Afternoon briefing Thursday 9th April

0:00This episode of the Times Radio News Briefing is sponsored by PwCWC. Staying competitive means getting ahead, not just keeping up. So how do business leaders cut through the noise and focus on what really matters? PwC takes you further with tech, from optimising the systems that put your data to work, to scaling AI from proof of concept to competitive edge. PwC helps you meet tomorrow's tech demands, so you can compete at a speed that rewrites the rules. Discover more at pwc.co.uk

0:35This is the Times Radio afternoon briefing for Thursday, the 9th of March. The Defence Secretary has warned the UK faces growing Russian aggression as he reveals details of submarine activity in the North Atlantic. Speaking in a Downing Street press conference, John Healy says they were watched loitering near critical pipeline and cable infrastructure in an operation that also involved Norway. And I'm making this statement to call out this Russian activity. And to President Putin, I say, we see you, we see your activity over our cables and our pipelines, and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences.

1:15The Foreign Secretary has told Times Radio that Israel's escalation against Lebanon is deeply damaging. Officials in Beirut say more than 250 people were killed in airstrikes yesterday, prompting Tehran to consider walking away from peace talks and keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed. The United States insists an end to Israeli attacks on Lebanon was never part of the truce agreement, but Iran's president says it's an essential part of the deal. Yvette Cooper says the conflict needs to come to an end. We want to see Lebanon included in the ceasefire. We want it extended to cover Lebanon because otherwise that will destabilise the whole region still.

1:49And I think that escalation that we saw from Israel yesterday, I think, was deeply damaging. And we want to see an end to hostilities in Lebanon. That does mean dealing with the threat from Hezbollah that is an Iranian proxy. The Bank of England says shoppers are likely to see more dynamic pricing in stores this year, with costs changing throughout the day depending on demand. It says one in three retailers plan to use what it calls market-responsive pricing tools, allowing prices to be adjusted using algorithms and electronic shelf displays. Campaigners fear that could lead to surge pricing. Two men and two women have died after trying to cross the channel in a small boat.

2:28Authorities in France say 42 people were trying to board a dinghy near to Boulogne when the current swept them away. A British man has been charged with terror offences over alleged links to El Shabab in Somalia. 43-year-old Jermaine Grant is due before Westminster Magistrates Court, accused of directing and attending a commando training camp for the group, as well as weapons offences. A study has found some pet owners falsely claim their cats or dogs are sick or even deliberately harm them to get attention from vets. After questioning 90 surgeries in the Netherlands, researchers found that 83 % were familiar with a form of Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

3:04Veterinary professor Andrew Knight told Times Radio animal abuse by falsification is rare but very damaging. Animals are particularly vulnerable because they don't have the capacity to pick up a phone, call a number, talk to others. They're really very much dependent on us, so they're particularly vulnerable to this sort of abuse, so it does need to be on the radar of vets. And one of Britain's most respected wildlife cameramen has died. Doug Ellen, who worked with Sir David Attenborough, won eight Emmy Awards and was appointed OBE. He died while trekking in Nepal at the age of 74. Remember, follow the Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio Online.

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