Morning briefing Thursday 18th 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. This is Times Radio's morning briefing on Thursday the 18th of June. A former British ambassador to Iran is warning that the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran is a highly unstable framework that represents no victory for either side.

0:51In a statement, the White House said the memorandum had been signed by President Trump at the Palace of Versailles and by his Iranian counterpart, Mazur Bezeshkian. The 14-paragraph agreement says Iran will never have a nuclear weapon and also commits to a$300 billion fund for the country's reconstruction and economic development. Speaking to Times Radio, Sir Nicholas Hobson said the initial document is merely a baseline that could unravel easily. The president obviously understands that he needs to get out of it as soon as possible, and it's not totally within his gift, of course, because we are aware that Israel does not seem as enthusiastic about the agreement.

1:30In fact, it's working quite hard to undermine it, as far as one can see by continuing to attack in Lebanon. So this is very much a tentative first step, it's very fragile. England have kicked off their World Cup campaign in style, beating Croatia in a six-goal thriller in their opening game in Group L. Captain Harry Kane scored his ninth and tenth World Cup goals in the first half, but on both occasions England's joy was relatively short-lived as Croatia hit back twice before half-time. But in the second half it was a different story after England had re-established their lead with this moment of brilliance.

2:22Goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford in the second half, giving England a 4-2 win in Dallas. England winger Anthony Gordon admitted the players were tense in the first half, but he explained how manager Thomas Tuchel's words at half-time changed England's tone. He said, loosen up. He said, this is not what I see in training. The training sessions have been so intense, the highest level. So it wasn't what we'd done in training. And he said that, he said, what's the worst that can happen? We can lose the game. So what? Go out and be ourselves. I'd rather lose as us, if that makes sense.

2:53And it really kicked us into gear because we came out strong. England's next match is on Tuesday against Ghana, who began their campaign with a 1-0 win against Panama in Toronto. Members of the Oxford Union were prevented from listening to an address by the far-right activist Tommy Robinson last night after massed anti-fascists blockaded the debating chamber. More than 500 protesters linked arms outside the entrances ahead of a debate entitled, The West is Right to be Suspicious of Islam. And an ancient oak tree connected to the legend of Robin Hood is thought to have died. The major oak in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire is thought to be up to 1 ,200 years old.

3:31The conservation charity that manages the woodland said the tree had been affected by factors including huge visitor numbers as well as recent heat waves and droughts. There's more on these stories throughout the day on Times Radio.

3:48This 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.