Evening briefing Tuesday 20th January

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0:36This is the Times Radio evening briefing for Tuesday the 20th of January. European Union leaders are insisting they'll hold their ground on Greenland, despite Donald Trump saying there's no going back. They've been reacting to the US president's renewed threats, with the Danish prime minister calling it a dark chapter. Speaking in Davos, French President Emmanuel Macron says he prefers respect over bullies. As will a shift towards a world without rules, where international law is trampled underfoot and where the only law that seems to matter is that of the strongest and imperial ambitions are resurfacing.

1:13France and Europe must defend an effective multilateralism because it serves our interests and those of all who refuse to submit to the rule of force. Prosecutors say no further charges will be brought against Lucy Letby, the nurse convicted of killing seven babies. Chesia Constabulary presented evidence of further murder and attempted murder allegations involving children at hospitals in Chester and Liverpool, but the Crown Prosecution Service says it doesn't meet the threshold for prosecution. Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee has criticised ministers' approval of a new Chinese embassy in London.

1:49Chairman Lord Beamish says the process wasn't as coordinated or robust as it should be. It's emerged MI5 and GCHQ warned it would be unrealistic to eliminate risks linked to the new embassy. Former Conservative leader Sir Ian Duncan Smith told Times Radio it's mad to approve the plans. It's been complained about by the Americans, by the Dutch, by the Swiss, by others from the Five Eyes arrangement because of its location. Its location sits right alongside very critical communications. It was very clear the security services are very concerned about the nature of the activities of China, and this will make the activities much easier.

2:24I mean, we forget that this is a country that poses a phenomenal threat. A ban on social media for under-16s, phone curfews and restricting algorithmic features like the infinite scroll are among measures the government is consulting on. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall told MPs the government will act robustly after the three-month consultation to make sure young people get the childhoods they deserve. I know that many parents are deeply worried about a whole range of other impacts on their children. the consequences for their mental health, their concentration and sleep, their sense of self-esteem, their ability to learn and to explore the online world without fear.

3:02We are determined to help parents, children and young people deal with these issues with a lasting solution. Another Conservative politician has been sacked over suspicions he was planning to defect to Reform UK. Welsh Parliament member James Evans has had the whip removed and lost his role in the Shadow Cabinet. And Elon Musk has suggested he could buy Ryanair. It's part of a growing row involving the owner of Starlink and the airline's chief executive, Michael O 'Leary. O 'Leary said he wouldn't follow BA and Lufthansa in installing satellite internet equipment on aircraft. You can follow the Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio Online.

3:44This episode of the Times Radio News Briefing is sponsored by PwC. 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.

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