Daily Briefing Sunday 7th December

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 Sunday 7th December. Senior barristers are accusing the Justice Secretary of misrepresenting statistics about rape cases in his arguments to scrap half of all jury trials.

0:46David Lammy's repeatedly said 60 % of victims pull out of cases because of court delays. Official data shows most cases are dropped before a charge though, often linked to policing delays. The Times' special correspondent Emily Dugan says the proportion withdrawing after a charge is much lower. So when barristers heard Lammy going on the media rounds to different outlets, using this figure of 60 % of rape victims pulling out of cases, they were quite shocked because they knew that the true figure who were not pursuing cases once they had come into the court system was 8%. The Ministry of Justice says the complaints are completely misleading.

1:25Young people on benefits will be offered jobs in construction, hospitality and social care to try to stop rising youth unemployment. The government's£820 million package will support up to 55 ,000 jobs from next spring. There are currently 940 ,000 young people out of work, education or training. The Conservatives say there's no guarantee the jobs will stay once the scheme ends. Ukrainian politicians say they've faced massive airstrikes overnight. Russia says it shot down 77 Ukrainian drones. Volodymyr Zelensky will be in London tomorrow as the Prime Minister hosts him and the French and German leaders.

2:02Former Ukrainian defence adviser Alexander Kara says Europe needs to step up. Europeans are coping with, let's say, chances of not financing Ukraine enough in the coming months. So I believe this shows that there are some constraints. The so-called coalition of the willing that are ready to provide Ukraine with more and to be with us in more in the coming years, not just months. The Sunday Times has revealed the Metropolitan Police Commissioner received contracts from the Met while in the private sector between two spells at the force. Sir Mark Rowley and his business partner had a contract worth tens of thousands of pounds a month by 2022.

2:42He still has more than 30 % of the company's shares, but those are in a trust and they were declared when he was appointed commissioner in September that year. Mohamed Salah has given an extraordinary interview to journalists, saying his relationship with the Liverpool manager Arna Slott has completely broken down. The Egyptians been Liverpool's talisman in recent years, winning two Premier League titles, the Champions League and becoming the club's top goalscorer in the modern era. But the 33-year-old's been dropped from the starting eleven following a poor run of results, which he says is unacceptable.

3:13It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That's how I feel. It's very clear that someone wants me to give all the blame. The club promised me in the summer for a lot of promises and nothing. So far I'm in the bench three games, so I can say that they keep the promise. And England have lost the second Ashes test. Despite a stubborn batting display, they set Australia a target of only 65. Australia won by eight wickets on day four, taking a 2-0 lead in the series and meaning England need to win all three remaining tests. Don't forget you can subscribe to The Times News Briefing on Spotify or listen live to Times Radio online.

3:56This 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. Granger knows when you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building, you're managing all of them.

4:45And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail, filters ready to clog, HVAC on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering, and 24-7 support. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done.