Afternoon briefing Tuesday 10th February

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 your Times Radio News Briefing for the afternoon of Tuesday 10th February. The Conservative leader, Kemi Betanok, has said Sir Keir Starmer is in office but not in power.

0:45Even his fellow Cabinet member, Ed Miliband, said he was in peril yesterday after Labour's Scottish leader said he wanted him gone. However, Labour ministers and backbenchers seem to have rallied round him for now. Labour MP Carl Turner was at the gathering of the parliamentary party last night where Starmer apologised for hiring Peter Mandelson and ignoring their concerns. He looks competent. We need to see him being competent in terms of policy and governing. And I think we've got a good chance to persuade the electorate that we deserve another chance after 2029. But I tell you now, if members of parliament want to cause a round, if they want to cause a leadership contest, you put Farage into number 10 down the industry.

1:29The Israeli prime minister has left for Washington, urgently bringing forward a trip that was meant to take place next week. Benjamin Netanyahu is said to have been spooked by news of Donald Trump having good talks with Iran. He said before leaving Israel that the United States has a unique closeness and an exceptional relationship. Israel wants to make sure that Iran's ballistic missile capabilities are also stopped as well as their nuclear ones. The Archbishop of Canterbury has said the Church of England must commit to independent scrutiny of their safeguarding practices. Archbishop Sarah has been giving her first address to the Church Assembly, the General Synod, after being in the role.

2:07Safeguarding is a fundamental, non-negotiable responsibility, sharpened by our past failings and shaped by the work we still have to do. I am committed to bringing an approach of seriousness and focused direction to all matters relating to safeguarding in all contexts in the Church. She also said she wants the church to be a stable presence in an unstable world as she approaches the role with calm, consistency and compassion. Drugs company AstraZeneca has notched up a 40 % increase in annual profits. They forecast further growth in earnings over the year ahead due to strong demand for its cancer treatments.

2:49Bin workers in Birmingham have voted to continue taking industrial action for another six months in their long-running dispute over pay. The workers have been taking some form of industrial action for more than a year and have been on all-out strike since last March. Agency workers hired to help with collections have also voted to continue taking industrial action, according to Unite. The government says parents should scroll through social media with their children every week and ask questions about the content. A poll by YouGov found that a quarter of parents did not know what their child was looking at online.

3:24Campaigners have criticised the new government campaign for including images of toddlers using devices, saying it contradicts WHO advice that under fives should have minimal screen exposure. For more stories like this, listen throughout the day to Times Radio.

3:55This 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.

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