Afternoon briefing Wednesday 19th November

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 afternoon briefing on Wednesday the 19th of November. The Defence Secretary says a Russian spy ship is on the edge of British waters trying to get information about undersea cables.

0:45This is the second time this year that this ship, the Yantar, has deployed to UK waters. So my message to Russia and to Putin is this. We see you, we know what you're doing and if the Yantar travels south this week, we are ready. John Healy accuses the ship's crew of deeply dangerous behaviour by pointing lasers at RAF planes which were tracking the ship. This morning, the Defence Select Committee in Parliament is warning the UK doesn't have a plan to defend itself against an invasion. Ministers say they recognise there is a new era of threat. Separately, MPs have likened the government's NHS reforms in England to mismanagement of HS2.

1:29Times Radio's Will Hobbs has more. The Public Accounts Committee says changes to the health service could end up being a wasted effort because of a lack of funding and planning. It highlights worries about abolishing NHS England and folding it into the Department for Health. It's particularly concerned about reforms to diagnostic and surgical hubs. The PAC says that there are serious risks the government will miss its targets on cutting waiting lists. Ministers say they have already started to bring down wait times and have delivered an extra five million appointments. The Chancellor says a fall in inflation last month is good news.

2:00CPI was 3.6%, broadly in line with expectations. The Conservatives say government choices will keep inflation high next year, though. Anthony Williams, the man who's been charged with stabbing 10 people on a train in Cambridgeshire, is facing seven further charges. They include two counts of attempted murder, one of GBH, one of common assault and the charge of stealing knives from a supermarket. They're across six different incidents, which are separate to the one in Huntingdon earlier this month. Average house price growth slowed in September. Prices increased 2.6 % on the year before, whereas August's annual increase was 3.1%.

2:38The average house price was£272 ,000. WH Smith's chief executive has stepped down after an investigation into an accounting error in the US which overstated profits by as much as£50 million. Its US arm originally said it would make£55 million last year, but it now expects£5-15 million. Scotland fans have been celebrating after the men's team qualified for a first World Cup in 28 years. They beat Denmark 4-2 thanks to two stoppage time goals supporters young and old celebrated outside Hampden Park. Come on Scotland! I was at France 98. I didn't think I'd have to wait this long to maybe go to World Cup again.

3:19Come on! Neither of you have seen the World Cup and I was nine the last time we made it. So it's a really, really big deal. In cricket, England have picked five pace bowlers for their 12-man squad for the first Ashes test. Mark Wood is fit and is included. Play gets underway on Friday. And a painting by Gustav Klimt has become the most expensive piece of modern art ever. Portrait of Elizabeth Lederer sold at auction for£180 million. Don't forget to subscribe to The Times News Briefing on Spotify or listen live to Times Radio Online.

3:56This 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 Here's a tip for you. There's a podcast out there with fans waiting to be your next customer.

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