Evening briefing Wednesday 28th January

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 on Wednesday 28th January. Donald Trump says a massive armada from the US is on its way to Iran.

0:41The president's posted on social media saying Tehran should make a deal to rule out nuclear weapons or face worse attacks than the US carried out last June. The Times columnist, Gerard Baker, on the Times' new American politics podcast, The State of It USA, says there's been a significant movement of planes and ships to the region. We do seem to be on the brink of something potentially really big here. Now, it could be an attempt to force the Iranians really genuinely to give up their nuclear programme and really perhaps to stop the persecution of their own citizens. But it feels to me like this is not the kind of thing you assemble just as a threat.

1:17It's the kind of thing you do when you intend to take military action. Iran insists it will defend itself. And to hear more, you can search for the State of It USA to listen to the first episode now. Sebastian Lai, the son of the jailed Hong Kong democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai, has told Times Radio the least China can do is release his father during Sakhir Starmer's trip to Beijing. This is a litmus test for this government. They talk about warming a relationship with China and that will be helpful for trade. But also, you know, if we talk about a relationship with China, then it's also helpful to raise human rights issues.

1:50I think that's the line they use. Well, if they can't even get my father back home, then that tells you all you need to know about the relationship and all you need to know about how China thinks of us. The Prime Minister has promised he will bring up Mr Lai's case with Xi Jinping when they meet tomorrow. Of course we will have to manage our differences, but that's what you do with a mature, consistent, comprehensive and strategic approach to China. We manage our differences, we take our opportunities, and we constantly think, how does this deliver for people back at home? The Conservative leader, Kemi Bade-nox, says she wouldn't be making the trip if she were Prime Minister.

2:25Sir Keir Starmer has also revealed British officials have repeatedly tried to convince the White House not to block plans to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. However, he has suggested that they've not had reassurances about the American position after Donald Trump called it an act of great stupidity. Ofsted has found no evidence of political bias at a school in Bristol which cancelled a visit by a local Jewish MP. It's thought protests were planned over Damien Egan's visit because of his role in Labour Friends of Israel. A Russian man has been found guilty of attacking a woman in East London, which prosecutors say was motivated by jealousy because of her relationship with Baron Trump.

3:00The woman says the US president's youngest son saved her life by calling 999. Dame Sarah Mullally has been formally confirmed as the Archbishop of Canterbury in a ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral. One man appeared to protest her appointment, though, as he disrupted the event. Public notice was duly given as required, and that no person has appeared in opposition to the confirmation.

3:26The former Bishop of London is the first woman to become the Archbishop of Canterbury and a two-year-old from Manchester has broken two Guinness World Records by becoming the youngest person to pull off two snooker trick shots. Jude Owens still needs a stool in order to reach the table. Don't forget you can subscribe to the Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify or listen live to Times Radio online.

3:52This 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

4:45Really? AutoTrader. Buy your car online. Really?