Morning Briefing Wednesday 3rd September

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 your Times News Briefing for the morning of Wednesday, the 3rd of September. China has been showcasing its latest high-tech weaponry in a massive military parade through Beijing's Tiananmen Square today.

0:46President Xi is hosting Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong-un as tanks, fighter jets and intercontinental ballistic missiles rolled past. Joel Rubin, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under the Obama administration, says it's a troubling moment for the United States. The United States for a number of years now has been trying to isolate China. We clearly have been trying to isolate Vladimir Putin over the last several years. And we've been trying to build a strong relationship with India. And now in almost one singular moment, all of that is getting blown up. President Trump has dismissed rumors about his health after speculation about his death spread online over the weekend.

1:26He said a viral video claiming to show something thrown from a White House window was AI generated, insisting the windows are sealed for security reasons. A 79-year-old spoke for nearly an hour in the Oval Office on Tuesday, his first formal public appearance in a week. David Charter is The Times' US Assistant Editor. Now the White House has said that he's suffering from a vain condition. That's V-E-I-N, I hasten to add. I should say, shouldn't I? to avoid misunderstanding that can cause swelling but is not otherwise that serious. The Chancellor Rachel Reeves is under pressure as Britain's long-term borrowing costs hit their highest level in nearly three decades.

2:07Interest rates on 30-year government debt rose to 5.72 % while the pound fell by more than 1 % against the dollar. Analysts warn that further tax rises in the autumn budget could damage economic growth. Gerard Lyons is chief economist at NetWealth and former economic advisor to Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. He explained what this reaction from the markets means for the British economy. The markets are indicating that they believe that the UK's fiscal position in terms of government spending minus taxation is in dangerous territory. Effectively, the markets are saying the UK needs to get its fiscal house in order.

2:44It's important to stress, though, that the problems we're seeing are not just specific to the UK. A U.S. judge has ruled that Google will not have to sell off its Android operating system or Chrome browser in a landmark monopoly case. The tech giant has instead been ordered to share data with rivals to help open up competition in online search. The ruling follows a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Justice Department in 2020 after Google was found to have acted illegally to maintain its dominance of about 90 % of the search market. London has recorded the fewest number of summer homicides in seven years.

3:22That's according to the mayor's office, which says no under-25s were killed through violence during the recent school holidays. Giving your dog vegan food has been found to provide similar nutrients to meat-based diets. A study by the University of Nottingham of 31 dog foods in the UK found that plant-based options can be a healthy and viable alternative to meat when properly formulated. It's estimated that 100 ,000 lives are potentially being put at risk because of a postcode lottery with cancer care. Macmillan Cancer Support found some patients are turning down vital tests and treatment because of travel times.

4:01It also found that 4 in 10 people with cancer in the UK have struggled to access care because of where they live. The government says it's committed to developing a national cancer plan this year. And that's with Times News Briefing.

4:27This 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