Afternoon briefing Wednesday 11th 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 Wednesday 11th February. A government minister has told Times Radio that the government's appointment process must change, but that the Prime Minister has the highest standards.

0:47The vetting process is being scrutinised following the hiring of Peter Mandelson and the promotion of Sir Keir Starmer's former communications chief to the Lords, despite Lord Doyle's support of a man charged with having indecent images of children, Sean Morton. Georgia Gould, Education Minister, said No. 10 didn't know about the connection between the two men before promoting him. She told Times Radio that the Prime Minister had taken decisive action to remove the whip from Lord Doyle and will do everything in his power to change things. I used to lead the council where he was the local MP and he is someone of deep integrity who gets up every morning wanting to make a difference and serve the country and I know that's what he's focused on and he is someone who keeps his word.

1:31Labour's party chairwoman Anna Turley has called for Lord Doyle to lose his peerage. He has apologised for making an error of judgement. President Zelensky is said to be planning to announce a spring election alongside a referendum on any peace deal to end the war with Russia. In the face of pressure from the White House, the Ukrainian leader intends to announce the move on the 24th of February, the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion, according to the Financial Times. Alexei Sorokin, deputy chief editor for the Kiev Independent, told Times Radio the referendum idea was the most likely. The Ukrainian parliament is currently unstable.

2:08The government majority is on the brink of collapse and also a lot of lawmakers are not attending sessions. So what they envision is if there's any kind of peace deal, they want the support of the Ukrainian people. So in 90 days following a peace agreement, they would want a referendum in Ukraine. A shooting at a school in Canada is thought of being committed by a female suspect. The initial police alert sent out during the incident described the attacker as a female in a dress with brown hair. Nine people were killed and the suspect also turned the gun on themselves. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson has said Israel is deliberately portraying what he called their peaceful nuclear program as a nuclear crisis.

2:53He said Israel is playing a destructive role in potential peace talks between Iran and the US and urged America not to be influenced by Israel. The Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, is hoping to meet President Trump later to discuss the Middle East. Hundreds of thousands of 15 - to 23-year-olds are not claiming free government money put into a child trust fund at birth because they don't know about it. It can be checked online using HM Revenue and Customs website, but 758 ,000 of these remain unclaimed. Those born between 2002 and 2011 were given a minimum of£250 to go towards their future, with the average amount unclaimed now being£2 ,200.

3:33Tottenham Hotspur's head coach Thomas Frank has been sacked. After a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle last night, the team are 16th in the Premier League, with just two wins in 17 games. For more stories like this, listen throughout the day to Times Radio. 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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