Afternoon Briefing Wednesday 4th March

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. Hello, this is your Times Radio afternoon briefing for Wednesday the 4th of March with me, James Kitchen. The government has claimed Britain was prepared defensively ahead of US-Israeli attacks on Iran, despite a drone hitting a British base in Cyprus.

0:46Both Tehran and Hezbollah have retaliated by firing more than 500 ballistic missiles and 2 ,000 drones across the Middle East. The UK currently has no naval ships in the region. Britain has now deployed HMS Dragon to Cyprus, although the destroyer remains docked at Portsmouth and could take a week to reach its destination. General Sir Richard Barron is former commander of Joint Forces Command and co-author of the Strategic Defence Review. Speaking to Times Radio, he said Tehran's response to strikes took Washington and London by surprise. I don't think anyone really anticipated that the response from Iran would be to broaden the war quite as much as it has to the entire region, using missiles and drones to make, what are in military terms, quite small strikes in these countries, but in psychological and economic terms do have a considerable effect.

1:36The head of U.S. Central Command says the American military has severely degraded Iran's air defences and taken out hundreds of ballistic missiles, launchers and drones. Admiral Brad Cooper revealed the first 24 hours of the U.S. military operation was nearly twice the scale of that in Iraq 20 years ago. Meanwhile, strikes have hit Lebanon's capital Beirut, where Israel says it's retaliating against Hezbollah militants. Evacuation warnings have been issued to people living in 16 towns and villages in southern Lebanon. A member of Iran's Assembly of Experts has told state television the body is close to appointing a new leader.

2:13It's reported a son of Iran's assassinated supreme leader may be named as his successor. Senior Israeli officials claim Moshtaba Khamenei, the most influential son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is to replace his father, who was killed on Saturday. The Times' World Affairs editor Catherine Philp says this could mean the regime becomes more entrenched. He's a hardliner and it would suggest to me that the regime is doubling down on that approach. This goes against the original thesis of the Islamic revolution that dynastic succession was anti-Islamic. Jeremy Corbyn has tabled a bill to require parliamentary approval for the use of UK military bases.

2:55The former Labour leader is also demanding MPs be consulted before the deployment of British Armed Forces. He's been supported by Green and Independent MPs. Elsewhere, the government has launched a review as part of efforts to tackle anti-Semitism in schools and colleges. School-related anti-Semitic incidents are double pre-2023 levels, with one in five Jewish parents saying their child has faced anti-Semitism at or near school. The former Department for Education Permanent Secretary Sir David Bell will lead the independent review. Migrants from four countries will be banned from acquiring visas to study in the UK.

3:32Official figures suggest those from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Sudan and Myanmar are the most likely to receive a student visa and then claim asylum. Home Secretary Shabana Mamou claimed Britain will always provide refuge to those fleeing war and persecution, but added the visa system must not be abused. And remember, you can follow the Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify and you can listen live to Times Radio Online. This 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?

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