Evening Briefing Friday 25th 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 Hello, this is your Times Evening Breathing for Friday the 25th of July with me, James Kitchen. Sakhir Starmer says recognizing a Palestinian state should be part of a pathway to peace in Gaza.

0:44Germany, France and the UK have called on Israel to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid into the Strip and say withholding supplies is unacceptable. Earlier, the Israeli military said foreign aid can be parachuted into Gaza from today, although it denies there is a famine. It comes as 221 MPs from nine parties have signed a joint letter urging the Prime Minister to recognize a state of Palestine. The Labour MP Chris Murray is one of them. Countries like France and the UK, although this is not the 19th century when we are colonial powers, our voices matter. We're permanent members of the UN Security Council.

1:19We're important global powers. Us coming in behind and saying we support recognition is an important step that will shift the diplomatic dial to move talks towards a ceasefire and, importantly, a sustained ceasefire and a pathway to a two-state solution. Donald Trump's dismissed a similar announcement by the French president as a statement that doesn't carry weight. Meanwhile, Mr Trump is on his way to Scotland, having taken off from the US aboard Air Force One. It will be the American president's first time in the UK since returning to the White House in January. He's due to open a new golf course in Aberdeenshire and sit down for informal talks with the Prime Minister during his four-day visit.

1:59The Times in Sunday Times Scotland political correspondent John Boothman says the security operation is like nothing seen before. There's fences around the golf course and the resort itself. The whole place is festooned by police. They've got dogs, they're on horses, there's drones, there's boats, there's army vehicles. The whole bang shoot. The health secretary says the government's doing everything it can to minimise patient harm during a strike by resident doctors over pay. Earlier, Sikir Starmer urged them not to join the walkout, warning it could be a huge loss for the NHS. Dr Adam Boggan is a resident doctor at the Royal London Hospital who abstained on the vote.

2:42Speaking to Times Radio, he accused the British Medical Association of being out of step with the profession. My education was funded by the taxpayer. And I think also that the relationship between the doctor and patient is based on trust and based on confidence. And I can try and earn that in my flesh and blood, like in the interaction that I have. If we do damage to that basic relationship, that's bad for everyone. Asylum seekers face being made homeless if they refuse to be moved across the country under government plans to close migrant hotels. According to the Home Office, hundreds of migrants are refusing to be transferred every week, frustrating ministers' efforts to reduce the number of hotels being used.

3:29Under new proposals, asylum seekers will be threatened with losing their taxpayer-funded accommodation and weekly£50 allowance if they block transfer requests. And the jazz singer Dame Cleo Lane, who performed with Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra, has died at the age of 97. She began her career in Britain in the 1950s before going on to solo success and became the only female artist to be nominated for Grammy Awards in pop, jazz and classical categories. And remember, you can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and you can listen live to Times Radio Online. This episode of the Times Radio News Briefing is sponsored by PwC.

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