Afternoon Briefing Friday 25th 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. Welcome to The Times Radio afternoon briefing on Friday the 25th of September. Defence companies and infrastructure providers are to be given closed-door government briefings on the threat posed by Russia.

0:45Companies will be invited to talks with ministers in the coming weeks. Olly Cole has more from the Times newsroom. At the UN General Assembly earlier this week, the Prime Minister outlined the risks posed by Russia's hybrid attacks and actions in Ukraine and elsewhere. Now, CEOs from the companies that keep the country running and keep us safe will get intelligence briefings on the way Russia uses cyberattacks, sabotage and disinformation to take organisations offline, disrupt activity and weaken trust. Bosses will be invited to sit down with Security Minister Dan Jarvis and Armed Forces Minister Louise Sander-Jones in the coming weeks.

1:20It comes after meetings earlier this year that the government held with university leaders focusing on foreign interference. Duffid Powys Police in Wales says it's suffered a cyberattack. The force says it's caused disruption to non-emergency systems. It also says it may have led to staff information being accessed or compromised. A former victim's commissioner has told Times Radio that people affected by serious crimes are not being looked after as they should be. Dame Vera Baird has been speaking after the Met Police Commissioner claimed the courts are prioritising paedophiles over public safety.

1:54A 32-year-old man who took thousands of pictures of women and children was bailed to his flat, which overlooked a children's playground. Dane Vera says it shouldn't have happened. Even today, despite having had a victim's commissioner for a long time, the courts give insufficient regard to the rights of the victim. Of course, they're programmed to look at what the defendant has done and deal appropriately with them. But there are two sides to every story. There is almost always a victim, and it's particularly insidious if the courts don't look after victims of predatory sexual offenders such as this person.

2:33England's first new reservoir for three decades has been delayed for five years despite widespread drought. The Havant Thicket Reservoir in Hampshire will now also cost double the original estimate. The Times' environment correspondent Ben Cook explains why. Planning permission was first granted for this reservoir five years ago, and it was due to open in 2029. But it's now had to be partially redesigned because of unexpected geological conditions, and won't be finished until 2034. It was estimated to cost£340 million in 2022, but will now come in at over a billion pounds in today's money. The delay comes at a time of growing concern about water security in England after the hottest summer on record.

3:20The regulator will now open a consultation on whether to approve the budget increase. You can follow the Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify and 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. That's why PwC takes you further with tech, strengthening the data quality, processes and workflows that shape how well AI performs.

4:01PwC turns innovation into implementation so you can accelerate from experiment to scale. Discover more at pwc.co.uk.

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