Afternoon Briefing Friday 15th August

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 Afternoon Briefing for Friday the 15th of August with me, James Kitchen. The Defence Secretary has told Times Radio the UK is prepared to step up diplomatic and economic pressure on Moscow if Vladimir Putin doesn't take steps to end the war in Ukraine.

0:49Donald Trump says he won't let the Russian leader mess around with him as the pair meet later in Alaska for peace negotiations. US presidents warned if the summit doesn't go well, there could be the potential for sanctions against Russia. Speaking to Times Radio Breakfast, John Healy said President Putin must be held to his word. The pressure and the focus must be on Putin to do what he says, to act in a way that's consistent with what he declares. So he says he wants peace, he says he's ready to talk, and today is a test of that. And we have worked hard in the run-up to this meeting in Alaska, intensifying diplomacy, stepping up military aid, and also being ready to step up economic pressure on Putin if he's not willing to act, says he will.

1:36The King has made a promise to all the heroes who fought in the Pacific and Far East on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. The forces on the ground sometimes consider themselves the forgotten army. But as patron of the now Burma Star Memorial Fund, It has been my privilege to reassure the remaining veterans that they and their fallen comrades shall never be forgotten. In a special message, Charles held their courage and camaraderie in what he described as humanity's darkest hour. His Majesty is attending a service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum this afternoon. He's joined by the Queen, the Prime Minister and surviving veterans.

2:16Nigel Farage has demanded that Sir Keir Starmer allow him to nominate Reform UK peers to the House of Lords. He says his party has four MPs and controls ten councils, but has no representation in the second chamber. But the political correspondent Terry Stiasny told Times Radio there are no set rules when it comes to appointing peers. Political appointments are basically something that the Prime Minister of the day decides on. And while, yes, it's often there's a convention that you can allow other parties to nominate candidates for peerages, there's no particular threshold and there's no reason you absolutely have to do it.

2:52Social media influences will help highlight the risks of travelling abroad for cosmetic procedures as part of a new government campaign with TikTok. The content will urge patients to speak to a UK doctor first and avoid package holidays that include treatments like hair transplants and dental work. Ministers hope the move will see people make more informed choices. Nora Nugent is the president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. She told Times Radio the UK taxpayer picks up the bill for botched surgeries abroad. People do need medical attention for wound problems or infection problems or whatever may have happened.

3:28If they haven't got a surgeon in the UK who did the surgery or a direct connection, then the first port of call is the NHS for most people. So the NHS is picking up the pieces. And countries working on a treaty to deal with the global crisis of plastic pollution won't reach an agreement today as hoped. Negotiations are in a deadlock over issues including legal controls on toxic chemicals and the growth rate of plastic production. More than 400 million tonnes of new plastic is produced per year. It's understood that figure could triple by 2040. And remember, you can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and you can listen live to Times Radio Online.

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