Afternoon Briefing Tuesday 29th July

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 Afternoon Briefing on Tuesday 29th July. The Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has claimed Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is on the side of paedophiles, including the late Jimmy Savile.

0:47Reform describes the online safety act as dystopian, claiming it forces social media companies to censor anti-government speech. It also claims it does absolutely nothing to protect children. But Mr Kyle says that position puts Reform on the side of predators. I see that Nigel Farage is already saying that he's going to overturn these laws. You know, we have people out there who are extreme pornographers peddling hate, peddling violence. Nigel Farage is on their side. Make no mistake about it, if people like Jimmy Savile were alive today, he'd be perpetrating his crimes online. And Nigel Farage is saying that he's on their side.

1:25Farage says the comments by Peter Kyle are disgusting and he should do the right thing and apologise. Sir Keir Starmer will discuss formally recognising a Palestinian state at an emergency cabinet meeting this afternoon. Seven cabinet ministers are privately pushing the PM to do that. The Times understands the Energy Secretary at Miliband and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandi are among them. That's along with a third of Labour-backed benches. Catherine Philp, the Times' World Affairs editor, says the US is unlikely to object. Previously, we've heard Marco Rubio say, you know, this would be a slap in the face to the Israeli victims of October 7th.

2:02But Trump gave a very different message yesterday, much more emollient one, saying that it wouldn't lead to a falling out with Britain if Starmer were to do that. Britain might do this in September at the UN General Assembly, which is when France is planning to go ahead with it formally. Four people, including a police officer, have been killed by a gunman who opened fire at a skyscraper in New York City. Officials say the attacker, 27-year-old Shane Tamora from Las Vegas, then shot himself dead. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has outlined what happened on Park Avenue. The building's security camera footage shows the shooter enter the lobby, turn right, and immediately open fire on an NYPD officer.

2:44He then shoots a woman who took cover behind a pillar and proceeds through the lobby spraying it with gunfire. He makes his way to the elevator bank where he shoots a security guard who is taking cover behind the security desk. A wealthy businessman has hired 10 private security guards to patrol Bedford Town Centre. Peter McCormack says there have been 64 assaults on women there in the last month according to council figures. The guards will carry body cams and radios. It's part of a£10 ,000 pilot that Mr McCormack has introduced. He's told Times Radio why he's getting involved. We've had quite a significant growth in anti-social issues in the town over the last five to ten years, which I think a lot of towns up and down the country have felt, where there seems to be a marked increase in addiction issues, from drugs, alcohol, shoplifting, aggressive begging, assaults and harassment on the streets.

3:41I've noticed this quite a bit myself over the last year, and how little police response there has been. I don't want my town centre to die. 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. 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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