Evening briefing Wednesday 7th 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. Welcome to the Times Evening Briefing on Wednesday 7th January. The UK helped the US to detain an oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the North Atlantic.

0:43The vessel, the Bella One, has been sailing under a Russian flag. British Defence Secretary John Healy says the ship has a nefarious history and is part of a Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion which is fuelling terrorism. The US Department of Homeland Security led the operation with US military support. Donald Trump's Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, says there could be more such seizures. Two oil tankers, two overnight, were seized by the United States of America, stateless or sanctioned, because the oil blockade, the quarantine of oil out of sanctioned or stateless vessels continues. That leverage will continue.

1:18The president, when he speaks, he means it. He's not messing around. We are an administration of action to advance our interests, and that is on full display. Nigel Farage has told Times Radio he opposes British soldiers being deployed to Ukraine if a peace deal is agreed. Last night, Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced the plan following a meeting of international leaders in Paris. But the leader of Reform UK says we don't have the military resources. Under the current terms, with the current strength of the British Army, with the current state of our kit, if this comes to a vote in the House of Commons, I will vote against.

1:54If the coalition of the willing was eight, ten, a dozen countries, and we could rotate battalions through, then I might well say, yeah, absolutely, let's do it. As it is, it will be us and the French completely exposed for an unlimited period of time. A man from Wrexham's been jailed for 14 years for selling a chemical that could have been used by people wanting to take their own lives. 33-year-old Miles Cross set up a business last year and sold the substance through an internet forum. Two people died as a result. Speaking outside court, Detective Superintendent Chris Bell said it's a shocking case.

2:27Instead of assisting them to seek support, he encouraged them to end their lives and provided them with the means to do so. Working closely with the survivors enabled my investigation team to secure a successful prosecution, which we believe to be the first of his kind in the UK involving the online forum he was using. And the King has opened one of the properties he owns for weddings. From next summer, couples will be able to hire Dumfries House in Ayrshire, which the King led a consortium to buy back in 2007. Kate Mancy is The Times' royal editor. It's going to be£5 ,500 for a weekday wedding,£8 ,500 for a weekend wedding.

3:03Now, that doesn't include your catering package of food, which of course is all going to be organic and locally sourced, as per the king's preference. But it could be the closest you're going to come as an ordinary person to having a royal wedding. And you can follow the Times 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.

3:45That'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.

4:07Hey, Pablo Torre here. As a sports journalist, I've covered global sports for many years now. And there is one thing that I can promise you. Nothing compares to the World Cup. And this time, it is even better thanks to McDonald's. You have the chance to take home one of nine legendary cups when you order the FIFA World Cup meal. The cups feature some of the biggest legends in football, like David Beckham, Terry Henry, and Ronaldinho, Christian Pulisic, Lamine Yamal, and Alfonso Davies. Right now, get one of nine legendary cups when you order the FIFA World Cup meal only at McDonald's. At participating McDonald's, only for a limited time, while supplies last, all rights reserved, copyright 2026, McDonald's at the FIFA World Cup 2026.