Evening Briefing Thursday 20th August

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 evening briefing for Thursday the 20th of August with me, James Kitchen. An Iraqi man has been charged in connection with last October's terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester.

0:45Hekmat Omar al-Hakim is accused of failing to disclose information about the attack at Heaton Park, in which two Jewish worshippers were killed. The 49-year-old, who lives in Higher Broughton, is due in court tomorrow. Counter-terror police have called the charge a significant development in their investigation. The Times has been told there are no plans to provide Prince Harry and Meghan with taxpayer-funded police protection when they return to Britain. Speaking earlier, the Prime Minister said the couple's security is a private matter for them. It's understood there'll be no change to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's status as non-working royals.

1:22The pair left the California six years ago, but will return this month with their two children. The Sunday Times' royal editor is Roya Nika. I suspect William will be far from thrilled. As far as I'm aware, the brothers haven't spoken for the best part of four years, nor seen each other when Harry has been back in the UK. I think William will have very mixed feelings about Harry's return, not only personally for that relationship, but also what it means for the future of the institution. Rail bosses are bracing for mass disruption, with flooding likely to cause delays and cancellations to services across the country.

1:59Network Rail is predicting that rainwater won't soak into the hard soil following sustained periods of drought. The Met Office has warned that heavy showers are expected over the coming days, with some areas already experiencing thunderstorms. The Prime Minister says it's right that a new government document makes the UK's laws on sex and consent explicitly clear to asylum seekers. Andy Burnham's defending Home Office guidance reminding migrants that rape and domestic abuse are serious crimes. The Conservative leader, Kemi Baitnock, says anyone needing that information doesn't belong in Britain.

2:34Dr S. Chalvan is head of immigration and public law at 33 Bedford Road Chambers. If I go travelling to a country I've never been to before, thousands and thousands of miles away, I may not know the laws and customs of that country. Clearly I've no issues about rape and consent and murder. But we're just talking about information gathering. It doesn't mean that these people should not be here because they've come from countries, usually from countries they're fleeing because of those social, cultural or religious norms. An academic who accused Jason Arde of plagiarism has been suspended by his university.

3:06Professor Arde resigned from Cambridge following intense scrutiny over the claims and was found dead last Friday. The first accusation was made by fellow academic Nathan Kofnass. In a statement, Ghent University says Arde's death should prompt reflection, adding the institution opposes discrimination, hatred and racism. Appearing on Times Radio earlier this month, Kofnass insisted DEI values promoted division. Treating people differently based on characteristics like race or sexual orientation and holding people to different standards based on that, which is not my idea of equality or diversity, particularly when by EDI they mean get rid of anybody who has a different political view.

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