Evening briefing Thursday 19th March

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 Radio News Briefing on Thursday 19th March. The Gulf state Qatar, the world's biggest supplier of gas, could be declaring it's breaking its contracted obligations to customers across the world using a power called force majeure.

0:48The term refers to dealing with events it can't control and follows attacks on the country's major liquid natural gas installation. President Trump has warned Iran he'll massively blow up the South Park's field if Iran targets Qatari energy again. Times Radio business correspondent Dominic O 'Connell explains what this development means for the market. This is extremely bad news for the world gas market. Most of the shipments from Qatar go east, they go through the Straits of Hormuz and they go off to Asia. But it is a global market for gas, and those Asian countries who now can't count on supply from Qatar will be competing from shipments from the US, which is where we get most of our imported gas from.

1:26The gas price spiked earlier today at about 175p a therm, Before the conflict started, it was down around 70p a third. Iran's foreign minister says attacks on Qatar's energy hub was a display of only a fraction of its power, vowing zero restraint if oil infrastructure is hit again. The latest report in the COVID inquiry highlights an almost complete collapse of the NHS during the pandemic. Baroness Hallett's investigation said that was only narrowly avoided thanks to the efforts of healthcare staff. Her review also points to confusion around stay-at-home messaging with many avoiding hospitals despite needing medical treatment.

2:05Kemi Badenokh has told Times Radio she would intervene if she came across a shoplifter, depending on how big they were. The Conservative Party leader also said stronger people should do more to tackle crime. She was speaking to Times Radio's political editor, Anna Mihailova. I think it depends on how big they are. Good answer. And similarly... Yes, yes, yes. You would? You would if they were not too big? Would be my instincts. I think people should look after their personal safety. I think those people who are stronger should do more. I know that there is now a tendency for people not to put themselves in harm's way, but I also think that sometimes we need to send a message that this is not acceptable.

2:45The queue to get a meningitis B vaccine at the University of Kent has closed early, with staff saying it reached capacity. The clinic will reopen in the morning as the number of cases in the county rises to 27. Reform UK has proposed cutting the number of MSPs and quangos as it launched its campaign for the Scottish elections in May. To reduce the number of MSPs, it pledges to cut the number of constituencies from 73 to 57. The 27-page document also suggests shutting down the quangos and returning powers to democratically elected ministers supported by the civil service. The All England Club has overcome a key legal battle in its proposed£200 million expansion into an adjacent golf course in Wimbledon.

3:28A high court ruling found that the former Wimbledon Park golf course land is not subject to a statutory trust for public recreation. There are plans to build 38 new tennis courts and an 8 ,000-seat stadium on the golf course land to keep pace with the other three Grand Slam events. And a gnome ban will be lifted at the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show for the second time in history. The Royal Horticultural Society says it wants celebrities to decorate gnomes to feature in this year's show. They'll then auction them off for charity. You can follow The Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online.

4:04That's your Times Radio News Briefing on Thursday 19th March.

4:30This 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