Afternoon Briefing Monday 8th June

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. Welcome to the Times Radio afternoon briefing for Monday the 8th of June. The Prime Minister says tech companies must stop children from sending or receiving naked images of themselves or the government will change the law.

0:47Today I'm calling on tech companies operating in this country to introduce device controls that prevent children from sending and receiving sexually explicit images. Because this is not an impossible challenge. These are the sum of the most innovative companies in the world. and I believe they can solve it. The government has announced a three-week consultation on screen time for children. It's understood, Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to announce a partial ban on social media for under-16s. Iran is threatening a full week of continuous strikes after launching missiles at northern Israel. It's the first time Tehran has struck Israel since April.

1:27The IGF has retaliated, saying it's hit a petrochemical complex in southwestern Iran. Israel has also struck Hezbollah targets in southern Beirut. Tehran wants a ceasefire in Lebanon as part of a peace deal. There are concerns the ceasefire may be over. But Sharon Haskell, Israel's deputy foreign minister, has told Times Radio it's not her nation's fault. If there's a ceasefire with a country and they send ballistic missiles towards London, does that still sound to you like a ceasefire? To me, it doesn't. I'm in charge of protecting my country and my civilians. If Iran attacks Israel, it means that Iran have broken the ceasefire.

2:06You can't put that on Israel. The leaders of the UK, Ukraine, France and Germany have discussed the urgent need to ramp up production of defensive weapons and deep strike capabilities for Ukraine. Sir Keir Starmer hosted Vladimir Zelensky along with the French president and German chancellor at No. 10 last night for talks on the war. Ukraine has targeted St. Petersburg in a drone attack. Zelensky says he needs to make Vladimir Putin take notice. It's all about how to stop him, how to make pressure on him. Support of airlines is good. Sanctions is better. Sometimes sanctions on Shadow Fleet and the energy, gas, oil, is very strong steps.

2:47But Putin understands only when there is a total pressure on him. An airline industry body is warning that British tourists could be waiting for up to six hours when leaving the UK this summer. The International Air Travel Association says there's a hard risk of unacceptable delays because of new border checks called the entry and exit system. It means people's biometric data, including photos and fingerprints, need to be checked when they leave. The Times' head of travel, Claire Irvin, has fallen foul of it already. It involves technology, it involves organisation, it involves extra staff, it involves waiting places, new places to queue.

3:27I was at Naples Airport a couple of weeks ago and we had to queue outside to go into a tent to get to the tech and it was uncharacteristically raining so that was fun. But then I thought well actually if it had been really sunny that would have been even worse. You can follow the Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online. This 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?

4:05Strong 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.

4:47And 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.