The Story

President Trump sparked controversy during his recent trip to Ireland when he said a unified Ireland would be “a fantastic thing.” That was followed on Monday by Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh leaders signing a pact pledging to break up the UK. With Prime Minister Andy Burnham set to meet with the Taoiseach Micheál Martin tomorrow, is a united Ireland now more likely?

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: Jennifer Bray, political editor, The Sunday Times Ireland.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Robyn Simon.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish leaders sign ‘historic’ independence pact
Clips: The Times, The Sunday Times, and RTE News
Photo: Getty Images.
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The Microsoft co-founder tells Danny and Katie why AI is "ultra-different" from any previous technology - and why tech companies shouldn’t be responsible for controlling it.

Speaking about a new report on AI and equity published by The Gates Foundation he also explores the “vacuum of US leadership” in AI regulation.

The Interview is Times Tech's weekly conversation with the people shaping the future of technology.

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Read more: Bill Gates: My plan to keep the world safe in the age of AI
Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.uk
Presenters:
Katie Prescott, Technology Business Editor, The Times.
Danny Fortson, US West Coast Correspondent, The Sunday Times.
Producer: Marnie Duke.
Executive Producer: Priyanka Deladia.
Video Producer: Bronwen Latham.
Image: Getty
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 Thirlwall Inquiry into how Lucy Letby was able to murder babies at the Countess of Chester hospital has released a damning report. It found the hospital could have prevented at least three of the murders, if not for evidence of a pernicious “them and us” culture and a lack of safeguards. But what does this report mean for the hospital authorities? And will it have any bearing on Letby's attempts at an appeal?

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: Sian Bradley, Northern correspondent, The Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Micaela Arneson, Eleanor Harrison-Dengate.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Lucy Letby inquiry: staff could have stopped three murders
Further listening: Is there ‘new evidence’ in the Lucy Letby case?
Clips: BBC, The Telegraph, The Mirror, True Criminals podcast, The Guardian, The Thirlwall Inquiry.
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.

The Iranian-backed Houthis have seized large swathes of territory in Yemen and taken control of the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a key shipping corridor between Asia and Europe. About 12 percent of global trade passes through the strait, including huge amounts of oil, so the move has sent energy prices skyrocketing. But, who are the Houthis? What’s their aim? And with regional powers wary of getting dragged into yet another war, who can stop them?

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: Dr. Elisabeth Kendall, president of Girton College, Cambridge, specialising in Arabic and Islamic studies.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Olivia Case, Robyn Simon.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com
Read more: Houthis seized strait ‘without a fight’. Now they’re bracing for one
Further listening: Inside the West Bank crisis driving Britain to act
Clips: PBS, CBS, BBC, France 24, Fox News, ABC, CNN.
Photo: Mohammed Huwais for 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.

Warnings about the dangers of AI are reaching fever pitch, with cases of AI agents going rogue and attempts by malicious actors to use the technology to create biological weapons. Industry whistleblowers are sounding the alarm about a technology they claim could destroy humanity, while AI CEOs are themselves making proposals for a slow down. So how do they plan to stop this march towards oblivion? And how scared should we all be?

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: Chris Dorrell, technology correspondent, The Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Harry Stott, Leo Danczak.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Anthropic blocks ‘malicious’ AI use over biological weapons fear
Further listening: 'We don't understand the consequences' - Why I quit OpenAI - The Sunday Story
Clips: CBS, BBC, CNN, Bloomberg, NBC, Sky.
Photo: Tony Bell, Times illustration.
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.