Afternoon briefing Tuesday 13th January

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. This is the Times Radio afternoon briefing on Tuesday 13th January. An Iranian official says 2 ,000 people have now been killed in protests.

0:43That number is higher than external groups estimate, with a UN human rights body putting the figure in the hundreds. China says it will support Iran to achieve national stability and has criticised Donald Trump for threatening 25 % tariffs against any country which trades with Tehran. The British Iranian comedian Omid Jalili has become a vocal advocate for protests. He spoke to Times Radio. It's all about what will the world's governments do because they've appeased this regime, they're making money from this regime. Are we prepared to stand up for the people of Iran and maybe focus away from just making money off this regime?

1:18You have to ask, how can we even be in business with a regime that does this to their people? A minister has told Times Radio the National Education Union should reflect on its role in a Jewish MP being barred from visiting a school. Teachers and parents are understood to have planned to protest a visit by Damian Egan, who's vice chair of Labour Friends of Israel, partly because he's visited Israel since the October 7th attacks. The pressure to postpone his visit was supported by the Teachers Union and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Minister Alex Norris says that is not acceptable. As a lifelong trade unionist, I would never have suggested that to colleagues.

1:52They really ought to reflect on that as to whether that was the right situation to put teachers into and whether that really helped their children that I know is their priority have the best possible education. Those opposed to Mr Egan's visit insist it was not because of his faith. The NEU has been contacted for comment. The country's biggest charity, the Wellcome Trust, says it's built up a war chest of£3.7 billion in order to prepare for any market crash. That means cash makes up 8.9 % of its total portfolio, around double what it would usually hold in reserve. Where Streeting has warned ministers not to blame the civil service for their failure to deliver public service reform, The Health Secretary's speech on NHS reform will be seen by some as tacit criticism of Sir Keir Starmer, who's repeatedly complained about difficulty implementing Labour policy.

2:41Reform UK has recorded its lowest poll rating since April in research for The Times. YouGov's study suggests the party is still in the lead on 24%, having recorded a steady decline since October. It puts the Conservatives' second on 20 % and Labour on 19%. And a report from an electric vehicle think tank says diesel pumps could start disappearing from petrol stations within four years. New Automotives predict some forecourts in London will stop selling diesel by the end of the decade with more nationwide by 2035. It says that's because of falling demand, but Mark Palmer from AutoTrader doesn't think that'll happen soon.

3:16The vast majority of vans so critical to the economy are running on diesel and that continues to be the case. new van registrations are largely still diesel. They're really, really efficient engines for people running businesses, so they still make a lot of sense. Diesel will be sold on forecourts for a long time to come yet. Don't forget you can subscribe to the Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify or listen live to Times Radio online.

3:44This episode of the Times Radio News Briefing is sponsored by PwC. AI is everywhere. In the news, in our hands, but return on investment, not so much. So how do you get beyond the hype and deliver AI that powers reinvention and growth across your business? Strong foundations unlock AI's potential. That's why PwC takes you further with tech, strengthening the data quality, processes and workflows that shape how well AI performs. PwC turns innovation into implementation so you can accelerate from experiment to scale. Discover more at pwc.co.uk

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