's very likely they can fix it. I think the first time that Chinese porcelain got serious damage, it's in 2004. Sri Lajya Kansi was in the Fitzwila Museum in Cambridge University was smashed. They were able to restore and now on display the porcelain conservation technique as very advanced now I'm sure that all these damaged piece will be restored and go back to display. I think their educational function will never lose. People can steal wheel with a damage unless they use a professional ultraviolet light or X-ray otherwise for naked eyes people will not notice the mark. Independent curator Zan Shua. And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch you can email us at Global Podcast at BBC.co.uk. You can also now watch our episodes in full. Just search for the Global News Podcast on YouTube. This edition was mixed by David Evans and the producer was Stephanie Tillerson. The editor is Karen Martin and I'm Uncle Decide. Until next time, goodbye. How did it all begin? How did we get here? How long is the universe going to last as it can stand forever? Are we alone? The Hubble Space Telescope promised to answer fundamental questions about the universe. In 1990, after years of delays and millions of dollars of overspend, the telescope was safely in orbit. The world waited with baited breath for its first images. It's like blurry. The mirror won't focus. We're going to look like a bunch of idiots. From the BBC World Service, 13 minutes, trouble with Hubble. The inside story of the Hubble Space Telescope and the mission to save it. The future of the Hubble Space Telescope is going to end up in your hands. That's the kind of responsibility you sign up for. Listen now wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.