Morning briefing Tuesday 20th January

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 morning briefing on Tuesday 20th January. Donald Trump has told Europe to focus on Ukraine as he refuses to rule out taking Greenland using military force.

0:45He also says he no longer thinks only about peace after accusing Norway of influencing the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize. Pekka Havisto is the former foreign minister for Finland who took the country into NATO. Well, of course, we should take it seriously, but I think it's not a situation that could not be negotiated. We have still 10 days to go to the beginning of February. I think that's a lot in President Trump's calendar and of course we have a group of countries that are facing the same threat at the moment. It's very important that we keep together between EU and UK and Norway. A decision on a new Chinese embassy is due later today and after years of wrangling it's expected to be approved.

1:28Matthew Henderson is a former British diplomat in China and Hong Kong and an independent consultant. Our government, I believe, has made a tactical decision based on the fact that they've put themselves into an impossible dilemma. They cannot achieve any progress in their relations with China if they exclude China from using this site. And yet by doing so, they're doubling down on risk. Ministers will consult on a social media ban for the under-16s and toughen up rules on mobile phones in schools in an attempt to see off a backbench rebellion by more than 60 Labour MPs. In the latest Downing Street climb-down, the government has dropped its objections to imposing age restrictions on social media use and will also look at banning children from accessing addictive features like infinite scrolling.

2:14Catherine McKinnell is Labour MP for Newcastle-upon-Tyne-North who signed an open letter calling for a ban. I've been on a journey with this issue as well and I think it's taken me some time to get to the point of realising that we need to do something and it's quite urgent. So it's good that the government are listening, it's good that the government are going to be looking at it. What I would really like to see though is things change as quickly as possible because I genuinely feel and I think parents and teachers in schools as well feel there is no time to lose. Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK, according to a new analysis.

2:50Figures examined by the charity Prostate Cancer UK found that 64 ,000 men were diagnosed with the disease in 2022, compared with 61 ,000 with breast cancer, which had previously been the most common cancer. Brooklyn Beckham has broken his silence on his feud with his parents. The 26-year-old accuses Sir David and Lady Victoria of trying to endlessly ruin his relationship with his wife Nicola before and after their wedding. And there's more on these stories throughout the day on Times Radio.

3:25This 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. Here's a tip for you. There's a podcast out there with fans waiting to be your next customer.

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