Daily briefing Saturday 21st 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

0:36This is the Times Radio News Briefing for Saturday, the 21st of March. Donald Trump insists the U.S. is close to reaching its goals in Iran and that he's considering winding down the war. It comes as American officials tell reporters that thousands of Marines and ground troops are preparing to deploy to the Middle East. The U.S. president says he's not ready to talk with Tehran. I don't want to do a ceasefire. You know, you don't do a ceasefire when you're literally obliterating the other side. They don't have a navy. They don't have an air force. They don't have any equipment. They don't have any spotters.

1:08They don't have anti-aircraft. They don't have radar. And their leaders have all been killed at every level. We're not looking to do that. Mr Trump also says nations who use the Strait of Hormuz will have to guard it. His Treasury officials have announced a month-long lifting of sanctions on some Iranian energy exports in an attempt to deal with soaring oil prices. Iran has fired two ballistic missiles at the British base at Diego Garcia. Shortly after, Sir Keir Starmer gave the U.S. permission to use bases for strikes on Iranian targets. The Wall Street Journal says neither missile reached its target.

1:42Iran's foreign minister says the decision puts British lives in danger. The government says it's an act of collective self-defense. Dr. Sajjan Gohel of the Asia-Pacific Foundation think tank says the security services here will be on high alert. Iranian operatives have in the past been working in the UK to plot clandestine activities. With their networks that they have with organized criminal groups, they could utilize to ratchet up problems. And with a very large Iranian diaspora that Britain has that have been protesting against the regime, we could see them too coming under the specter of the Iranian regime.

2:17So there's a lot of concerns about the potential blowback. A far-right extremist has told The Times that prison was the single most radicalising thing he'd ever been through. Sam Melia was jailed for distributing anti-immigration and anti-Semitic propaganda. He's now resumed campaigning for a white nationalist group after being released early. Prison reform campaigner David Shipley served time in Wandsworth Prison for fraud. He told Times Radio there's no discipline or structure inside. Prison after prison across the country, the rules are not enforced. You know, they're effectively lawless environments.

2:50Prison as an experience tends to inherently harden and strengthen whatever you are as a person already. Without sustained intervention, people aren't going to change their views. It's exactly the same reason we get young Muslim men going in and becoming far more radicalised as well. A former minister has criticised the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh over reports they've earned more than£100 ,000 a year subletting a royal stable. Prince Edward and Sophie let out the converted block as office space on their estate in Surrey, where they pay a peppercorn rent. Former Lib Dem Minister Norman Baker says it's outrageous, and money raised should go to the Crown Estate.

3:28And forecasters are warning of a return to colder weather after the warmest day of the year so far. The Met Office says a cold plunge from tomorrow will see frosts in some areas, and even snow in Scotland. 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 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.

4:06That'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.