The Story

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.
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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.

All of Ed Sheeran’s support acts have pulled out of his tour after his opening act Macklemore was dropped for making pro-Palestinian remarks on stage. So why has this become such a cause célèbre? What does it mean for Ed Sheeran? And what has happened through history when music and politics meet?

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: Jonathan Dean, executive editor of interviews for Culture and Books, The Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producer: Olivia Case.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com
Read more: Ed Sheeran is in a £100m mess of his own making
Further listening: My life with Freddie Mercury
Clips: teddysphoto / Instagram, BBC, NewsNation, Virgin Media One, Sky, Boston 25 News, ConcertChickCT / YouTube, Macklemore / Instagram, Nikki/YouTube, BV Concerts / YouTube, CNN.
Music: Macklemore / Hind’s Hall / Bendo; Macklemore and Ryan Lewis / Thrift Shop / Macklemore LLC; Macklemore Ryan Lewis feat. Mary Lambert / Same Love / Macklemore LLC; G-Eazy & Macklemore / FDT (Pt. 2) / Def Jam; Greenday / American idiot / Reprise Records; Billie Holiday / Strange Fruit / Commodore; Kendrick Lamar / Alright / Top Dawg / Aftermath / Interscope;
Ed Sheeran / Shape of You / Asylum / Atlantic; Ed Sheeran / What do I know / Asylum / Atlantic; Nina Simone / Mississippi Goddam / Philips Records.
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.
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The space race is on, but not as we’ve known it. Instead of a man on the moon, nations are jostling for who can plant weapons on the moon. In a major development this week, the US has announced that it has deployed a weapon to outer space – the first country to do so. But are other nations, like China and Russia, far behind?

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: Larisa Brown, defence editor, The Times.
Host: Rosie Wright.
Producers: Eleanor Harrison-Dengate, Robyn Simon, Micaela Arneson.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com.

Read more: US confirms weapons in space, prompting warning from China

Clips: Air and Space Forces Association
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.