Afternoon Briefing Friday 2nd October

0:00This episode of the Times Radio News Briefing is sponsored by IG. If you're serious about building your wealth, you already know the markets don't wait around. Whether you're a hands-on trader wanting full control over every single move, or you're actively scaling up your portfolio and looking for a platform you can trust, you need a partner that backs you. You need IG. We're talking zero commission on all stocks, shares and ETFs and absolutely no annual fees. IG was just voted Best Low-Cost ISA at the 2026 Boring Money Awards, Plus, they've been trusted by British investors for over 50 years.

0:38Search IG.com to find out more. IG. Trade. Invest. Progress. Your capital is at risk. Other fees may apply. Welcome to The Times Radio afternoon briefing on Friday, 2nd October. The captain in charge of the fly-by flight, which had to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after he was stabbed, says he wasn't going to let others die. Smith Machar was flying the jet to Tel Aviv when he was attacked by his co-pilot, causing the plane to nosedive. In a video call with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he says he had to open the cockpit door to protect his passengers. I had been hit so many times that I was lying down.

1:20I have been flying planes for 17 years and serving as a captain for the last 11 years. I can sense exactly what is happening with the aircraft, even with my eyes closed. When I was down, I could feel that the aircraft was plummeting, and I knew this is a chance to do something. The European nations will hold further talks today to try to avert a shortage of diesel. Donald Trump wants Europe to release stockpiles of the fuel, partly to lower prices in the United States before the midterm elections next month. The Times' policy editor Oliver Wright explains the context on this. Basically, what Trump is asking is for Europe to help solve a domestic problem that he has in the United States.

2:03So as a result of the war in Iran, as anyone who drives a car knows, petrol and diesel prices have been spiking. Diesel has been particularly affected. But the Republicans have elections in November and the price of diesel in the US has really shot up, worrying an awful lot of senior figures within the Republican Party who are worried that the prices will affect their chances. About 400 schools in France are expected to remain closed today after student protests turned violent. The demonstrations against teacher shortages and dilapidated school buildings erupted in the Paris region last month that have now spread nationwide.

2:412 ,000 people have been arrested since the protests began. The Times' correspondent in Paris, Adam Sage, says it's chaos. 305 police officers injured, 40 headteachers injured, hundreds of schools damaged, one in Nantes that was partially burnt down. This seems to be a movement that's gone up from the ground and is completely out of control, started by teenage sixth formers, but now with students joining in and with the left-wingers joining in as well. Art dealers say collectors are taking their masterpieces out of Britain over fears their assets could be hit by a rise in capital gains tax in the budget.

3:25There's speculation the Chancellor, John Healy, could announce that on October 28th. Philip Hoffman, chief executive of the Fine Art Group, says a large number of collectors have got their fingers poised to move on October 29th. You can follow the Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online. This episode of the Times Radio News Briefing is sponsored by IG. If you're serious about building your wealth, you already know the markets don't wait around. Whether you're a hands-on trader wanting full control over every single move or you're actively scaling up your portfolio and looking for a platform you can trust, you need a partner that backs you.

4:06You need IG. We're talking zero commission on all stocks, shares and ETFs and absolutely no annual fees. IG was just voted best low-cost ISA at the 2026 Boring Money Awards, plus they've been trusted by British investors for over 50 years. Search ig.com to find out more. IG. Trade. Invest. Progress. Your capital is at risk. Other fees may apply. At PwC, we optimize the systems that put your data to work, so you can scale your AI from proof of concept to competitive edge and accelerate your tech evolution so you can redefine what's possible. From blueprint to breakthrough, we take you further with tech so you can outthink, outpace and outperform.

4:57PwC, so you can. PwC refers to the PwC network and or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity.