Daily briefing Thursday 25th 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

0:36This is the Times News Briefing for Thursday 25th December. Authorities in the United States say they've uncovered more than a million additional documents potentially relating to Jeffrey Epstein. The Department of Justice say it will take a few more weeks to release the trove found by the FBI and prosecutors in New York. They say lawyers are working around the clock to review them and make the legally required redactions to protect victims. King Charles and the royal family are expected to celebrate Christmas Day together at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Off the guest list is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, over the former Duke of York's links to Jeffrey Epstein.

1:12The Sunday Times' royal editor, Roya Nika, says it will be a watershed Christmas for the royals. They will feel it is very positive that so many of them can gather together and celebrate with the king, and that, you know, he's still around and he's still working and he's still head of the family. and I think there'll be relief that to some extent they feel the Andrew issue is solved for now. The Office for National Statistics says more than 6 ,200 farming businesses shut down in the year after the government announced changes to inheritance tax. The National Farmers Union says the highest number of closures since records began reflects uncertainty across agriculture, forestry and fishing.

1:52But it welcomed Tuesday's U-turn raising the threshold, which ministers say will take 85 % of farmers out of the tax. New powerful drones that can lift a 15-stone man could be used to help a prison inmate escape. That's according to the president of the Prison Governors Association who warns it could happen any day now. The chief inspector of prisons has told The Times ministers in the prison service have been too slow to react to the threat from drones. President Zelensky has called for peace and unity in Ukraine during his Christmas address. He also appeared to wish death on Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

2:26It comes as the latest draft of a peace plan agreed between Ukraine and the U.S. has been submitted to Russia. Ukraine's President called for civilians to be protected. We celebrate Christmas in a difficult time. Yet despite all the hardships brought by Russia, it is incapable of occupying or bombing what matters most. That is our Ukrainian heart, our faith in one another, and our unity. And Donald Trump has been celebrating the season by taking phone calls from children across the US. In one exchange, he described coal as clean and beautiful, and wished a Merry Christmas to everyone, including, he said, radical left scum.

3:07As part of the annual tradition, the president also took a question from one four-year-old from Sepulpa, Oklahoma. Well, we track Santa all over the world. We want to make sure that Santa is being good. Santa's a very good person. We want to make sure that he's not infiltrated, that we're not infiltrating into our country a bad Santa. Santa loves Oklahoma like I do. You know, Oklahoma was very good to me in the election, so I love Oklahoma. Don't ever leave Oklahoma, OK? From all of us at The Times and Times Radio, we wish you a peaceful and very Merry Christmas.

3:46This 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. The 2026 FIFA World Cup meal at McDonald's is underway with one of nine legendary cups in the lineup.

4:35Christian Pulisic, David Beckham, Laminio Mal, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Son Hyung-min, Alfonso Davies, Santi Jimenez. And between the posts, it's Grimace. Get one of nine collectible cups with a FIFA World Cup meal. At participating McDonald's for a limited time. While supplies last, all rights reserved. 2026 McDonald's at FIFA World Cup 2026.