The Story

In an area just north of Blackpool, a chemical factory sits on the River Wyre. In the past few years, journalists have detected large amounts of forever chemicals in land around the plant. And yesterday, some residents discovered they had high levels of these chemicals in their blood. So, what does this mean? And what can those tested do about it?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: George Odling, senior news reporter, The Times.
Host: Luke Jones.
Producers: Robyn Simon, Jesse Fox.
With audio from: Lara Wildenberg.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Alarm over 'forever chemicals' in blood of Lancashire town residents
Clips: CBN News, BBC News, BBC World Service, News4AJAX, ‘Dark Waters’ - Universal Pictures.
Photo: James Speakman for The Times.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US president will greet his Chinese counterpart at the start of a state visit later today. The two leaders will hold talks in Washington, DC tomorrow during which artificial intelligence is expected to be high on the agenda. Despite weeks of warnings about the devastation AI could cause to humankind, the two countries are locked in a battle for global domination of the technology. Could Donald Trump and Xi Jinping stop the escalation?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Rana Mitter, professor of US-Asia relations, Harvard Kennedy School.
Host: Luke Jones.
Producers: Micaela Arneson, Jesse Fox.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: China’s AI is not the best but it can still come first
Further listening: Will superintelligent AI destroy humanity?
Clips: BBC, LiveNOW from FOX, USA Today, CNBC, C-SPAN.
Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham will meet Donald Trump in person for the first time today at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Top of the agenda are the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine, North Sea drilling, trade deals and AI. So who wants what? Will there be any curveballs? And can the PM charm his opposite number in this first face-to-face?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Ben Clatworthy, Whitehall editor, The Times.
Host: Luke Jones.
Producers: Olivia Case, Robyn Simon.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com
Read more: Andy Burnham is set to meet Trump: here are the potential flashpoints
Further listening: Has space become the final frontier for war?
Clips: Sky, BBC, Channel 4, The Guardian, GB News, AP, Parliament.live, United Nations / YouTube. NBC, France24.
Photo: Getty Images and Wikimedia Commons.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anti-Ukrainian sentiment is on the rise in Poland.The rift stems, in part, from a historical dispute over a wartime massacre of Poles 83 years ago, which has bubbled to the surface in recent months. So, how did relations sour so quickly? And what does this mean for Polish support in the war against Russia?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Anthony Loyd, special correspondent, The Times
Host: Manveen Rana
Producer: Sophie McNulty
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Poland and Ukraine reopen old wounds that lay buried for 80 years
Further listening: The Ukrainian plot to sink the Russian economy
Clips: BBC, Good Morning Britain, Gazeta Wrocławska, Grzegorz Braun - Facebook, Kancelaria Prezydenta RP - Facebook, RMF24.
Photo: Jack Hill/The Times.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ironman ultra-triathlons demand competitors swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles, and then run a full marathon, paying upwards of $1000 for the pleasure. It’s not everyone’s idea of a perfect Sunday, but for its growing base of devotees, it has become almost like a religion. So how did the sport grow from its low-key Hawaiian roots to a money-making global phenomenon? And what drives people to push their bodies to the limit?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Read by: Rick Broadbent, sports writer, The Times.
Producers: Harry Stott.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com
Read more: $1,000 for 140 miles of suffering (in the rain) — why is Ironman so popular?
Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.