Evening Briefing Wednesday 18th 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. This is the Times Radio evening briefing for Wednesday the 18th of March. The US Director of National Intelligence has contradicted President Trump's justification for the war in Iran.

0:46Tulsi Gabbard has told senators that an operation in June obliterated Iran's nuclear enrichment program and that Iran made no effort to rebuild its capabilities afterwards. Lord Richards is the former chief of the defence staff. He told Times Radio it's understandable that Sakhir Starmer didn't join the war on day one, but that now is the time for the UK to support its US allies in the Strait of Hormuz. Our vital national interests are clearly in peril. Our very important Gulf allies are in jeopardy and being attacked. Our economy is extremely vulnerable to what is happening. Whatever our thinking about the original action is, let's put that behind us and get together with our allies and, if necessary, with India and China to make it clear to Iran that the rest of the world is not prepared to tolerate this any longer.

1:38The Iranian president, meanwhile, has said that the intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, has been killed in Israeli airstrikes. It happened hours after Iran's security chief Ali Lerajani was killed in the same way. A second university in Kent, Canterbury Christchurch University, has confirmed that one of its students has meningococcal disease, which it says is linked to the perceived super-spreader events at a nightclub in Canterbury. The University of Kent says the rollout of meningitis B vaccines for students living in halls has begun. Around 5 ,000 are being offered the jab after an outbreak which has seen 21 cases identified.

2:13Two people have died. Times Radio's Emilia Beltrão reports. The UK Health Security Agency did declare a national incident on Sunday but that was an operational move meaning they could move more antibiotics to Kent. It also allowed them to bring in staff to help with a localised vaccination programme which is due to start this afternoon. Downing streets refused to back the Home Secretary's controversial immigration reforms after they were labelled un-British by Angela Rayner. Number 10 repeatedly refused to say the changes, which would increase the time it takes for migrants already in the UK to qualify for permanent settlement, would go ahead on Wednesday.

2:52Andy Burnham has said the Labour Party would always do well to listen to what Angela has to say. Rwanda has demanded the UK pay more than£100 million over the failed migrant deportation deal. The nation has taken Britain to court, claiming it breached the terms of its agreement and is owed the money. The hearing at The Hague began today. And Senegal have vowed to fight the decision to strip them of their Africa Cup of Nations title and will launch proceedings at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Confederation of African Football's Appeal Board overturned January's 1-0 final victory as punishment for Senegal walking off the pitch in protest at a refereeing decision and awarded the match to the beaten finalists.

3:31Morocco, the decision to overturn the result of the final is unprecedented in the history of major football tournaments. You can hear more on these stories throughout the evening on Times Radio.

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