Evening Briefing Wednesday 8th October

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 Evening Briefing for Wednesday 8th October with me, James Kitchen. Kimi Baden-Ock has pledged a future Conservative government would abolish stamp duty as a way of getting social mobility moving.

0:46She also promised to spend only half of any savings made through cuts, with the rest going to reduce the deficit. In her keynote conference speech, the party leader thanked Tory members for standing by after a series of defections to reform UK. She claimed the party can deliver a stronger economy and stronger borders. We need bold ideas. We need a positive vision for this country and a plan to deliver it. We need a new approach. A new approach that delivers a stronger economy and stronger borders. We owe that to our children. Labour's dismissed the Conservative savings plans as fantasy, adding they can't be trusted with the public finances.

1:25The former Conservative leader, Cian Duncan Smith, has accused the Prime Minister of not telling the truth over the Chinese spy trial. Sir Keir Starmer has insisted the previous Tory government policy on China needs to be the focus of scrutiny after the sudden collapse of the trial. It comes after the UK's chief prosecutor suggested the current administration was to blame because it wouldn't label Beijing a national security threat. Sir Ian, who's sanctioned by China, told Times Radio the policy at the time Christopher Berry and Christopher Cash were arrested was clear that China posed a threat.

1:56This ridiculous dance that's been carried out over the last few days, is torturous and deceptive. It's been a horrible sight. What they didn't do was prosecute those two people. Why? Because the Chinese government has bullied them like mad and said, you do not prosecute these people, and we want that super embassy. Get on with it. Otherwise, you get no trade relations. And what a pathetic, weak set of people this looks like now. The former FBI director James Comeys pleaded not guilty to lying to Congress five years ago. The charges relate to statements he made when questioned about his handling of the investigations into Hillary Clinton's emails and election interference by Russia.

2:37Mr Comey, who President Trump once called one of the worst human beings, has asked for a jury trial. Hamas says he's exchanged a list of hostages and prisoners due to be released as part of a US-led deal with Israel. On a third day of indirect peace talks in Egypt, the group says a spirit of optimism prevails among all. The foreign affairs expert Tim Marshall told Times Radio there remains a sense of distrust. Within 72 hours, they have to hand over the 20 living and the 28 thought-to-be-dead hostages. But as soon as that has happened, the Israelis pull back. But they only pull back a couple of miles.

3:14What Hamas is going to be arguing over the next 24, 48 hours is, no, you need to go all the way back just out of the border. because what Hamas fears more than anything, they give up their only real trump card they have left and the Israelis then renege on the deal and they're finished. And Madeleine McCann's mother has told the court how a woman claiming to be her child turned up at a house demanding a DNA test. Jurors have previously heard that Julia Wendelt also showed up at the McCann family home with a letter addressed to them as Madeleine. The 24-year-old Polish nationals accused of sending messages to Kate McCann, which didn't get a response.

3:51Another woman, Karen Sprague, is also accused of stalking. And remember, you can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and you can 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 invention 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.

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