Morning briefing Wednesday 7th 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 for Wednesday 7th January. President Trump wants to acquire Greenland as a national security priority, And the White House says the use of military force, even against a NATO ally, is always an option.

0:49In a statement provided to the Reuters news agency, a senior US official said that Trump aims to secure control of the mineral-rich Danish territory before he completes a second term of office. The American network NBC is reporting the governments of Denmark and Greenland have requested a meeting with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Catherine Thompson is a former senior official at the Pentagon. Speaking to Times Radio, she explained why it's unlikely the US would employ any extreme measures. Not only to keep the NATO alliance intact, but to keep the gains that have been made by this administration for the strength and longevity of the NATO alliance by putting Europeans in a greater leadership role and getting our European allies to commit more on the spending front.

1:33I would think that they would want to keep that intact and that would be a much higher priority than any gains that could be made from Greenland. Russia has yet to respond to a decision by Britain and France to commit to the deployment of troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal. Sakhir Starmer, President Macron and President Zelensky yesterday signed a declaration of intent to put boots on the ground as part of security guarantees agreed upon at a meeting of the 35 European members of the Coalition of the Willing. Lord Darroch was the British ambassador to the United States and is a former national security advisor.

2:09Speaking to Times Radio, he questioned whether it would have any impact on Moscow's diplomatic approach. There is no evidence yet that Putin is prepared to make any concessions at all to Ukraine to achieve peace deal. I mean, his position is absolutely maximalist and not a basis, I think, for a deal to be reached. So we may well still be a long, long way from any point at which any such force might be deployed. Novice motorists will face a stricter drink-drive limit, meaning they will not be able to risk having a single pint of beer or a small glass of wine before getting behind the wheel. The effective ban on driving after drinking alcohol for newly qualified drivers will make the UK one of the strictest nations in Europe.

2:55The measures are part of the government's road safety strategy, which will be announced later today. Nigel Farage will oppose Labour's plans to increase fuel duty and will promise to cut energy bills under plans to put the cost of living at the heart of Reform UK's campaign for the local elections in May. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, has already announced that the government will end the five-pence cut that was introduced after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And the King is to make available a new venue so that couples can have the near experience of their own royal wedding. From July next year and for just£5 ,500, couples will be able to tie the knot and entertain 200 guests amid the historic grandeur of Dumfries House, a Grade II listed Georgian property in Ayrshire.

3:43You can follow the Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online.

3:51This 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

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