Evening briefing Wednesday 18th June

0:00Hi, I'm Katie Prescott from the Times Tech Podcast. AI is already changing business and medicine, but could it also change the way we look after our own health? In a special episode in Paid Partnership with Vitality, we look at how AI, wearables and everyday health data could help shift healthcare from treating illness to preventing it. Listen to the Times Tech Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

0:32This is the Times evening briefing for Wednesday the 18th of June. Donald Trump says he's had it with Iran, warning the next week will be very big. He told reporters outside the White House that Tehran had proposed peace talks, but that the country is totally defenceless. He was asked whether he would join Israel in striking Iran. You don't seriously think I'm going to answer that question? Will you strike the Iranian nuclear component? And what time exactly, sir? I mean, you don't know that I'm going to even do it. You don't know. I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.

1:05I can tell you this, that Iran's got a lot of trouble. President Trump's comments came after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hit back at calls for unconditional surrender. Iran's supreme leader says the U.S. will suffer a blow if it gets involved. Meanwhile, Israel's president has told Times Radio their action against Iran is defending the free world. Isaac Herzog says they just want an end to Tehran's nuclear program. So we are not wallongers. We want, I mean, we were willing to get to an exit strategy that enables the region to go back to peaceful existence without an Iranian nuclear threat looming above all our heads.

1:43It's obvious. When you have an ideology that says eradicate the state of Israel, And in addition to that building nuclear capability, you realize that the risk is amongst us and we cannot leave it as such. The Times reports Britain is weighing up whether to provide military support to the U.S. should President Trump decide to join attacks on Iran. Ministers were due to discuss how to respond to any American request at a COBRA meeting hosted by the prime minister today. Sources say the use of the Diego Garcia military base may be considered. The Transport Secretary has called HS2 an appalling mess and has promised to sort it out.

2:20Heidi Alexander says the new high-speed rail line between London and Birmingham will still go ahead, but won't be opening in 2033 as planned. She's blamed the Conservatives for a litany of failure. The Work and Pensions Secretary has defended welfare reforms that aim to cut£5 billion a year from government spending. Disability groups and some Labour MPs have criticised the bill that has its first outing today. As Kendall told Times Radio, she's aiming to protect the most vulnerable. I am confident in our plans. I believe our plans protect those who cannot work. I believe they ensure that people who can work get the support they need.

2:57And I believe these measures are vital to getting the welfare state on a more sustainable... The family of a Yorkshire grandmother who died after contracting rabies say she was only slightly scratched by a puppy. Yvonne Ford from Barnsley came into contact with the animal in February that became ill two weeks ago. The UK Health Security Agency says there's no risk to the wider public. And the British man, who was the sole survivor of the Air India crash in Ahmedabad, has been released from hospital to be a pallbearer at his brother's cremation. 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was on the flight with his brother, who was sitting a few seats away.

3:33You can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio Online.

3:41Hi, I'm Katie Prescott from the Times Tech Podcast. AI is already changing business and medicine, but could it also change the way we look after our own health? In a special episode in Paid Partnership with Vitality, we look at how AI, wearables and everyday health data could help shift healthcare from treating illness to preventing it. Listen to the Times Tech Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. At PwC, we optimize the systems that put your data to work so you can scale your AI from proof of concept to competitive edge and accelerate your tech evolution so you can redefine what's possible.

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