Daily briefing Saturday 27th June

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 Times Radio's Daily Briefing on Saturday the 27th of June. The Northern Powerhouse Group says Andy Burnham is taking an opportunity to address structural issues in the economy The Prime Minister in waiting is proposing to reduce Whitehall budgets and divert money and powers to regional mayors The former mayor of Greater Manchester will next week make his first big policy speech since Sakia Starmer announced his resignation as Prime Minister Henry Murerson is the chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse What that means is that people can then pay their own way because I don't want people in Bradford to take taxpayers' money from places like London, the south-east, because they die younger and they're more likely to be out of work.

1:14And much rather we built people in Bradford a new train station so they can get to work and then they can pay more taxes and contribute to our overall problem, which is that we're not paying enough tax in this country for all the public services we want. The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, will announce next week a Ukrainian-style sponsorship scheme for households and communities to bring thousands of refugees to the UK from conflict zones around the world. The Times has learned that applications for the new safe and legal routes for refugees will open this autumn. The Home Office is understood to be planning to resettle more than 10 ,000 people under the new community sponsorship scheme by the end of the decade.

1:53The United States military says it's carried out strikes against Iran in response to an attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Humoz. A statement on social media said US aircraft-struck missile and drone storage locations, as well as coastal radar sites. Iran said it had targeted US military positions in the region in response. The United States and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding just over a week ago, pledging to end conflict on all fronts. The authorities in Venezuela say more than 900 people are known to have died in Wednesday's two earthquakes. The United Nations says more than 50 ,000 remain unaccounted for and hundreds of international rescue workers have arrived in the country with more on the way.

2:36Alex Pendry is the head of emergencies for the British Red Cross. He said the response on the ground is struggling to keep pace and needs to be scaled up. We had pre-positioned stocks within Venezuela, so items such as hygiene kits, cooking sets that could be distributed to people who have lost their homes. but this is a huge emergency. It's the biggest earthquake to hit Venezuela in 100 years so it's natural that in-country capacities would be exceeded. And World Cup debutants Cape Verde have qualified for the knockout phase of the tournament and will face the holders Argentina in the last 32.

3:14A goalless draw with Saudi Arabia was enough to secure second place in Group H behind Spain who beat Uruguay 1-0. And Scotland's elimination appears increasingly likely after Iran's one-all draw with Egypt. Egypt joined the Group G winners Belgium in the next phase, although Iran should join them as one of the best third-placed finishers. There's more on these stories throughout the day on Times Radio.

3:43This 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. While every other channel is fighting for your customer's attention, podcasts are where they've already given it.

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