Daily Briefing Saturday 22nd November

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 the Times Daily Briefing on Saturday 22nd November. It's reported European leaders are considering travelling to the White House to lobby Donald Trump over his Ukraine peace plans.

0:44Zakir Starmer is not thought to be among them, but says he is working to strengthen the plans, which include Ukraine giving up land to Russia and cutting its army. President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country needs to be listened to. Now is one of the most difficult moments in our history. Now the pressure on Ukraine is one of the most difficult. Now Ukraine may find itself facing a very difficult choice, either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner, either the difficult 28 points or an extremely difficult winter, the most difficult, and further risks. Donald Trump says Ukraine has until Thursday to accept and was asked about President Zelensky's comments in the Oval Office.

1:28President Zelensky said today that his country would risk either giving up to partner or giving up to dignity. There's been criticism that this deal... You mean he doesn't like it? It's unclear. He was sort of 10. He'll have to like it, and if he doesn't like it, then, you know, they should just keep fighting, I guess, you know. Children as young as 10 who identify as transgender will be given puberty blockers in an NHS trial. The trial, which is a recommendation of the Cass Review, which led to puberty blockers no longer being prescribed on the health service, has been given ethical approval.

1:58Advocates insist the treatment's effects are reversible, although that is rejected by critics. Sue Evans, a psychotherapist who worked at and complained about the Tavistock Clinic, which has now been shut down, says the trial shouldn't go ahead. I don't trust the ethics committee. We haven't seen any detail about who they were and what questions they've asked. I've worked in this area for over 20 years and I've been in mental health work and psychotherapy for 40 years. And nobody asks me what I've learned about the children that I've been treating for the past 22 years. The Daily Mail's publisher has signed a deal to buy The Telegraph.

2:36The Daily Mail and General Trust is paying half a billion pounds for the newspaper. US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who used to be one of Donald Trump's staunchest allies, says she's resigning after a row with the president. She pushed through a bill, now signed into law, which will force the US government to release all its legal documents on Jeffrey Epstein. The president has called her a traitor. And Australia have won the first Ashes Test in Perth. England began the day by bowling Australia out for 132 in their first innings. However, they then collapsed, losing nine wickets between lunch and tea.

3:10The hosts raced away in their run chase of 205, thanks to 123 from open at Travis Head. TalkSports' John Norman describes it as a once-in-a-lifetime innings. He has smashed England to all parts. At the century coming, in quick time, 83 balls is all it took for him to essentially dismantle England's chances in this test match. All of this after England were in pole position to win this test at lunch. Don't forget to subscribe to the Times News Briefing on Spotify or listen live to Times Radio online.

3:58So 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 Every morning throughout the World Cup, the game football podcast from The Times and Sunday Times will bring you your essential daily briefing. We'll hear from our reporters inside the England and Scotland camps bringing you the big news first.

4:40We've got reporters covering the best of the rest and following all the biggest stories. From FIFA banning water to Donald Trump coming on as a sub against Paraguay. OK, maybe not the last bit, but who knows? So join the game for the biggest show on earth. Find the game wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you.