Evening briefing Thursday 24th 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 Briefing for Thursday the 24th of July with me, James Kitchen. The former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is promising a new kind of political party after launching an outfit with the MP Zahra Sultana.

0:45A joint statement calls for the mass redistribution of wealth and promises to root power within communities, trade unions and social movements. But it's suggested we won't know the party's name or who's leading it until a conference in September. The Sunday Times' Whitehall editor Gabriel Pogrens says Corbyn is positioning the party as a vehicle for left-wing dissent. Here, Corbyn is attempting to gather support on the grounds, first to the government's position on Gaza, and then the failure to offer a full-fat socialist programme. You know, there are countless permutations and combinations and potential implications come the next election.

1:22You know, at the moment, one big one is that by further fragmenting Labour's progressive coalition, such a party could kind of reduce the threshold that reform needs to win in certain constituencies. and then there's also just a very direct threat to certain labor seats. U.S. media is reporting Ghislaine Maxwell is meeting Justice Department officials at her prison in Florida. It comes as pressure grows on the Trump administration to release files linked to Jeffrey Epstein and who he may have helped sexually abuse girls. The former socialite and girlfriend of Epstein is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.

1:55The U.N. says it has 6 ,000 trucks worth of aid waiting for permission to enter Gaza as it warns that the hunger crisis has never been so dire. It comes as the World Health Organization says supplies of food and medicine are now totally depleted in the Strip. Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says it's recalling its Gaza negotiating team in Qatar to Israel for consultations. Ambassador Barbara Leith is the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Middle East. She told Times Radio there are growing calls from within Israel for an end to the war altogether.

2:27You have many Israelis, including in the government, who say, well, the job isn't done, we haven't destroyed Hamas. But I would suggest that that job can continue without the conflict as it is right now. And in fact, you're hearing voices from the Israeli military say, in fact, that there really are no strategic gains to be had at this point. Essex police has been given more powers to disperse any protesters gathering outside a hotel that's housing asylum seekers. The force has made 16 arrests linked to violence outside the Bell in Epping over the past week. The chair of the police federation is warning of disorder outside other hotels where illegal migrants are staying.

3:09Sakir Starmas told his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi the signing of a trade deal between the two countries marks a step change in relations. It's expected to bring in£6 billion for the UK economy, with tariffs on a range of British goods reduced from an average of 15 % to 3%. They've also agreed to increase efforts to tackle illegal migration and organise crime. But Times Radio's political correspondent Theo Usherwood says not everyone is happy. A controversial part of this deal, of course, is that Indian workers temporarily employed in the UK will be exempt from paying social security contributions for up to three years, leading to fears that Indian workers will be able to undercut British workers because, of course, their employers could bring in workers from India and not have to pay national insurance contributions.

3:56And the legendary WWE wrestler and actor Hulk Hogan has died at the age of 71. His theatrics in the ring are credited with helping to transform professional wrestling into a family entertainment sport. 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. 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.

4:39That'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.

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