Morning briefing Thursday 7th May

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.

0:35This is Times Radio's morning briefing on Thursday the 7th of May. Donald Trump and Iranian officials are both talking positively about efforts to end the war amid reports negotiators are closing in on a framework agreement. The US president says Iran wants to negotiate with momentum building behind the scenes towards a continuation of the ceasefire and nuclear deal. Former UK National Security Advisor Sir Mark Lyle Grant told Times Radio there are reasons to be cautiously optimistic. Both sides clearly do not want to return to hostilities. And President Trump in particular is keen to do a deal.

1:13And that's really why he's paused the so-called Project Freedom, where it was using more sort of muscular military force to open the Straits of Formeuse. And there clearly is some back-channel exchanges, indirect contact between the two countries via Pakistan. Meanwhile, fighting has continued elsewhere in the region, including fresh Israeli strikes on Beirut. Two British people are self-isolating in the UK after potential exposure to Hantavirus on a cruise ship linked to three deaths. Health officials believe the disease may have been contracted during a bird-watching excursion near a landfill site in Argentina before passengers boarded the vessel.

1:55A British crew member, former police officer Martin Anstey, was among those evacuated yesterday after he fell ill during the voyage. Latin American correspondent John Bonfiglio told Times Radio how this instance of Hantavirus differs from previous cases in Argentina. Hantavirus generally has a fatality rate of 20%. This particular strain actually has a fatality rate of two in every five people, so it goes up from 20 % to 40 % fatality. The ship's now on its way to Tenerife. Polling stations opened this morning for people to vote in elections across the British Isles. Wales and Scotland will choose new members of their devolved parliaments.

2:37More than 5 ,000 council seats are up for grabs. The founder of JD Wetherspoon has criticised proposals by Ryanair boss Michael O 'Leary to limit passengers to two drinks at airports. Satir Martin says the idea will be difficult to enforce and warned it could lead to Big Brother-style measures like breathalising travellers. Mr O 'Leary says tighter restrictions are needed to tackle disruptive behaviour on flights fuelled by excessive drinking. Best-selling author Anthony Horowitz says he regularly uses ChatGPT for research, although he admits it can feel like cheating. The novelist says artificial intelligence is useful for quick information but warns its answers can't always be trusted.

3:17Horowitz told Times Radio he would never use AI to write his fiction, saying it lacks human emotion and nuance. I think chat to GBT is a dangerous friend, frankly. I mean, it's there to help you and it will help you, but if you let it, it will take over. There's more on these stories throughout the day on Times Radio. 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? Strong foundations unlock AI's potential.

3:58That'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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