Evening Briefing Friday 3rd 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 Radio evening briefing for Friday the 3rd of July with me, James Kitchen. The Times has revealed Britain could use visa sanctions to force Pakistan to take back a Rochdale grooming gang ringleader if diplomatic efforts fail.

0:48Times Radio's Alex Izzat has the latest. The Times has learned it's one of the levers being considered as part of the government's effort to deport Shabir Ahmed, who was released from prison on Thursday. He's understood to be living in a bail hostel under strict conditions, including a ban on travelling to Rochdale or Oldham, where he previously lived. Other penalties believed to be under consideration include financial sanctions or withholding some of the£50 million in foreign aid that Britain provides to Pakistan each year. Three men have been found not guilty of murdering the journalist Lyra McKee in Londonderry.

1:23The 29-year-old was shot dead when a masked gunman fired towards police during riots in Derry in April 2019. Paul McIntyre, Peter Kavanagh and Jordan Devine have been cleared of the charges in a non-jury trial. The Conservatives are demanding Andy Burnham focuses on cutting welfare after he suggested tweaking Labour's tax plans if he becomes Prime Minister, although he's promised not to break any manifesto commitments. The Makefield MP is drawing up plans to increase public spending on council housing, infrastructure and defence. He's signalled he'll introduce a so-called Amazon tax combined with a reform of business rates.

2:01The Labour MP for Melton Keene Central, Emily Darlington, told Times Radio it's vital to revitalise Britain's high streets. It's where that community cohesion happens, and it's also where many businesses have their very first shop, and then they grow and hopefully have another outlet and another outlet and another outlet. We grow these British winners on our high streets. They've been neglected for way too long, and part of the burden that they'll always tell you is about business rates, and they're undercut by these online retailers who have much, much lower business rates, and that isn't really fair.

2:34Authorities say a Ukrainian woman who disguised herself as a man is the main suspect in a bomb attack in Monaco. The blast on Monday seriously injured a Ukrainian-born businessman. Interpol's issued a red notice seeking the arrest of 39-year-old Anastasia Berezovska, who's a resident in Germany. Monaco prosecutors believe she had accomplices and say the device was detonated remotely. Millions of mourners have descended upon Tehran at the onset of seven days to commemorate the death of Ali Khamenei. The Supreme Leader was killed four months ago in an Israeli missile strike. The Iranian military has warned the US and Israel against any attacks during the state funeral.

3:15Professor of International Relations at the LSE, Fawaz Gherjez, told Times Radio the morning period is about sending a message to the regime's enemies. They want to reaffirm the Islamic State. One Iranian official said this is a referendum on the Islamic State and also it's a signifier. They're trying to send a message of defiance and resistance to the United States and the world and say that Iran has survived. Iran is still standing up after facing two of the most powerful armies in the world. Remember you can follow the Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify and you can listen live to Times Radio Online.

3:55This 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.