Afternoon Briefing Friday 6th November

0:00When it comes to managing money, forget the hype and look at results. Bill has a trillion dollars of secure payments powering our BillPay tools. Instead of just moving money, Bill is powering the financial operations of nearly half a million customers. So stop the guesswork and start scaling with the proven choice. Ready to talk with an expert? Visit bill.com slash proven to get started. And grab a$150 gift card as a thank you. Terms and conditions apply. See offer page for details. Hello, this is your Times Radio afternoon briefing for Friday 6th November with me, James Kitchen. The country's top police chief has told Times Radio officers won't be able to serve local neighbourhoods without significant reform.

0:44Sir Mark Rowley says the 43 forces in England and Wales should be merged into 8-10 regional forces. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner insists the current model was badly designed and engineered when it comes to dealing with modern crime. These forces, of course, would be held to account probably by mayors in their area. So there's no reason not to have political accountability. But the starting point must be, and I know this is what the public would want, the first thing on their mind is, I want a police force that's able to do the best job possible for me. That's the first question they're going to ask.

1:15And as a professional, and it hurts me to say this, we are going to fail to be able to do that if we can't be organised in a way that meets the challenges of 21st century crime. The first woman to publicly accuse Russell Brand of rape has told The Times she's so proud of his victims in court. Nadia, who lives in the US, played a crucial role in the paper's investigation into the comedian and says she's glad something good finally came of it. Brand has been convicted of raping a woman and sexually assaulting three others over five years at the height of his fame. The former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips told Times Radio victims need more support.

2:17equalize some of that power imbalance. Brand has been denied bail ahead of sentencing on Monday. The Metropolitan Police are now investigating two further rape allegations against him. Trillions of dollars has been wiped off the stock value of major tech firms in the US, Europe and Asia. The market route comes after democratic wins in the US midterm elections spark concerns of a slowdown in AI development. The Times' business columnist Ian King is following the reaction. In a number of US states, notably Texas, but also in other locations such as Georgia and Ohio, where you've had Democrat candidates either elected as senators or as governors who have campaigned against the data centre rollout.

3:00So you've seen a lot of stocks specifically geared to the data centre rollout being very, very badly here. For example, a company called CoreWeave, which has beaten right at the heart of this, that fell another 10 % yesterday. It shares of no half in a very short period of time. Two boys have been charged after five teenagers were stabbed at a Halloween party in Hampshire. Police were called to a home in Eastleigh on Saturday where a group had gained entry to the event over a garden fence. A 16-year-old from Southampton has been charged with attempted murder. A second 16-year-old from the same city has been charged with wounding with intent.

3:37London Underground drivers are to stage a series of 24-hour strikes in a long-running dispute over working arrangements. The RMT union says walkouts will start on the 26th of November and continue into the new year. Remember, you can follow The Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify and you can listen live to Times Radio Online.

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