Afternoon briefing Wednesday 26th August

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 26th August. The Prime Minister has said the government will continue to look at how to get energy prices down in the long term as the price cap per unit will increase from October by 4%.

0:49Andy Burnham said he understands that some people face challenges. It's difficult for people and I recognise that, but it's why within days of taking office I announced that we would remove VAT off electricity bills to give people that little bit of help. That kicks in from October. We know the price cap will have an impact, but it is what we can do right now. And we'll continue to look as we go forward at how we get energy prices down in the long term. And that's what we need to do too. Bills will increase by about£5 a month from the autumn. Andy Burnham's also poised to announce sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, according to a senior government source who's spoken to the Times.

1:31It's in response to Israel's plans to allow houses to be built on a certain area there. The Times' political editor, Stephen Swinford, says the government's plan is highly contentious. It's not as if these goods are labelled, you know, this is a product of an Israeli settlement. They are kind of subject to the national labelling system of Israel. So the concern is that actually what you could end up if you go down this route is with a de facto trade ban for the whole of Israel of goods and services. The Trump administration has paused all visa applications around the world as it moves to tighten restrictions on foreigners.

2:06The US State Department said the halting processing was to allow for training at all American embassies and consulates to ensure officers are fully equipped to evaluate every visa applicant comprehensively and consistently. Up to 200 ,000 people currently seeking asylum could be impacted, marking what would end up being the largest mass pulling of visas in the history of the US. 15 newborn babies have died in Pakistan in a hospital fire on a maternal child health ward. One baby has been rescued in Islamabad, as have 19 other people. Dolly Parton died from cancer, according to her publicist, who described it as a short battle which she faced bravely.

2:46She died at the age of 80 yesterday at a cancer centre in Nashville. The top of the Empire State Building has been lit pink in tribute. Tom Jones has described her as a wonderful and generous person with an amazing story. Music journalist Sandro Manetti told Times Radio what that story was. Born in the one-room log cabin, the fourth of 12 children. When she was born, her father could not afford the doctor's cash fee to deliver the baby. So he paid the doctor with a bag of oatmeal for bringing Dolly into the world. And she leaves a personal fortune of$650 million. Literally rags to riches. In lieu of flowers, her family's asked for donations to be made to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a charity which gives children across the world access to free books, including in the UK.

3:34Much of England and eastern Wales could get thunderstorms and heavy rain. The Met Office is warning of a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly. However, weather apps may fail to accurately forecast the details for specific areas due to the isolated nature of the showers. 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?

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