Afternoon briefing Wednesday 16th 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. This is The Times Afternoon Briefing on Wednesday the 16th of July. The Defence Secretary has guaranteed to Times Radio any Afghan relocated to the UK since a major data breach has been vetted.

0:46Anyone who has come into this country under any of the government schemes, that was under the previous government and now from Afghanistan, is checked carefully for security, checked carefully for any of those sort of criminal records that would preclude and prevent them coming to this country. John Healy was responding to concerns raised by Nigel Farage, who's arguing women are being put at what he calls incalculable risk by a secret evacuation of Afghans who assisted British forces. Mr Healy says the Reform UK leader should pass any hard evidence for that claim to the police. The MOD says almost 7 ,000 Afghans who were not eligible under other schemes will be relocated as a result of this evacuation since thousands of names were leaked.

1:32Inflation rose unexpectedly last month to 3.6%. Economists predicted May's 3.4 % figure would hold steady. Dominic O 'Connell is Times Radio's business correspondent. All this makes life very difficult for the Bank of England. Over the past few days, people have been picking up on some pretty unsubtle hints from the governor, Andrew Bailey, saying that it would probably cut rates again. But the Bank of England will face a pretty tough inquisition, I think, if it's cutting rates in the face of quite quickly rising inflation, or reasonably quickly rising inflation anyway. A controversial US-backed aid organisation in Gaza says at least 20 people have been killed in an incident this morning in the city of Khan Yunis.

2:12The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says 19 people were trampled and one was stabbed. It's blaming what it calls agitators in the crowd. It is one of a number of incidents where people have died near aid points in recent weeks. The Union for Physicians Associates is blaming the Doctors' Union for a government review which suggests downgrading their role. PAs are staff who help doctors but do not have a full medical training. A review has now linked their use on the NHS to six patient deaths. It says that they should be called assistants instead and should not be able to diagnose patients. Stephen Nash is a physician associate and the general secretary of the UMAPS union which represents them.

2:50He told Times Radio the complaints have been driven by the BMA, which he calls radical. Two years ago, the doctor's vote formed with the sole purpose of increasing the remuneration of doctors. And since then, what we've seen is an attack on every other profession that seems to share any scope of practice with a doctor. And this comes at a time when materially it benefits them to not have anyone able to support patients during strikes. The BMA says the use of PAs is a patient safety scandal. A nurse who complained about sharing a changing room with a trans doctor has been cleared of all gross misconduct allegations in a disciplinary hearing.

3:25Sandy Peggy is continuing an employment tribunal case she's brought against the Five Health Board, though. And Barclays has been fined£42 million. The Financial Conduct Authority says it's for failings in how it handled the risk of money laundering. Don't forget to subscribe to The Times News Briefing on Spotify or listen live to Times Radio online.

3:52This 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.

4:35I love days like these at the pool, but my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis can sometimes take me out of the moment. I'm ready to make a splash with clearer skin thanks to SkyRizzy. Rizinkizumab RZA. SkyRizzy is a prescription-only injection for adults who are candidates for systemic or phototherapy. At four months, most people saw 90 % clearer skin when measured from head to toe, and many were even 100 % plaque-free. People also saw significant improvement in psoriasis symptoms of pain, redness, itching, and burning. Don't use if allergic to SkyRizzy. Serious allergic reactions, increased infections, or lower ability to fight them may occur.

5:11Before treatment, get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor about any flu-like symptoms or vaccines. Now there's nothing on my skin thanks to SkyRizzy, and that means everything. Ask your doctor about SkyRizzy, the number one dermatologist prescribed biologic and psoriasis. Visit SkyRizzy.com or call 1-866-SKY-Rizzy to learn more.