Evening briefing Thursday 4th September

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 evening briefing for Thursday, the 4th of September. An asylum seeker who was staying at the Epping Hotel at the centre of protests has been found guilty of all five charges against him. They included sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl, harassment and inciting a child into sexual activity. Arush Geberselassi Kabatu from Ethiopia denied the charges. The Prime Minister says he'll make a decision on Angela Rayner's fate based on what he sees of an investigation. Sir Keir Starmer suggested the independent probe into her tax affairs won't take long to be published, but he declined to guarantee his deputies' political future.

1:09As that probe continues, a former chair of the Committee for Standards for Public Life, Sir Alistair Graham, has told Times Radio it's important the investigation is published in full. If, for example, she doesn't resign and is found in the sense not guilty of some of the allegations that have been made, then everybody will be very dissatisfied and surely the prime minister who will want to move on it's in his interest that the basis of the recommendation is published parliamentary authorities are investigating a major security breach involving a mobile phone in the commons the times has been told it was hidden near the front bench and was due to play a sexually explicit audio recording during pmqs yesterday but it was found during a routine search the comedy City writer Graham Linehan has gone on trial over charges of harassment and criminal damage against a transgender woman.

2:03He's accused of a series of social media posts and damaging the mobile phone of a 17-year-old. Westminster Magistrates Court heard the abusive and vindictive posts cause distress to Sophia Brooks. An NHS surgeon from Cornwall has admitted to falsely claiming his legs were amputated due to illness rather than a self-inflicted injury. 49-year-old Neil Hopper pleaded guilty to two charges of fraud and three of possessing extreme pornography. Truro Crown Court heard the surgeon, who had carried out hundreds of amputations, had a sexual interest in the subject. Giorgio Armani, the Italian fashion designer, has died at the age of 91.

2:38The company he founded announced his death, it said, with infinite sorrow. Armani had been unwell for some time, recently missing his company's catwalk events. Anna Murphy is the Times' fashion director. He was one of the first designers to really understand that taking control of the red carpet, putting the biggest names in Hollywood in his clothes on the red carpet was a way to leverage his brand and he transcended fashion you know designers that are truly influential are about something which goes beyond a season a year a year or two changes the way people actually dress and a group of swimmers campaigning to raise awareness about river pollution have faced repeated disruptions due to raw sewage in the water the team of eight including Olympians and professional athletes set out to complete a 120-mile relay swim along the River Thames, but poor water quality forced them to abandon sections of the swim, instead travelling by boat.

3:31You can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio Online.

3:39This 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.

4:27They tune in every week. They trust the host. And that host wants to talk about brands like yours in their own words to their audience. The problem is you just haven't been introduced yet. We're Acast, where that introduction happens. As the world's largest podcast marketplace, we let you browse shows, see who's listening, and book host-read sponsorships or run your own ads all from one platform. Transparent pricing, real-time data, complete control. Start advertising on podcasts by visiting acast.com slash advertise.