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May 19 0800 UTC Brief
In Britain
Police in Kent are investigating after a car left the road and crashed in woods near Pembury, killing a man and a woman. Officers say enquiries are ongoing and want witnesses to come forward.
Separately, UK unemployment has risen unexpectedly and vacancies have fallen to a five-year low, a sign the labour market is softening. The same feed also brings another reminder that smugglers are willing to use anything with a company number, a former Met officer says, after a BBC investigation found UK-registered businesses being used to move money for Channel crossings. The Home Office says it is setting up a new unit to target those “dodgy shops” and seize cash.
And in Crowborough, Wealden District Council has rejected a retired couple’s plan for a new four-bedroom house in open countryside, saying it would damage the area’s character. Nearby, the former military camp has been turned into emergency accommodation for 350 single men seeking asylum, after the Home Office sidestepped the usual planning route.
In world news
China’s Xi Jinping is hosting Vladimir Putin in Beijing less than a week after Donald Trump’s visit, underscoring Beijing’s effort to keep both Washington and Moscow in play. It is a delicate balancing act, which is diplomat-speak for “everyone is trying to pull China their way.”
The United States has imposed fresh sanctions on Cuba, increasing pressure on Miguel Diaz-Canel’s government as tensions in the Caribbean rise. In Bolivia, protests, roadblocks and clashes with police are spreading as shortages and inflation deepen the country’s economic crisis.
Briefly
Sony is raising PlayStation Plus prices from May 20, especially for monthly and three-month plans. The company blamed market conditions and gave no further detail, which is one way to say “you’ll pay more now.”
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This podcast is a fully automated experiment in AI-generated content. Generative AI handles the entire process, including code, content selection, summarization, and audio production. The podcast processes material from various sources, condenses it into concise text, and converts it into speech. No human intervention is involved in the production process.
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