Evening briefing on Wednesday 24th 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 your Times Evening Briefing on Wednesday, the 24th of December. The EU and President Macron have accused Washington of coercion and intimidation.

0:44It comes after the Trump administration imposed a visa ban on five leading Europeans who've been involved in a campaign to introduce laws to regulate American tech and social media giants. Two of those affected are British, Imran Ahmed of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate and Claire Melford, who heads the Global Disinformation Index. The government's independent terror legislation watchdog, Jonathan Hall, told Times Radio tech giants need to take responsibility. Amongst their employees, there are behavioural scientists and their mission is to find those little things like the ping when you get an email or to encourage the infinite scroll, which is simply designed, whether we want to or not, to increase our engagement with these machines.

1:26And I think when you think about who they are employing and for what purposes, of course they are. If not legally, they are certainly morally responsible for what is happening at the moment. Vladimir Zelensky suggested he's open to the creation of a demilitarized zone in the eastern Donbas as part of the new peace framework to bring about an end to the war in Ukraine. The president says Kiev and Washington have reached a consensus on a draft peace plan that's been sent to Russian negotiators. More questions are being asked about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's links to Jeffrey Epstein following the release of thousands of new files connected to the convicted paedophile.

2:03However, the documents have also put the spotlight back on Andrew's links to another convicted sex defender, jailed fashion tycoon Peter Nygaard. Charles Ray is former royal editor of The Sun and is now a royal commentator. The FBI, the NYPD and the New York District Attorney wanted to interview Andrew for his links to not only Jeffrey Epstein, but another convicted paedophile, a man called Peter Nygaard, who was a Canadian fashion designer who is now currently in the pokey for 11 years and is still going to face other charges for trafficking young girls. Pope Leo XIV will lead his first midnight mass as pontiff this evening.

2:47That'll be followed tomorrow by his orbi et orbi, the special blessing and message delivered by the Pope from St. Peter's Basilica on major occasions in the Christian calendar. Alina Trabatoni is a journalist based in Rome and describes the preparations. It's a very sort of heartfelt moment and we're seeing a lot of movement around the Vatican and in the Vatican as people flow to St. Peter's and there's a big gathering in the square already obviously and needless to say this year is jubilee year as well So there's a huge influx of pilgrims from all across the world. Sir Keir Starmer has used his Christmas message to acknowledge people who are struggling with living costs.

3:29His promised tackling issue remains a top priority for him. And UK high streets and retail parks have been busier this Christmas Eve with footfall rising compared with last year. Retailers say the news offers some relief after a challenging 12 months. You can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online. That's your Times Evening Briefing on Wednesday, the 24th of December.

3:58This 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.

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